The Central College Entrepreneur Speaker Series offers community members and students insights, tips and practice for business concepts and investor pitches. The six-week speaker and workshop series is hosted by Matt Sutter, lecturer of accounting and director of entrepreneurship at Central. The series will feature four Iowa leaders and founders followed by two workshops for business pitching to develop skills, design and implement a business proposal pitch.
“The skills of an entrepreneur — managing uncertainty, decision-making with little information and building from the ground up — are applicable in any career,” Sutter says. “Our speakers bring a breadth of experience that exemplifies this principle. Entrepreneurship is developmental for every kind of student.”
Each session in the series begins at 7 p.m. Launching the series is Davis Rowe, chief revenue officer of Kreg Tool, Thursday, Oct. 3, Boat Room, Maytag Student Center. Rowe oversees the strategic priorities for sales and marketing of Kreg Tool, based in Huxley, Iowa. Rowe is an adjunct faculty member at Central teaching Advanced Entrepreneurship: The Start-up Semester.
Clayton Mooney, chief farmer at Clayton Farms, will speak Thursday, Oct. 10, Boat Room, Maytag Student Center. Clayton Farms is an indoor farming operation based in Ames, Iowa, that revolutionized fast food with a farm to window concept.
Kimberly Baeth, owner of Golden Openings, will present Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Dave ’61 and Ardie Sutphen ’64 Common Room, Central’s Graham Annex. Baeth was the 2022 U.S. Chamber Small Businessperson of the Year recipient. Golden Openings is based in Johnston, Iowa.
Billie Asmus, CEO of Repaint Studios, based in Hampton, Iowa, will share her firsthand experience competing and winning in pitch competitions. Her venture began in 2020 with a way to refinish furniture in an eco-friendly way. She will speak Thursday, Oct. 24, Boat Room, Maytag Student Center.
Thursday, Oct. 31 and Nov. 7, Sutter will host pitch workshops teaching participants how to deliver a concise presentation for their ideas, products or company that will be noticed by potential investors. He will meet with individuals and groups in the Weller Center for Business and International Studies.
