JEROME STROM
Conference Sponsor and Owner/Operator, Yale Investment Company, Palo Alto, CA

Jerome Strom is a Dickinson State College alumnus and lives in Los Altos Hills, California.  He has been an enthusiastic supporter of Dickinson State University since his graduation in 1958.  Mr. Strom and the late Mrs. Rosie Strom have supported and contributed financially to the Strom Entrepreneurship Conference since its inception in 2001.  Mr. and Mrs. Strom credited their success in private business to the importance of commitment that was stressed by their North Dakota heritage.

ANDREW ZOLLER
Owner, Rock 30 Games, Bismarck, Jamestown, Grand Forks, ND

Andrew Zoller graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD in December 2002 and holds a dual-emphasis bachelor’s degree in human services and communication.  He is the owner of Rock 30 Games, which he started following college graduation.  Zoller spends much of his Rock 30 time working with company procedure development and new store expansion/start-up.  He is an avid disc golfer and is involved with sponsoring disc golf tournaments and leagues throughout the state of North Dakota.

JIM BLASINGAME
Keynote Speaker and Author, The Small Business Advocate®, Florence, AL

Jim Blasingame is the president and founder of Small Business Network, Inc., which produces and distributes more multi-media small business content than any other person or organization on the planet.  He is an award-winning host of The Small Business Advocate Show and he is recognized as one of the best interviewers in broadcasting.  He is a syndicated columnist and author of Small Business is Like a Bunch of Bananas and Three Minutes to Success.

ERIC WALTH
Director of Business Operations,Rock 30 Games, Bismarck, Jamestown, Grand Forks ND

Eric Walth graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD in May 2003 and holds a dual-emphasis bachelor’s degree in business management and finance.  In addition to serving as director of business operations at Rock 30 Games, Walth is project manager in the Accounting and Business Solutions division of NISC in Mandan.  He previously worked as a financial analyst for the Asia Pacific region of the Unisys Corporation.  He has been admitted to the MBA program at Indiana University and hopes to start classes this August.

SCOTT MOLANDER
Keynote Speaker and Co-Founder, Hat World, Inc., and The Simple Furniture Company, Indianapolis, IN

Scott Molander is a Crosby, North Dakota native and a 1988 graduate of Dickinson State University.  He is the co-founder of Hat World, Inc., a company with over 800 stores that is the world’s largest retailer specializing in the sale of officially licensed and branded baseball-style hats and visors.  The industry was recognized as one of America’s entrepreneurial growth leaders by Inc. Magazine.  Molander launched a new venture, The Simple Furniture Company, which sells furniture that can be put together without tools.  He believes the most down-to-earth if ideas will lead to great success.

Dr. DEBORA DRAGSETH

Associate Professor of Business, Dickinson State University, Dickinson, ND

Dr. Debora Dragseth is an award winning associate business professor at Dickinson State University.  She is an active writer and contributor who has collaborated with PBS’s Paul Solman, Former Senator George McGovern and Boomtown USA author Jack Schultz. She also writes for several business magazines throughout the region. Her research interests include out-migration and entrepreneurship. Dragseth will host an activity in which participants will compete in a life-sized, creative and fast paced building contest. The audience will have fun judging which team wins the “Give Me Shelter” competition

TRISHA FINES
President, Young Professional Network (YPN), Bismarck, ND

Trisha Fines is a financial services representative with State Farm Insurance where she focuses on retirement planning for both individuals and businesses.  She is also the head cheer coach for Mandan High School and is in the process of starting her own entrepreneurial venture, the Nodak Cheer Stars, a gym where kids can take cheerleading, tumbling and dance classes.  Fines graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in economics, public health and leadership. After college, she spent a few years working in Denver before her return to Bismarck, North Dakota.  She is involved with the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network and in May was elected as the Network’s second president.

Chara Wangen

Professional speaker, storyteller and educator

Chara Wangen is a professional speaker, storyteller and educator with a creative and dynamic speaking style.  She has been a college public speaking and communication instructor since 1996.  She holds a master’s degree in communication studies.  Wangen enjoys speaking to groups on various topics and training in the workforce on communication skills.  She also does biblical storytelling as well as storytelling programs for children across Bismarck.  Wangen will facilitate a working session on a video presentation hosted by Dewitt Jones, one of America’s top professional photographers.

AARON BANK
Owner, Mr. Delicious Cheesecake, Bismarck, ND

Aaron Bank recently opened Mr. Delicious Cheesecake Café in downtown Bismarck.  He attended Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida and graduated with degrees in both culinary arts and food and beverage management.  Bank was born and raised in the food industry and is very passionate about food and the business.  Mr. Delicious opened in April 2006 and specializes in gourmet cheesecakes and other desserts.  In addition to a 25-seat dining room, Mr. Delicious also provides cheesecakes for several area restaurants and cakes for weddings.

SAM SALWEI
Snowkiter, Expedition Leader – To Cross The Moon (2XTM), Grand Forks, ND

JASON SCHAEFER
Education and Environmental Coordinator, To Cross The Moon (2XtM)

To Cross the Moon, 2XtM, chronicles adventure athletes Sam Salwei, expedition leader, and Jason Magness, snowkiter, as they attempted to snowkite across North Dakota from the Canadian to South Dakota border in January 2007. The 2XtM crew visited communities along the route educating people about North Dakota’s incredible wind energy potential and demonstrated the fast-growing sport of snowkiting.  2XtM shows how we can embrace the wind to create wind energy jobs and become the Aspen of snowkiting.

DEB KANTRUD
Community Developer, Roosevelt-Custer Regional Council, Dickinson, ND

Deb Kantrud researched and developed an asset-based community development model that empowers community members to change and revitalize their communities.  Kantrud has used this model in 17 rural North Dakota communities and for several nonprofit organizations.  She has ten years experience as a journalist for a daily newspaper and another decade working in public relations.  Kantrud has a Bachelor of Science degree from Dickinson State University and teaches as an adjunct lecturer of business.

ANNETTE SCHILLING
Cultural and Heritage Tourism Marketing Director, Bismarck, ND

Annette Schilling is the Cultural and Heritage Tourism Marketing Director and the Lewis and Clark Coordinator for the North Dakota Department of Commerce – Tourism Division.  She is the current chairperson of the Circle of State Advisors, a multi-state marketing subcommittee of the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council, and is a member of the National Cultural and Heritage Tourism Alliance Partners Steering Committee.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing and public relations from NDSU and masters in management and human resources from the University of Mary.