DSU Hosting Third Annual Entrepreneurs Day This Weekend

This Friday, March 31st the Dakota State University will be hosting their third annual Entrepreneurs Day at the Dakota Prairie Playhouse.

The Entrepreneurs Day has grown from it being a business plan pitch competition for students at DSU to it now being an event where students from several high schools from the area and other colleges compete, along with talks given by area entrepreneurs.

Dr. Michael Roach, the DSU Assistant Professor of Management and Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization Club advisor, says that, “The percentage of people who say they would like to start their own businesses is relatively large compared to the percentage of people who seriously want to start their own business.”

Roach mentions it is due to the amount of work and sacrifice that it takes, and that it also takes a lot of effort and multiple iterations.  

Some of the local entrepreneurs who will speak at the event will be Jon and Brittany Waldman, Eric Skott, and Matt Paulson.

This year’s competition features business plans turned in by participants from Brandon Valley High School, Florence High School, Marshall High School, Augustana University, Dakota State University, South Dakota School of Mines, and the University of South Dakota. 

The judges for the pitch competition are Brooke Rollag, Executive Director of the Lake Area Improvement Corporation (LAIC); Michael Klumpp, President of Citibank; and Matt Willard, Assistant Professor of Business at Augustana University. 

Friday’s event at the Dakota Prairie Playhouse in Madison will begin at 11:30am.