Extreme Entrepreneurs tour to stop at university

Southeast Missouri State University leaders hope the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour stop Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State University will inspire its students to have a greater entrepreneurial mindset in their careers and everyday lives.

Founded by 25-year-old entrepreneurs Micheal Simmons and Sheena Lindahl, the tour is expected to bring 150 to 200 business and nonbusiness majors together to learn more about the process through speakers, exhibits and hands-on learning activities.

Dr. James Stapleton, director of Southeast's Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, said the event is part of a yearlong effort to inspire others to adapt such a mindset. In June the center launched the Missouri Rural Entrepreneurial Through Action Learning program aimed at promoting entrepreneurial education among the state's grade-school students and teachers by studying innovative and enterprising business concepts. And from Nov. 17 through 23 Southeast will join millions of young people worldwide for Global Entrepreneurship Week, which will feature panels, presentations and competitions aimed at representing the diversity of real-world entrepreneurs.

"We believe inspiring a new generation of innovative entrepreneurs is essential for the future of our local, regional and national economy," Stapleton said. "Entrepreneurship is a process of creating value by combining unique packages of resources to exploit opportunities. This process and the inspired mind set that fuels it takes place in many contexts and can provide extensive benefits to all students."

The event will kick off with an 11 a.m. block party in front of Academic Hall. Hosted by Southeast's Redhawks Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, the party will feature exhibits, free food, drinks and giveaways from local businesses. At 4 p.m. speakers who have started or sold a company for millions of dollars before the age of 30 will share stories about how they have succeeded in the marketplace.

For more information, visit www.extremetour.org or contact Stapleton at jstapleton@semo.edu or 651-2010.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137

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