UWP student and alumnus to speak at BEST Conference
PLATTEVILLE- A University of Wisconsin-Platteville student and alumnus will speak at the ninth annual BEST Conference, to be held on Thursday, April 16 at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore. The topic of the conference is Vision into Action. The conference is open to the public and is presented by the Southwest Wisconsin Regional Economic Development Coalition. Anyone interested in the region's economic future is welcome to attend. The event brings area entrepreneurs, educators, community leaders, lenders, government officials, business owners and economic development professionals together to discuss economic development in the tri-state region.
Burt Chojnowski, this year's keynote speaker, will look at the steps necessary to create successful rural entrepreneurial communities and cultures and the lessons learned from Fairfield, Iowa, and dozens of other rural communities across the country. Chojnowski is an innovative leader in the Fairfield Entrepreneurs Association, a leading entrepreneurial development organization, and was named Rural Entrepreneurial Practitioner of the Year in 2005 by the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship and the Kauffman Foundation.
Evening speakers are Scott Skelly and Don Wickstrum. Skelly is a local entrepreneur who owns and operates Corn Mazes America, which he started as a high school sophomore in 2004. He is a junior at UWP double majoring in agricultural business and speech communication. He was one of 28 finalists, among 1,000 entries, for the Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards. Wickstrum is the owner of Quest Industrial, an engineering and technology firm that specializes in automation and robotics. His company has 11 employees and is hoping to add more this year; he has also saved his customers over $15 million. He earned his bachelor's degree in industrial technology management at UWP and earned the Green County Entrepreneurial Spirit Award in 2008.
Registration for the full conference including dinner costs $55 per person, $45 for each additional group member and $25 for full-time students. Dinner only costs $25 per person. Registration is requested by April 10. Anyone wanting more information or to register may contact April Fuhr, program associate, UWP Continuing Education, at (608) 342-1314 or fuhrap@uwplatt.edu. A registration form may also be found online at www.bestconference2009.com.
Contact: April Fuhr, program associate, UWP Continuing Education, (608) 342-1314, fuhrap@uwplatt.edu Formatted by: Ryan Broege, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, broeger@uwplatt.edu
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