Winner of the 2019 UNI Entrepreneurs Elevator Pitch Competition, Maddie Palmersheim, had the opportunity to attend the 2019 CEO (Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization) Global Conference and Pitch Competition. This conference was held in Tampa, Florida from October 31st to November 2nd.
At the culmination of one of the most shocking financial crimes in the Cedar Valley, FBI agent and University of Northern Iowa alumnus Scott Irwin (Accounting ‘99) was there to make the arrest.
The man under arrest was Russell Wasendorf, who, in the years prior, had been a pillar of the community. He owned a high-end Italian restaurant, several residences valued in the millions and a company, Peregrine Financial Group, which had been in operation for 20 years.
A wide range of Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firms were on hand for the annual CPA Firm Forum on Oct. 2 at the University of Northern Iowa, held by the UNI Accounting Club, to meet with students.
On October 29th, North Iowa Area Community College’s Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center held the 2019 NIACC Pappajohn Center Entrepreneur Gala which recognized outstanding entrepreneurs in the area. One of the entrepreneurs recognized was UNI student, Samantha Schupanitz. She received special recognition of Student Entrepreneur of the Year for her business, Sami’s Sock Monkeys.
The inaugural Digital Marketing Forum, hosted by UNIBusiness’ department of marketing in coordination with the digital marketing agency Spinutech on Oct. 24, gave students an inside look at the role technology plays in today’s customer expectations.
The event was made even more special thanks to Google executives Nima Oftadeh, principal analyst, and Matt Gaither, account executive, who presented at the conference and spent much of the day meeting and helping students.
Maddie Palmersheim and Robert Sales, both UNI student entrepreneurs, attended this year’s Techstars Startup Weekend in Kansas City from September 20-22. The Techstars Startup Weekend is an immersive startup experience focused on hardware and product design that challenges teams to get feedback, make changes, and stay open to the idea of pivoting if a plan fails.
University of Northern Iowa and China’s Shanghai University of Engineering Science (SUES) are partnering to create a 2+2-degree program, allowing students to gain two years of educational experience in both China and the United States.