Strom is a native of Beulah and a 1960 graduate of Dickinson State. Mr. Strom currently serves as president and general manager of Yale Investment Company, a real estate investment company in Palo Alto, Calif. His wife, Rosie Ann (Ridl) '58, owns a property management firm. They were honored with the Golden Hawk Award in 1995.

Jerome Strom has been involved in the syndication of real estate investments through the formation and management of more than 60 different partnerships. A licensed real estate broker in California, Strom has been active in the acquisition and management of real estate.
In 1982, the Stroms gave one of the largest single gifts in the history of the foundation. It was given as a token of their appreciation for the benefits that they received as a result of their education at Dickinson State.

The Stroms specified that their gift be used to support scholarships and other projects in the business program. It is their firm belief that through increased awareness and understanding of the free enterprise system young people will come to appreciate the economic system of this country and the many advantages that are available to the individuals within that system.

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Joe Albert is an assistant professor and chair of the Department of Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Joe is the Director of the Renaissance Center for Leadership at Gonzaga and also is Co-Director of the Comprehensive Leadership Program for undergraduate students at Gonzaga.

He holds a Ph.D. in leadership, a master's degree in counseling psychology and an undergraduate degree in business management. In addition to teaching, Joe also provides consulting and training services to organizations in a number of areas including: understanding organizations, leadership in organizations, psychological issues in leadership, organizational change, motivation and empowerment.

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Don Macke is the Co-Director of the National Center on Entrepreneurship in Rural America. The Center is a joint project of the Rural Research Policy Institute and the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. The Center supports research, field practice and policy development in support of rural entrepreneurship.

Mr. Macke is also the Director of Special Projects with the Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF). NCF is Nebraska largest rural philanthropic institution supporting sustainable rural development in over 200 rural communities in Nebraska. Mr. Macke holds an M.A. in Economics and B.S. in Environmental Studies, both aquired from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

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GROW Nebraska (Grassroots Resources and Opportunities for Winners) is a non-profit marketing and training program for Nebraska's Arts and Crafts Businesses. The GROW Nebraska Program provides assistance to Nebraska residents - individuals or groups - wanting to develop as arts and crafts professionals through economic opportunities and training. The program started taking memberships in January of 1998, current membership is 173 businesses representing 211 full time equivalent Nebraska jobs.

Anderson has five years of experience in managing a staff of 17 people as a former district manager for a national financial firm in Kansas City. A native of Arapahoe and a graduate of the University of Nebraska, Anderson returned to the Arapahoe area in 1994. Anderson has been highly involved in economic development projects as chairperson of South Central Community Builders, is a Master Business Retention and Expansion consultant through the University of Nebraska and is the Southwest Nebraska regional coordinator for the Nebraska Community Foundation. She is a member of Craft Organization Directors Association, Nebraska Diplomats, Nebraska Economic Developers Association and the Nebraska Enterprise Opportunity Network. She has served as Executive Director of Central Plains Foundation, Inc. since January 1995. She lives on a farm in Stamford, Nebraska, with her husband Leon and two children Haley and Parker.

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William Isaacson is a classic example of an "Entrepreneur," spanning a thirty-three year career at 3M Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was only one of three people at 3M appointed to a corporate venture career path, recognizing his skills as a visionary, innovator, entrepreneur, and leader. He spent the last half of his career as a Venture Director responsible for startup of new businesses, primarily in the health care field.

A native of North Dakota, where he currently resides, Bill has both B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering from Montana State University. Isaacson is President of Isaacson & Associates, Inc., a consulting company engaged in re-pioneering North Dakota through entrepreneuring, startup of technology based businesses. He is currently a member of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education governing 11 universities and colleges and served as President this past year. He is also currently President of the Raymond C. Rude Foundation of Reno, Nevada, and President of the Mountrail County Aquatics Foundation, Inc. of Stanley, North Dakota.

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"Adding Value to Rural North Dakota-One Person at a Time". We hear a lot about value-added agriculture in North Dakota, but there is also a way to add value to rural areas by making technology education available to the residents.

Tara Holt is the director of the Center for Technology and Business/Women & Technology Program, which is funded collectively by the United States Small Business Administration Office of Women's Business Ownership and the North Dakota Department of Economic Development and Finance. The program has been recognized as one of the most innovative community technology programs in the country. Through economic development partners and sponsors, the program is operating in more than 63 communities throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Tara has a background in private business as an entrepreneur and business owner and has also directed the Women's Business Assistance Program at the Department of Economic Development and Finance, served as Chairman of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women, and the North Dakota Women's Foundation. She is a strong advocate for women of all ages and wholeheartedly believes that women should and can participate with men in business and at home.

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Dana Bohn is the president of Clearwater Communications, and vice president and New Economy Initiative coordinator for the Greater North Dakota Association.

Bohn grew up on a family farm in Grant County and graduated from Elgin High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in public relations-political science and a master's degree in communication, both from the University of North Dakota. While in Grand Forks, Bohn worked for the UND Alumni Association and Foundation. She served as the executive director of the North Dakota Water Coalition since 1995 and assistant executive director of the North Dakota Water Education Foundation.

Bohn is an active member of her church and the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce. She is a former local and state Young Careerist for the Business and Professional Women's organization and a 1999 graduate of the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce leadership program. Bohn and her husband, Pat, have three children and live in Bismarck.

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In 1995, I started FunShine Express, Inc. in Dickinson. We design, write, manufacture, and distribute a preschool curriculum for early childhood teachers and child care providers to use with the children in their care. Our mission is to provide teachers and children with developmentally appropriate educational materials, according to standards outlined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, as well as current trends in the early childhood field.

We began operating the business out of our homes with two employees and first year orders of approximately 50 per month. We currently employee 14 full time staff, several part time staff, and moved into our own building in 2000. Ninety-eight percent of our product is distributed out of state and all over the country (approximately 2,500 customers per month, 18,000 children) and we also have a small retail store on site for children's learning products and teacher supplies. Gross sales for 2001 were $850,000.

Community involvement includes being a Child Care Trainer for south west North Dakota Child Care Resource and Referral Marketing Chair - Destiny Dickinson Community (2001 Community Center Project), and Manufacturers Roundtable Organization - Stark Development Corporation.

Mr. Squeegee has now grown to approximately 175 commercial and 500 residential accounts, with plans of continuing growth in the future.

Mr. Dabson has been president of the Corporation for Enterprise Development since 1992. He is also the co-author of many CFED publications including: "Enterprising Youth in America" and "Bidding for Business: How Cities and States Sell Themselves Short."

The Corporation for Enterprise Development is a national nonprofit organization which provides a range of policy, research, consulting and technical assistance services in the broad field of economic development. Their mission is to foster widely shared and sustainable economic well-being. CFED is known for its advocacy of effective and accountable economic development particularly in distressed communities and regions.

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