Growing in the GreenSeam Owatonna: Food and Ag Entrepreneur Workshop

In partnership with the Owatonna Area Business Development Center, GreenSeam presents Growing in the GreenSeam, an interactive, in-person workshop designed to equip food and agricultural business founders for their next step launching or scaling in Owatonna area. Participants will gain access to the right tools and resources through expert presentations, guided activities, real-world stories, and breakfast conversations.

Who is this for?

• Aspiring, new, and established food and agriculture business founders
• Farm-based, food, and agriculture-driven businesses
• Owners of small, Owatonna area businesses exploring growth or scalability
• Those curious about start up financing, technical assistance, and local resources

At the Event

Build practical skills for starting and scaling a business in an active session led by the inventor of the Lays Baked potato chip and University of Minnesota faculty, Jeff Stamp

• Learn to navigate the Owatonna area’s unique business landscape using the University of Minnesota Extension’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework, presented by Extension Educator, Becca Leys
• Hear directly from local food and ag founders who have “been there” in a panel that explores their journeys and how they answered the questions all entrepreneurs face
• Develop your local network of business peers and public organizations eager to support the launch and development of your business

Expect conversation, applied learning, and meaningful connections!

Agenda

Registration

9:00 am – Breakfast & Welcome

Holly Callaghan, Economic Development Specialist, GreenSeam

Sean Williams, Executive Director of the Owatonna Area Business Development Center

9:15 am – Owatonna’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Becca Leys, Community Economics Educator at the University of Minnesota Extension

10:00 am – Planning Your Business: The 6 Problems All Businesses Must Solve

Jeff Stamp, Professor of Entrepreneurship at University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences.

11:30 am – Networking Break – With Light Refreshments

11:45 am – The Entrepreneur Experience: The Start, Gaining Traction, The Scale

Panel of Local Food & Ag Founders Moderated by Dr. Jeff Stamp

12:30 pm – Conclusion & Resource Fair

Holly Callaghan, Economic Development Specialist, GreenSeam

Presenters

Becca Leys, Community Economics Educator, University of Minnesota Extension.

Becca’s work focuses on supporting leaders in Greater Minnesota to build entrepreneurial communities and make informed decisions about their economic future by providing applied research, education, and coaching. Becca has a background in local government and community development and holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Jeff “Stamp” Stamp, Teaching Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Minnesota College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Sciences

Stamp has over 25 years of world-wide experience in bringing out the creative best in business professionals and university students. He was the inventor, creator, and section manager of “Baked Lays”, for PepsiCo’s snack division Frito-Lay, which achieved $230 million in first year sales. His research is focused on the creative and cognitive processes that entrepreneurs use in idea creation, technology innovation, and opportunity recognition.

Arrival & Parking Instructions

Parking is available in the parking lot to the south of the OPU main building, the parking lot to the south of the OPU Service Center, or across the street in the public parking area south of TGK Automotive.

There is a handicapped accessible entrance to the main OPU building on the south side of the building right off the parking lot.

Thank you, sponsors and partners!

This work is made possible by Minnesota State University, Mankato and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture AGRI Works Grant, and the Owatonna Area Business Development Center

About GreenSeam

GreenSeam is an initiative of Greater Mankato Growth and economic development organization supporting growth in the food and agricultural industries of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. For more information on our work, visit www.greenseam.org

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