Business and Community Services Bldg., Suite 128
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0130
(319) 273-JPEC (5732)     Fax: (319) 273-5733
E-mail: [email protected]     www.jpec.org

Creating a Culture for Entrepreneurship at UNI!

Speakers' Bios

JERRY CONWAY

Jerome Francis Conway was born on February 19, 1947, and was raised in Elma, Iowa. At the age of 14, he worked in the family grocery business until he opened his own restaurant at the age of 21. Closing the business after one year, Mr. Conway enrolled in the University of Northern Iowa in 1969. Mr. Conway was a part-time student while working full-time as the general manager of the Elks Lodge in Charles City. This is where he met his wife and future business partner, Denise R. Lore, from Bassett, Iowa. Mr. Conway spent three years in the Air Force sharpening his management skills as manager of the officers' club while completing his college education at the University of Northern Iowa with a BS degree in 1975.

Mr. and Mrs. Conway began their business partnership in 1977 by opening their first Sonic restaurant in Austin, Texas. Their first year's sales exceeded $750,000 when the chain average was below $400,000. In 1985, their restaurant earned the distinction of being the first store within the Sonic chain to reach $1 million in sales. Twenty-six years later, Mr. Conway serves as president and Mrs. Conway serves as vice president of Austin Sonics, Inc., a management company serving 101 Sonic restaurants with an employee base exceeding 3,000 and more than $100 million in annual sales. Mr. Conway was voted Coop Leader of the Year in 1990, and received the Multi-unit Operator of the Year award in 1991. In May 2003, the Conways sold half their stores (the San Antonio market) for more than $65 million and have since diversified their interests to include commercial real estate, aviation, and the stock market.

Giving back to the community is an extension of Mr. and Mrs. Conway's commitment to customer service. Both are active in numerous charitable events and organizations. Assuming leadership roles within the Sonic community nationwide is another example of Mr. Conway's commitment to living his philosophy. Mr. Conway serves on Sonic's Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) providing significant input for Sonic Industries regarding national marketing and promotions, operation priorities, and product and packaging decisions. Through the FAC, Mr. Conway, along with other participating members, provides an important communication link between regional franchises and Sonic Industries.

WA KRAUSE

W. A. Krause was born in Eldora, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa and majored in journalism. Mr. Krause and his wife, Nancy have three children who also attended the University of Iowa. Beginning in the late 1950's, Mr. Krause entered into a small business partnership with his father-in-law, Tony Gentle. Mr. Krause opened his first "gas" station store in Hampton during 1956. He was one of the first pioneers of the "convenience" store concept.

In 2000, Krause Gentle Corp World Headquarters was opened in West Des Moines. Today, Mr. Krause owns and operates 350 Kum & Go convenience stores that span thirteen states (2006 update is 445+ stores in 13 states), and he is President and CEO of Krause Gentle Corporation. Additionally, he owns nineteen other companies under the Krause Gentle Corporation. Mr. Krause has served on numerous industry boards such as the National Association of Convenience Stores Board of Directors, Government Relations Board Committee, and Public Policy Committee. He is a past president of the Iowa Petroleum Marketers Association and is a member of the World Presidents Organization. Mr. Krause has also received many awards and achievements such as Inc. magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year" award in 1993. Kum & Go was named Convenience Store Chain of the Year in 1998. Mr. Krause was named the Iowa Grocery Association's Retailer of the Year, and Des Moines Business Record named him Best CEO (Runner -Up) in 2000. Kum & Go won the Convenience Store People's Outlook Award for Community Involvement in 2003, and Kum & Go was awarded the Gannett Retailer of the Year Award in 2004.

Mr. Krause has been a strong supporter of Iowa communities and its youth. Over the years he has made personal and corporate financial commitments to organizations such as Junior Achievement, Holy Family, Dowling High School, and programs such as the Krause Challenge.

DAN SCHMITT

In 1989, Mr. Schmitt earned a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Northern Iowa. He is co-founder, 33.3% owner and President of Anthony, Allan & Quinn, Inc. ETAL (AAQ) Inc. This integrated family of seven businesses, offer clients a broad range of services and technological solutions, including healthcare related document processing, various marketing and advertising initiatives in the automobile industry, and the latest venture, Collegiate VIP.

Mr. Schmitt has combined his expertise in business development, administration, finance, and marketing, to create an incubator of new businesses. Since its inception in 1993, AAQ has grown from a single automotive marketing firm to a diversified holding company with combined revenues of more than $100 million in 2003.

In 1997, recognizing a tremendous need and opportunity for the application of document processing solutions to the healthcare industry, Mr. Schmitt co-founded ABF to serve insurance companies, Managed Care Organizations, HMO's, and Third Party Administrators. ABF leveraged a combination of proprietary print, insert and Web-based technology to integrate directly with healthcare company claim systems. In July of 2003, ABF was sold to publicly-traded WebMD for cash and stock of $260 million.

Mr. Schmitt is the mastermind of AAQ and ABF business models and a methodology for creating new business initiatives. He spends time managing each of the seven businesses while always keeping an eye to the next business opportunity.

Mr. Schmitt resides in Naples, FL with his wife, Jen, and their two children.

DAN LEESE

Dan Leese is a seasoned professional of the Beverage Alcohol Industry. He began his career with Adolph Coors in 1979 and worked in the beer industry until 1987.

In 1987, Mr. Leese joined Brown-Forman Beverages worldwide as Marketing Director on Korbel Champagne. He held various positions with Brown-Forman including VP Marketing; SVP, General Manager of Fetzer Vineyards; and finally EVP, Managing Director of Brown-Forman's U.S. Wine Business.

In January 2001, Mr. Leese joined Beringer Blass Wine Estates as SVP, General Manager of the Premium Division. In January of 2003, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of BBWE's North American Business. Mr. Leese is widely considered an industry expert on portfolio development, organizational design and long term strategic planning. Beringer Blass Wine Estates is a global premium wine company with wineries in California, Australia and Italy. The company controls over 18,000 acres of vineyard land, including 10,300 in the coastal regions of California. Leading brands include Wolf Blass, Beringer Vineyards, Meridian Vineyards, Stags' Leap Winery, Chateau St. Jean and over a dozen additional wineries worldwide.

Dan and Katy, his wife of 21 years, reside with their three children in Mill Valley, California.

BILL SCHMITT

Mr. Schmitt is a partner & Vice President of Business Development for Teralogix, Inc. and National Director of Marketing for Collegiate VIP, Inc. - two businesses under the entrepreneurial holding company, AAQ, Inc. Mr. Schmitt graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1987 with a B.A. in Marketing.

Mr. Schmitt began his career as a salesman in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. In 1992 he joined his first entrepreneurial endeavor as the Market Development Director in a start-up medical device company. The following year he was promoted to Eastern Region Director of Sales. In 2000, with start-up success in hand, Mr. Schmitt launched a second medical device company as a Director of Sales.

His vision for product incubation and demonstrated success in market development led him to his current roles with AAQ, Inc. in 2003. Teralogix is an information technology company that has recently embarked upon full commercialization of a Web-enabled, asynchronous collaboration tool that optimizes organizational efficiency.

Mr. Schmitt resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife, Carmon, and their three sons.

ANDY WOLTER

Mr. Wolter is the Vice President of Operations and Co-Founder of Collegiate VIP. After a 12-month pilot program and proof of business concept, Collegiate VIP became an entity in 2003. Mr. Wolter attended the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN) and Iowa State University on a Naval ROTC scholarship. He completed a degree in engineering at Iowa State University before joining the U.S. Navy's Nuclear Power Program as a commissioned officer in 1990. Over the next 7 years, he served the Navy through several assignments in nuclear power, surface warfare, and fleet training. He was stationed in Florida, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia.

After graduating with honors from the College of William & Mary MBA program in 1998, Mr. Wolter joined GE Appliances as an Advanced Manufacturing Engineer in Bloomington, IN. The following year he was promoted to Master Black Belt in GE's Six Sigma Quality organization in Louisville, KY. In 2001, he joined GE Capital as an Operations Manager for Vendor Financial Services and returned to his home state of Iowa. Mr. Wolter left GE in 2003 to launch Collegiate VIP.

Mr. Wolter resides in Marion, IA with his wife, Cassidee.

STEVE SALTZMAN

Steve Saltzman is a junior in electrical engineering at Iowa State University and has owned Steve's Mobile Music, a mobile DJ entertainment service, since his senior year of high school. Steve specializes in high-energy entertainment for primarily school events, and has recently expanded operations to include a second system and two part-time employees.

MEGAN WETTACH

Megan Wettach is a sophomore communications major at the University of Iowa. She started her first business, Premier Prom & Pageantry, as a 17 year-old high school senior in Mt. Pleasant. She was recognized by The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Governor of Iowa, as a young entrepreneur in his "2002 State of the State Address." In the fall of 2003, Ms. Wettach recognized an untapped specialty mark for pageant suits. She developed the Megan Amanda Collection, a line of interview suits for pageant participants ages 6-14. Annually, 3-4 million contestants compete in more than 700,000 pageants. Ms. Wettach was a $5,000 state winner of the 2003 John Pappajohn New Venture Business Plan Competition with the Megan Amanda Collection. Ms. Wettach has competed in and won several pageants and is a former Miss Teen Iowa.

NICHOLE PRIEBE

Ms. Priebe is a professional photographer and holds an Associate of Arts degree from Hawkeye Community College. She began Nichole Priebe Photography in August of 2000 with little more than a camera and a dream. Three and half years later, Nichole Priebe Photography is a successful studio in Waverly, Iowa specializing in portrait photography. With clients from all over the country, an exceptional staff, and unique photographic style, Nichole Priebe Photography continues to make its place amongst the best studios in Iowa.

MIKE HAHN

Mr. Hahn, a UNI graduate with a BA in Public Relations, has worked in the small business development and rural community revitalization fields since 1989, most prominently as the Main Street Programs' director in Waverly and Waterloo. As a Program Manager for the UNI Regional Business Center, Mr. Hahn works with small businesses in a variety of counseling areas, including e-commerce, loan packaging, business-plan development and growth strategies.