Entrepreneur Summit to be held Nov. 13

Posted Nov. 9, 2015 at 12:46 p.m.

BOONE—Students or community members interested in owning their own business can learn from the experts at the 12th annual Carole Moore McLeod Entrepreneur Summit Friday, Nov. 13, at Appalachian State University.

The annual event allows students and community members interested in owning their own businesses the opportunity to hear advice and lessons learned from successful business owners.

The summit is sponsored by the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship and the Walker College of Business and will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in Plemmons Student Union. Light breakfast will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Grandfather Mountain Ballroom in the student union.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required by Nov. 10: http://summit.appstate.edu. For more information, contact Jonathan Carpenter at [email protected] or 828-262-8325.

Brandon Adcock, a 2006 graduate of Appalachian’s Walker College of Business and co-founder and CEO of Digital Direct LLC, will deliver a keynote address titled “Entrepreneurial Success in an Increasingly Digital World” at 9 a.m. Direct Digital is a pioneer in health and wellness and owns many of the leading wellness and nutritional supplements on the market. Adcock has been a member of the Appalachian State University Foundation Board of Directors since November 2011 and chairs the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship’s Advisory Board.

At 10 a.m., participants will choose one of three focus sessions to attend: “How to Think Like an Angel Investor” with Inception Micro Angel Fund founder Timothy Janke; “You’ve Got a Great Idea, What Next?” with Edison Nation CEO Louis Foreman; and “Tales from the Shark Tank” with Frill Clothing founder Kate Steadman.

Participants will work in small group breakout sessions beginning at 11 a.m. with entrepreneurs from successful regional businesses, including Appalachia Cookie Company, Ole Mason Jar, Big Boom Design, MobRocket, Global Fashion Group, Stonegate Developers, Appalachian Mountain Brewery and Center45.

Donald Thompson Jr. will deliver comments at the noon luncheon and advise attendees how to “Break Down Barriers and Reach New Heights in Business.” Thompson is an author, advisor and serial entrepreneur who has served as CEO of I-Cubed, a leader in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software and consulting and supply chain analytics. He grew the organization from 16 to 130 employees until it was purchased in 2014 by global technology enterprise KPIT. Thompson was recently appointed to the N.C. Board of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The entrepreneur summit is named for Carole Moore McLeod in recognition of a gift that provides ongoing support of the entrepreneurship program. McLeod is a 1981 business graduate of the Walker College of Business and owner of Advantage Waste Recycling & Disposal Inc.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.