Engler Spring Lecture with Kevin Houtwed

Engler Author

06/06/2018 Added

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Part of Engler's Lecture Series, Kevin Houtwed speaks to Engler Entrepreneur students in May 2018

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[00:00:02.340]So to start this portion of the evening,
[00:00:04.710]I just want to thank everybody for coming and
[00:00:07.960]bring up the backbone of this program, Michelle Bassford.
[00:00:12.340]If you will please come up, Michelle.
[00:00:15.350]She can't hear.
[00:00:17.385]Woo!
[00:00:18.275]Michelle Bassford.
[00:00:20.551](audience applauding)
[00:00:22.294]Woo!
[00:00:24.820]So,
[00:00:25.660]Michelle's birthday is coming up, actually, so
[00:00:29.120]we just want to thank her for all the hard work
[00:00:31.350]she puts into our program and every student.
[00:00:34.060]I know we're a little hard to handle sometimes, so,
[00:00:38.520]we have some flowers here for her and
[00:00:41.624]1000 stories for wine because
[00:00:44.300]Michelle really helps us write 1000 stories.
[00:00:47.350]So if we all sing Happy Birthday to her.
[00:00:51.277]♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
[00:00:55.131]♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
[00:00:58.827]♪ Happy birthday dear Michelle ♪
[00:01:03.558]♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
[00:01:07.578](audience applauding)
[00:01:14.350]She said she wasn't saying any words, so,
[00:01:16.310]I guess I'll say something.
[00:01:20.580]Tonight is about the Englers and
[00:01:23.400]with that we have a host.
[00:01:25.060]His name is DeWayne Taylor.
[00:01:27.030]He is a Master of Ceremonies, Public Speaker,
[00:01:29.280]Voice Artist and a beat boxer, but most importantly,
[00:01:32.100]he is an Engler entrepreneur.
[00:01:34.190]So DeWayne, please come on up.
[00:01:36.551](audience applauding)
[00:01:38.329]This podium is yours.
[00:01:40.057](audience applauding)
[00:01:44.834]Hi.
[00:01:45.940]Hi.
[00:01:46.921]Okay, okay, that means we're all feeling good, then.
[00:01:49.010]Everyone responded.
[00:01:50.310]Welcome to the first ever Englers,
[00:01:53.370]that's like a woo hoo.
[00:01:54.887]Woo hoo!
[00:01:56.010]So I have this thing with awards shows.
[00:01:58.240]I always say there's, like, rules to these shows,
[00:02:00.820]and the only real rule is that you are allowed to
[00:02:03.890]hoot and holler as loud as you would like.
[00:02:06.741]Woo!
[00:02:07.574]Yeah, I love it.
[00:02:08.410]It is a celebration and
[00:02:10.140]it is the first ever awards celebration
[00:02:12.160]that we will be doing,
[00:02:13.010]so this is gonna be an exciting night.
[00:02:14.960]I want you all to just feel free to let a little bit
[00:02:17.490]loose if you want to, loosen up those ties if you need,
[00:02:20.780]because it's gonna be a crazy fun night where we
[00:02:22.480]celebrate a lot of people's accomplishments.
[00:02:24.380]And especially the accomplishments of this great community
[00:02:27.100]that has been built.
[00:02:28.210]So, you might say what are the Englers?
[00:02:29.960]Why?
[00:02:31.620]And why now, what makes us do this?
[00:02:33.400]Well, there's been a lot of revolutionary things
[00:02:35.140]happening in the Engler community and this is a perfect way
[00:02:39.530]to celebrate all of those things and also highlight
[00:02:42.300]some of the work that has been done by students,
[00:02:45.410]the faculty and our community supporters that have
[00:02:48.330]been here since day one or that are joining us just
[00:02:50.500]a month ago or a week ago.
[00:02:52.530]This is a celebration for everyone.
[00:02:54.850]So, earlier this evening, we honored our Seniors
[00:02:57.240]and their parents, thanked them for their commitment
[00:02:59.060]to the program for the last four years.
[00:03:01.330]Would those Seniors please stand up?
[00:03:05.910](audience applauds)
[00:03:14.130]If you got an opportunity to go downstairs,
[00:03:16.240]you were able to see our startup bullpen,
[00:03:18.580]which highlighted some of the programs best business owners,
[00:03:22.020]and we'd like to thank you all for coming tonight.
[00:03:24.130]Yeah, please, give a round of applause for the
[00:03:25.260]start up bullpen.
[00:03:26.687](audience applauds)
[00:03:31.210]Like I said, any time, feel free to interrupt me.
[00:03:33.030]That's totally okay.
[00:03:34.210]If it's about celebration, feel free to hop on in and give a
[00:03:37.330]woo and we'll get the clap in.
[00:03:39.090]But we would like to thank you all so much for coming
[00:03:41.570]tonight and supporting the students and alumni of this
[00:03:43.900]awesome organization and program.
[00:03:45.840]So, here's a quick overview of what's going to be happening
[00:03:48.760]tonight.
[00:03:49.593]We're gonna have our special guest, Kevin Houtwed,
[00:03:52.130]coming up to tell us about his entrepreneurial journey.
[00:03:54.380]Thank you so much, Kevin, for joining us today.
[00:03:56.832](audience applauding)
[00:04:00.770]We've got five outstanding students who are gonna give us
[00:04:03.350]their pitches, quick pitches showcasing their businesses
[00:04:06.470]and give you a glimpse of what they're up to these days.
[00:04:08.990]We're also gonna welcome back some graduates of the program
[00:04:11.350]for an update and special awards that they've created
[00:04:14.460]and finally, we'll move into our brand new awards,
[00:04:17.620]including the Pillar Awards
[00:04:19.870]and the Fire in Your Belly Award,
[00:04:21.490]highlighting the highest performers in the program.
[00:04:24.380]So, with that being said, let us get this thing started.
[00:04:27.970]Please give a round of applause, we're welcoming up
[00:04:29.830]Jake Wilkins who is, of course, an Engler entrepreneur
[00:04:32.770]and Exec Member.
[00:04:33.660]Please welcome
[00:04:34.830]Jake.
[00:04:35.888](audience applauding)
[00:04:45.070]Well tonight I have the tremendous opportunity to
[00:04:47.350]introduce a man, a friend, a mentor and a business partner.
[00:04:51.560]Earlier this year, as I began my entrepreneurial venture,
[00:04:55.900]being able to figure out a great team,
[00:04:58.450]great partnerships, was a huge part of that.
[00:05:01.560]I made a trip out to Grand Island, Nebraska.
[00:05:04.180]The rubber really hit the road and when I walked into
[00:05:06.010]Kevin Houtwed's office,
[00:05:07.030]I knew that it was something special.
[00:05:09.410]He greeted me with open arms and
[00:05:11.860]he's really inspired me to do great things,
[00:05:15.360]both within this program and also in my own
[00:05:18.160]entrepreneurial ventures.
[00:05:19.390]So, without further ado, please help me in introducing
[00:05:22.430]Kevin Houtwed.
[00:05:23.815](audience applauding)
[00:05:32.790]You know, every once in a while in your lifetime,
[00:05:34.650]you get a chance to be a part of something great.
[00:05:36.780]And you know, this is great.
[00:05:39.730]You people don't realize
[00:05:42.140]how
[00:05:43.710]guys like me, how hard I work to,
[00:05:46.140]when I was your age, I didn't have anybody to go to
[00:05:48.720]to talk to.
[00:05:50.410]And when guys like Jake walk in my office,
[00:05:52.950]RJ Baldwin, you guys know Colin, you guys have all been
[00:05:56.400]out there, that means so much to me that,
[00:05:58.850]it means more to me than all the money in the world.
[00:06:02.280]And I started,
[00:06:04.130]how I got started was I was working at Kearney Yamaha
[00:06:06.840]part time as a salesman when I was going to college
[00:06:10.450]over there.
[00:06:11.283]I only went to college one year and
[00:06:13.690]I always wish I would have finished but I didn't have time.
[00:06:15.910]I didn't think I had time.
[00:06:18.450]And what really happened, I sold a lot of stuff for 'em
[00:06:21.450]and got a lot of recognition through Yamaha.
[00:06:23.500]So, they came out with a new four wheeler.
[00:06:26.720]That four wheeler had a power takeoff on the head.
[00:06:28.570]They had no accessories made for it.
[00:06:30.200]I saw an opportunity.
[00:06:32.140]I started making accessories for that four wheeler.
[00:06:34.610]And, you know, I was a freshman in college,
[00:06:36.130]nobody listened to me.
[00:06:37.850]You know, the day I actually
[00:06:40.820]opened up the checking account on my business,
[00:06:42.960]I was $324 overdrawn.
[00:06:45.264](audience laughing)
[00:06:46.290]And so, I mean, that's not a good way to start your
[00:06:49.610]checking account.
[00:06:51.890]But you know, everything always seemed to be about
[00:06:55.270]the money.
[00:06:56.580]How much money can I make?
[00:06:58.650]How much money is that guy worth?
[00:07:00.430]What has he done?
[00:07:02.400]I'm gonna share a story with ya
[00:07:05.520]about the most money I've ever made in my life.
[00:07:09.220]And that was the day
[00:07:11.720]I was
[00:07:13.030]in my office, it was in 2005,
[00:07:16.130]I'd gotten into building pontoon boats and docks,
[00:07:18.590]which we still do today.
[00:07:20.690]I have two stores in Texas
[00:07:22.450]and I have the one in Grand Island.
[00:07:23.870]We ship stuff all over the world every day.
[00:07:27.100]In 2005, the phone rang one day.
[00:07:29.537]And it was this young man,
[00:07:32.290]and he was in the cancer ward in Louisville, Kentucky.
[00:07:37.130]And I didn't know for sure what to think
[00:07:40.030]when the kid was on the phone,
[00:07:41.090]I could hardly understand him, first off.
[00:07:42.790]He had a southern accent that was
[00:07:46.270]pretty dominant and he had had throat surgery.
[00:07:50.070]Now, you know,
[00:07:52.840]wes and you-alls and everything was a lot tougher
[00:07:54.570]after they've had throat surgery to understand.
[00:07:57.750]And I'm sitting there listening to this kid and he,
[00:08:01.400]he told me that he wanted me to bring one of my boats down
[00:08:05.260]that so his father, he could give his father
[00:08:07.890]a ride on the boat before it was too late.
[00:08:10.830]And his father had polio as a child.
[00:08:14.030]And
[00:08:14.863]he had been very sick,
[00:08:18.020]and so
[00:08:19.310]this kid,
[00:08:20.975]he's 12 years old, his name's Nick Harden,
[00:08:24.410]he asked me to send him a brochure.
[00:08:26.580]So we mailed him a brochure.
[00:08:29.040]About two weeks goes by, he called back and he said,
[00:08:31.387]"Have you thought any more about when you're coming
[00:08:33.057]"through here?
[00:08:34.137]"You could just stop and give me a ride on your boat
[00:08:36.857]"with my parents and grandparents."
[00:08:39.360]I said, you know, let me think about it.
[00:08:41.940]We'll figure something out, you know?
[00:08:43.150]Louisville, Kentucky just wasn't right around the corner.
[00:08:47.070]So, I got thinking about that, you know, I thought,
[00:08:49.360]you know, this,
[00:08:50.930]this is gonna,
[00:08:52.730]this is gonna be a great thing to do if I can just
[00:08:55.760]figure out how to get it all put together.
[00:08:57.500]So I started calling around down in Louisville.
[00:08:59.910]And I finally got a hold of Make A Wish
[00:09:03.040]because they had all the local connections and stuff,
[00:09:05.490]and I got the lady at Make A Wish to
[00:09:08.150]get a day to get that kid out of the hospital
[00:09:10.190]and get all his parents and grandparents to meet
[00:09:12.297]at a restaurant.
[00:09:14.400]And so my wife and my
[00:09:15.940]youngest daughter,
[00:09:17.610]we took the best boat we had with every possible option
[00:09:20.810]I could hold on that boat, everything except the bait.
[00:09:25.500]And we took it down there,
[00:09:29.090]met 'em at the
[00:09:31.010]restaurant, ate,
[00:09:32.150]got done eating and went outside and this kid,
[00:09:33.980]he's just a little kid, he says, "Well, we gotta get going."
[00:09:37.160]He said, "I gotta be back at the hospital by three o'clock."
[00:09:40.040]He says, "I want to get on this boat."
[00:09:42.553]And it was like, 2:30, two o'clock in the afternoon, 2:30.
[00:09:45.090]And
[00:09:46.520]I looked at him and says you can go boating
[00:09:48.190]any time you want.
[00:09:49.690]And he says, "Well, how am I gonna do that if you leave?"
[00:09:52.250]And I says, "I'm gonna leave, alright."
[00:09:53.860]But I says, "The boat and trailer stay."
[00:09:56.590]And I pulled the titles out of my pocket,
[00:09:58.770]laid 'em on the hood of my pickup and asked them
[00:10:00.410]how they wanted them made out
[00:10:01.740]because they were gonna keep 'em.
[00:10:04.090]And I'm gonna tell ya, that minute, you think,
[00:10:07.170]that little kid was jumping around.
[00:10:08.650]He was,
[00:10:09.483]it was unbelievably touching, I mean, everybody there was,
[00:10:12.187]it was very emotional.
[00:10:15.090]And I thought about that a lot, and I thought, you know,
[00:10:19.065]I changed that kid's life.
[00:10:21.960]No, I didn't.
[00:10:23.440]He changed mine.
[00:10:25.470]And if anybody in this room, as you guys get older,
[00:10:28.460]there's gonna be people in this room like Jake,
[00:10:30.150]I've told him this before, there's gonna be a day
[00:10:32.480]when some of you young kids are gonna be two weeks out
[00:10:35.530]getting an appointment with guys like me that are
[00:10:37.930]wanting to see you.
[00:10:38.800]It's gonna be impossible to get in,
[00:10:40.130]'cause you guys are gonna go do great things.
[00:10:41.710]There's just no question about it.
[00:10:44.370]And, you know,
[00:10:46.820]when you do that, and you get in position
[00:10:49.460]that you can do those kind of things for people,
[00:10:52.110]that is the day you will make the most money in your life,
[00:10:55.210]is when you can touch somebody like that.
[00:10:58.240]And that kid had,
[00:10:59.300]the nurses were there and they told us that he was terminal
[00:11:02.050]and they didn't know if he'd make it through Christmas.
[00:11:04.810]And
[00:11:06.890]he sent me a letter every year, the first day of school,
[00:11:10.500]with a picture of him standing by that boat,
[00:11:12.930]and a handwritten letter.
[00:11:14.910]And, you know,
[00:11:17.310]I, it's hard for me some days to even think about that
[00:11:19.820]and talk about what went on there that day.
[00:11:22.690]But,
[00:11:24.340]you know, that's,
[00:11:25.460]when you can do that, please do it.
[00:11:27.230]Just, for all you guys out there that are gonna be
[00:11:29.660]heading in the direction,
[00:11:31.060]even if you're broke, it's gonna,
[00:11:32.450]it's the best thing you can do.
[00:11:35.000]And so, you know, I don't want to sit and sound like
[00:11:37.740]the guy that could go out and give things away,
[00:11:39.470]'cause, believe me, at that time I couldn't afford to do it.
[00:11:41.547]It was a $10000 deal, I mean I couldn't afford to do it,
[00:11:45.100]but we did it.
[00:11:46.990]And, you know, the lady at Make A Wish,
[00:11:50.090]she wanted to know if I wanted the local news people there
[00:11:52.373]and the local newspaper and everything.
[00:11:54.310]I says, no, I don't want anybody there.
[00:11:55.600]Nobody needs to know but us and them.
[00:11:57.560]And,
[00:11:58.480]you know,
[00:11:59.710]I thought about that, would be a great ploy for advertising
[00:12:03.130]but, you know, the only place I need to advertise
[00:12:05.890]was right here.
[00:12:06.950]That's the only place I needed it.
[00:12:09.100]And I know there's a lot of you people here in this room,
[00:12:11.190]the elders in this room that have probably done
[00:12:12.750]great things for people.
[00:12:14.430]Obviously you have, or your children wouldn't be here.
[00:12:17.870]And, you know, I've gotta tell ya that
[00:12:20.990]I've met a lot of people in my lifetime, I really have,
[00:12:23.500]and I'm not trying to sound like the guy that's
[00:12:25.880]been everywhere, but I've been everywhere.
[00:12:28.330]I've been a lot of places.
[00:12:29.520](audience laughing)
[00:12:31.620]Had a lot of opportunities.
[00:12:33.130]Traveled a lot overseas and things.
[00:12:36.350]And I'm gonna tell ya,
[00:12:37.580]I have never, and I don't say that lightly,
[00:12:41.200]I have never been surrounded
[00:12:43.530]with the people that I have met in this Engler Program.
[00:12:46.690]Never.
[00:12:48.080]And I know I never will be again.
[00:12:50.460]And you all parents keep one thing in mind.
[00:12:52.710]That all starts at the top.
[00:12:54.300]That starts at home.
[00:12:55.940]That isn't something that them kids just come home
[00:12:58.020]and it worked for 'em.
[00:12:59.600]That all starts at the top, and if you don't,
[00:13:02.130]if you don't think so, try it without being there for 'em.
[00:13:06.300]You know, my parents split up when I was 16
[00:13:08.620]and I moved out on my own.
[00:13:10.860]And I didn't have a lot of support from either one of 'em,
[00:13:14.010]and I think it's probably because they knew I could be
[00:13:15.730]just fine by myself.
[00:13:18.060]And so,
[00:13:19.650]as I
[00:13:20.483]got older,
[00:13:22.340]I knew I wanted to be in business for myself
[00:13:24.300]and I knew that I wanted to do business all across
[00:13:26.720]the country.
[00:13:28.100]I used to sit in my, in the classroom,
[00:13:30.620]I'm gonna tell you something you probably won't believe,
[00:13:32.400]it sounds like a story but it's not.
[00:13:34.780]I used to sit in the classroom and the teachers,
[00:13:36.800]the couple of teachers I had called me a dreamer.
[00:13:39.570]You know,
[00:13:40.525]I'd thank 'em, I'd say thank you.
[00:13:43.010]That's great, that's a great thing to have,
[00:13:44.460]being called as a dreamer.
[00:13:47.500]And we had a superintendent that
[00:13:50.750]he cornered me out one day at Study Hall and I was
[00:13:52.643]talking about some of the things that I was gonna do and,
[00:13:57.980]he come,
[00:13:59.349]you know, he made light of it, but,
[00:14:02.960]and one thing I want all you young kids to do,
[00:14:05.400]any time somebody calls you a dreamer,
[00:14:07.730]keep that name in your mind.
[00:14:09.660]Keep that name on hand because there's gonna be a day
[00:14:12.320]when they're gonna come back
[00:14:14.530]and they're gonna realize that everything you dreamt about,
[00:14:17.444]that that was just the beginning of who you are.
[00:14:20.570]That same superintendent walked up to me in Omaha
[00:14:22.990]at a boat show in 2006 and asked me for 10 bucks,
[00:14:26.940]for money,
[00:14:28.950]because he was living in the streets in Omaha, Nebraska.
[00:14:33.080]He'd been through his fourth divorce and his last wife
[00:14:35.730]had got the house.
[00:14:37.194]And,
[00:14:38.810]I just, I thought to myself, you gotta be kidding me.
[00:14:42.000]And I gave him 10 bucks and I told him that day,
[00:14:45.210]I says it's a good thing I was a dreamer, wasn't it?
[00:14:47.290]And he shook my hand and we laughed about it.
[00:14:50.060]And, but you know, those things are so important.
[00:14:54.150]Never, ever feel bad if somebody makes fun of you
[00:14:57.210]for your ideas.
[00:14:58.520]Never.
[00:14:59.680]Because most ideas and most dreams
[00:15:03.265]and things that are,
[00:15:04.550]you're told not to think about and
[00:15:07.830]made fun of, if you're made fun of,
[00:15:09.620]nobody ever really made fun of me,
[00:15:11.010]but we'd joke around with each other.
[00:15:13.230]Most of that stuff, that's who you are
[00:15:15.125]and that's who you'll become.
[00:15:16.730]I've always said, people wanna know,
[00:15:18.580]what do I want to be in life?
[00:15:20.950]What do I want to do?
[00:15:23.539]Anybody out here who has a child that's six years old
[00:15:26.730]and younger, or a grandchild, whatever that kid is doing
[00:15:30.760]at aged three to six, that is their natural talent.
[00:15:35.530]That's who they want to be.
[00:15:37.330]Because from there on, you tell 'em no.
[00:15:39.080]No, don't to that.
[00:15:39.913]No.
[00:15:40.780]No, don't, no, no, get out, come here.
[00:15:42.750]Don't do that.
[00:15:44.180]But when they're three,
[00:15:45.013]three or four years old, you don't tell 'em no.
[00:15:47.070]If they're sitting there building something out of
[00:15:48.460]building blocks or Legos or something,
[00:15:49.917]and that's some funky deal that you think what is that?
[00:15:53.300]You know, that's how their mind is gonna work,
[00:15:55.970]that's who they really are.
[00:15:56.880]That's a time in their life that they can do
[00:15:59.460]whatever they wanna do without anybody telling 'em no
[00:16:02.010]and really meaning it.
[00:16:03.720]And so that's a really,
[00:16:04.950]I've gauged little kids that way, my nieces and nephews
[00:16:08.000]and my own kids that way.
[00:16:09.890]And it's funny because a lot of the people do
[00:16:13.760]turn out doing what they did as a kid.
[00:16:17.280]My oldest brother is an electrician.
[00:16:20.750]We do not have a picture of him
[00:16:23.020]as a kid that he don't have an electrical cord
[00:16:26.700]in the picture.
[00:16:27.533]He drug a cord around all his life.
[00:16:29.776](audience laughing)
[00:16:30.950]He does.
[00:16:32.030]He just got done putting in a generator right here
[00:16:34.210]for these guys in here.
[00:16:35.290]And I, you know,
[00:16:37.960]we don't have a picture of him,
[00:16:38.810]he's always holding the cord.
[00:16:40.525](audience laughing)
[00:16:41.713]It was like a big string or a fish.
[00:16:42.650]Yeah, and,
[00:16:43.630]you know, we used to give him a bad time of it.
[00:16:46.130]He was mad at the doctor when he was born
[00:16:48.070]for cutting the cord.
[00:16:48.903]That was a good cord.
[00:16:50.579](audience laughing)
[00:16:53.860]So, you know,
[00:16:56.590]but there's just so many things that you can do out there
[00:17:00.510]and it's,
[00:17:02.020]it's such a wonderful thing to be a part of this program.
[00:17:04.370]I told Tom,
[00:17:05.300]Tom does such a wonderful job with this,
[00:17:07.810]and everybody else that's mentioned.
[00:17:11.310]You know,
[00:17:13.300]not only is it a great thing to be able to work with
[00:17:16.470]the kids, but to be able to work with those kind of people,
[00:17:20.020]to help you get going.
[00:17:21.340]And, you know when I sit here in the room
[00:17:24.270]and see the parents here with their kids, that tells me
[00:17:27.170]they've got just as much support at home.
[00:17:29.580]And that's everything.
[00:17:30.850]I mean, that's absolutely everything.
[00:17:33.510]You know, my dad was a guy that was,
[00:17:35.820]had his fingers in 100 things and he was never home and,
[00:17:39.550]and that's really why he and my mom separated.
[00:17:42.500]They really didn't get along that bad.
[00:17:44.310]They just were never together.
[00:17:46.500]And, you know, a lot of the people around my home town,
[00:17:51.130]they would,
[00:17:52.060]they were bringing me,
[00:17:53.391]here's something that's real interesting,
[00:17:55.370]I'll tell you this in a second but these people around town
[00:17:58.620]were bringing me food and stuff, these old ladies
[00:18:00.500]around town always make extra on Sunday and bring it over
[00:18:02.650]to my, I was living in an old shack in town
[00:18:04.710]you went hunting coons in.
[00:18:06.950]Well, when I was a Senior in high school,
[00:18:09.880]let's put this into perspective,
[00:18:11.870]when I was a Senior in high school in Ruskin, Nebraska,
[00:18:16.050]I was the only person in that whole system,
[00:18:19.330]K through 12, the parents were separated.
[00:18:23.070]One kid in the whole school.
[00:18:26.330]Now I've got kids going through the school system
[00:18:29.129]and there's very few of them that brought kids home
[00:18:30.620]the parents were together.
[00:18:32.300]And I think about how one kid in the whole system,
[00:18:34.280]the parents were separated, is that possible?
[00:18:36.740]If you tried to tell somebody that today,
[00:18:38.010]they'd think you were crazy.
[00:18:40.200]And believe me, I had time to think about it.
[00:18:41.760]I know.
[00:18:43.502]But, that didn't stop me from being anything
[00:18:45.760]or going out and doing things, you know?
[00:18:47.230]My parents were good people, they were great people.
[00:18:49.320]My mother is still alive and she supports me 100 per cent
[00:18:53.410]and, you know, there isn't,
[00:18:54.500]just isn't nothing we wouldn't do for her and so, you know,
[00:18:58.160]you don't hold grudges and things.
[00:19:00.163]And, you know, a lot of times people are,
[00:19:02.220]take that and spend the rest of their lives holding grudges.
[00:19:04.870]And you can't do that, not if you're gonna go out
[00:19:07.996]and go forward and be something.
[00:19:09.400]You know, it's kind of like
[00:19:10.970]losing money on a project.
[00:19:12.890]If you haven't ever lost money on a project,
[00:19:14.810]you haven't been in too many projects.
[00:19:17.130]I mean, it's just the way it is.
[00:19:18.290]I mean, we've had 'em, oh I've had deals that
[00:19:21.060]I shoulda went home and I shoulda just
[00:19:23.070]never came back to work.
[00:19:24.940]But, you know, that isn't what an entrepreneur does.
[00:19:28.070]And, you know, it's really nice because
[00:19:31.840]I look at guys like Jake and you know, Jake,
[00:19:34.330]I've got to know Jake very well because of our little
[00:19:36.917]project we're working together on.
[00:19:40.400]And,
[00:19:41.600]let me tell ya,
[00:19:43.480]kids like,
[00:19:45.020]they just don't come around that often.
[00:19:46.370]I mean, I've hired a lot of people and
[00:19:49.760]the places that you kids will go
[00:19:51.660]and the things you'll get to do
[00:19:53.850]because of the fact that you have that
[00:19:55.770]entrepreneurial spirit and you have the right people
[00:19:58.080]behind you and standing behind ya,
[00:20:01.240]the sky's the limit.
[00:20:02.480]You'll only stop because you want to.
[00:20:05.920]And you know, I always said, too, in business,
[00:20:09.270]how many people start something, the day they started,
[00:20:13.000]they're more worried about the day,
[00:20:14.300]they're more worried about if it don't work
[00:20:15.850]than when it does.
[00:20:17.790]It's like when you go to sell something,
[00:20:19.940]you know, everybody's worried about if they say no.
[00:20:21.760]What are you gonna do if they say yes?
[00:20:23.950]You know, I mean, I was standing in line
[00:20:25.990]in Holdrege, Nebraska in 1990,
[00:20:29.481]'91,
[00:20:30.314]all I had was a little fab shop in Grand Island at that time
[00:20:34.630]and there was a guy standing there
[00:20:35.927]and there was a kid working at the
[00:20:38.790]window there at McDonald's,
[00:20:40.830]the counter, he was having trouble with the cash register.
[00:20:44.220]So the guy had him, he turned around, made some comment
[00:20:46.890]and I made a comment back to him just jokingly
[00:20:50.382]and we got to talking and he was from Covington, Louisiana.
[00:20:53.030]And I said what are you doing up here?
[00:20:55.210]He had been over to Holdrege to talk to somebody
[00:20:57.810]about building
[00:20:59.600]a project they were doing in Bangkok, Thailand.
[00:21:02.920]I said, okay, what is it?
[00:21:04.127]And he told me they're building a water purification plant,
[00:21:06.203]it's in Bangkok, Thailand.
[00:21:09.000]Okay.
[00:21:09.833]Doing that in Holdrege, Nebraska?
[00:21:12.190]I gave him my card and about two weeks went by
[00:21:14.220]and he called me one day and he wanted to know if he could
[00:21:15.770]come up and fly to Nebraska and talk to me about
[00:21:18.300]building this project and I thought,
[00:21:19.577]are you kidding me?
[00:21:20.420]I got three people working in this shop.
[00:21:23.220]I mean this,
[00:21:24.150]this plant was gonna be four times the size of my building
[00:21:27.160]and
[00:21:28.650]he flew up there and come and met with me and,
[00:21:32.520]you know, it was a very professional meeting.
[00:21:34.740]It was, there was nothing special about what we had
[00:21:36.500]going on in our shop.
[00:21:38.810]Well, when he left he says I want you to give me a
[00:21:40.600]quote on this thing.
[00:21:41.440]He says I think you can do it,
[00:21:42.480]'cause I think you can put the right people together.
[00:21:46.040]And I gave him a quote and we build it
[00:21:48.830]and I remember telling people I was gonna build a
[00:21:50.560]water purification plant that's going to Bangkok, Thailand.
[00:21:53.180]Everybody just laughed at me.
[00:21:55.110]I mean, I was, what?
[00:21:56.470]29, something like that?
[00:21:58.090]No engineering.
[00:21:58.923]I mean, I haven't been to college for engineering
[00:22:00.600]or nothing.
[00:22:02.330]And
[00:22:03.770]I got the bid and I started putting people together
[00:22:06.280]and we built that thing, and to this day, every 24 hours,
[00:22:09.270]1.4 million gallons of fresh water is purified
[00:22:12.040]in Bangkok, Thailand.
[00:22:14.320]And,
[00:22:15.615]you know, you talk about,
[00:22:18.790]I think back about being called a dreamer.
[00:22:21.350]I mean,
[00:22:23.000]just because we talked in line at McDonald's
[00:22:25.460]and I wasn't afraid to say yes.
[00:22:27.890]You know, I coulda said no, I don't want to do that.
[00:22:30.700]And you know, that was a real turning point in my business.
[00:22:32.910]It really was.
[00:22:33.810]It didn't have nothing to do with what I'm doing today,
[00:22:36.540]but it made, I mean, it was a real financial turning point.
[00:22:41.640]And so, you know,
[00:22:43.810]those are the kind of things that,
[00:22:45.760]don't be afraid to say yes.
[00:22:47.550]What's the worst thing that can happen?
[00:22:49.760]You know, I know there's farmers and people out here
[00:22:52.080]in this room that have said yes when the crops,
[00:22:54.230]when you knew you weren't gonna make no money in the fall.
[00:22:56.507]But you know what?
[00:22:57.340]You did it, you made it through it.
[00:22:59.450]And you know, we all did, I grew up on a farm.
[00:23:01.450]I know what it's like, and you know,
[00:23:04.060]it's just, it's what we do.
[00:23:07.350]And if we don't, you don't keep people working,
[00:23:09.710]you don't, there's just so many different things that
[00:23:11.770]you can look at in your life that are negatives.
[00:23:15.230]But if you can look at one positive to ten negatives,
[00:23:17.830]them positives, they'll outweigh the negatives every time.
[00:23:21.830]And so, you know, whether it's
[00:23:24.107]here at the college or wherever you make a big difference
[00:23:27.720]in your life, just try really hard to make those
[00:23:31.300]differences because,
[00:23:32.990]don't worry about the money.
[00:23:34.430]The money will always come.
[00:23:36.100]You know, so many times in my life I would think,
[00:23:41.360]you know, I gotta make so many thousands of dollars
[00:23:44.670]to do this this month or next month.
[00:23:47.150]You know, when I quit worrying about that
[00:23:49.120]and just started worrying about making sure I was
[00:23:51.240]taking care of my customers and doing things that
[00:23:54.690]most people probably wouldn't do,
[00:23:57.690]the money will always be there.
[00:23:59.047]And you know, the more you give, the more you get back
[00:24:01.830]and that's just the bottom line.
[00:24:04.110]And so you know,
[00:24:06.390]making people happy is great, giving people a lot of money
[00:24:09.830]for a wage is great, but really, the greatest thing
[00:24:13.000]is the joy and the pride you get
[00:24:14.800]from what you get out of it.
[00:24:16.600]It's like the little boy down in Kentucky.
[00:24:19.150]You know, he's,
[00:24:20.210]he'd be 20 years old today and,
[00:24:23.600]you know, I think about him pretty regularly,
[00:24:25.800]I really do.
[00:24:26.730]I mean that was,
[00:24:28.120]that was a real turning point in my life.
[00:24:30.410]I realized what life was really about.
[00:24:32.650]You know,
[00:24:34.812]it just changed me forever.
[00:24:38.310]And I would, I would ask anybody in this room
[00:24:40.560]if you ever can do that for somebody,
[00:24:42.150]and I know some of you probably already have and
[00:24:43.960]probably did tenfold,
[00:24:45.810]but that is the greatest feeling there is.
[00:24:47.990]Forget the checkbook, forget the bottom line,
[00:24:50.240]forget all of that.
[00:24:51.970]When you can make money by what you can do for somebody,
[00:24:54.400]that's real cash flow.
[00:24:56.580]I'd like to thank everybody for having me here tonight.
[00:24:59.760]I'd like to thank Jake for being part of my organization
[00:25:02.960]out there and being involved.
[00:25:04.530]I just can't say enough good about you, Jake.
[00:25:07.020]I know you're gonna do great things along with the
[00:25:08.770]rest of your classmates and your,
[00:25:11.220]and the teachers here are unbelievably,
[00:25:16.020]just great.
[00:25:16.853]I don't know what else to say.
[00:25:17.970]I mean, I can't say it in a big, professional way
[00:25:20.880]'cause I don't use big, professional words.
[00:25:23.198](audience laughs)
[00:25:24.740]I mean the bottom,
[00:25:26.179]the bottom line is, the way it is is the way it is
[00:25:27.677]and when you're good, you're good.
[00:25:29.500]And that's what's sitting right here in this room.
[00:25:33.010]Thank you very much.
[00:25:34.448](audience applauding)
[00:25:48.443]Thank you so much to Kevin for sharing that.
[00:25:50.884]And there's so many different messages in there
[00:25:53.567]and the crazy thing is it all started with a dreamer.
[00:25:56.510]If you all have questions
[00:25:58.360]for the dreamer,
[00:25:59.850]now would be an awesome time
[00:26:01.370]to ask them.
[00:26:03.000]Open up for a Q and A with Kevin Houtwed.
[00:26:05.980]Does anyone have any questions?
[00:26:09.040]You know, I,
[00:26:11.578]I'm sure I do.
[00:26:13.500]I probably battle depression every day and don't know it.
[00:26:16.570]But, you know,
[00:26:19.330]I think what happens is when you start something,
[00:26:22.120]if it don't work, one of the key things
[00:26:25.810]is to not say I'm just gonna sell pencils
[00:26:28.510]or I'm just gonna do this.
[00:26:30.620]Think about making a pencil sharpener,
[00:26:32.640]thinking about selling tablets.
[00:26:35.077]Think about selling erasers.
[00:26:36.080]Because if you can't sell pencils,
[00:26:37.430]maybe you can sell the tablets.
[00:26:39.260]So,
[00:26:40.093]I've never looked at,
[00:26:41.420]every time I got involved in something, it either worked
[00:26:44.010]or it led to something that did because I made it work.
[00:26:47.660]And, you know,
[00:26:49.870]yes, I shoulda quit,
[00:26:51.920]most people quit long before they're done
[00:26:53.940]and I shoulda quit many a time, but you know,
[00:26:56.470]I just don't have that in me.
[00:26:58.180]What else am I gonna do?
[00:26:59.170]I mean, I think, well, I gotta go do something,
[00:27:01.534]might as well make something out of this, so,
[00:27:04.270]you know, one of the biggest things that
[00:27:07.500]I think we worry about so much when we start something is
[00:27:11.120]the failure.
[00:27:12.900]And I hit on that a little bit ago about
[00:27:15.120]yes and no.
[00:27:16.560]And the truth is,
[00:27:21.230]who goes into business and starts planning their
[00:27:23.920]ten year anniversary party two weeks into it?
[00:27:26.840]I mean, seriously, nobody does.
[00:27:29.250]You're more worried about calling the auctioneer
[00:27:31.390]than you are than having a ten year anniversary party.
[00:27:35.750]And we need to change that mindset
[00:27:38.320]and think this is what I'm gonna do.
[00:27:39.740]If I don't do this, I'll spin something off of it.
[00:27:42.400]Because so many people worry, and I suppose I have, too,
[00:27:45.770]in the past.
[00:27:47.100]But I never worried about the day I was gonna be done.
[00:27:49.750]I never have.
[00:27:50.583]I've never worried about that and I think some of that
[00:27:53.980]might stem back to the fact that I was kind of kicked out
[00:27:58.080]as a pretty young kid, I mean at 16 years old
[00:28:00.940]I was out living on my own, making my own way.
[00:28:03.360]I think that probably could be some of that,
[00:28:05.140]because I just figured out real quick,
[00:28:06.700]this is what I gotta do.
[00:28:07.570]I mean I shot a deer out of season for meat.
[00:28:10.460]I mean, I'll be the first to admit it.
[00:28:12.264](laughing)
[00:28:13.300]The things you do.
[00:28:14.370]So,
[00:28:16.630]you know, I'm not saying I was a poor kid, I just,
[00:28:19.300]I just, the things you do to survive, so,
[00:28:25.320]yeah, I mean you,
[00:28:27.060]you're always gonna have those days.
[00:28:28.350]To say you don't have those days.
[00:28:29.680]I found a letter,
[00:28:31.580]I was going through some old files in an old filing cabinet
[00:28:36.280]in a back storage room about, it was back in about January,
[00:28:39.700]and I found a letter that I wrote to myself
[00:28:42.550]in 1996,
[00:28:45.470]and that letter
[00:28:46.810]was almost impossible to read for me.
[00:28:50.710]I mean it was all about I should quit, I need to,
[00:28:53.810]I wasn't married yet, I'd never been married.
[00:28:55.730]I never got married 'til I was 35 'cause all I did was
[00:28:58.160]eat, sleep and drink my business.
[00:29:00.960]And so, I was probably, that day I was probably,
[00:29:04.410]I probably broke up with some woman or,
[00:29:06.708]I don't know what the deal was,
[00:29:08.154]but this letter was unbelievable.
[00:29:10.120]And I kept the letter, I don't know why, but I did, so,
[00:29:12.930]you know, you're gonna have those days.
[00:29:15.772]That's just the way it is.
[00:29:16.605]If you don't think so, you're fooling yourself.
[00:29:18.750]I mean it's,
[00:29:19.950]every athlete loses and everybody, nothing's perfect.
[00:29:23.850]If it was, everybody would wanna be there.
[00:29:26.530]You know?
[00:29:27.431]So has anybody else got any questions?
[00:29:28.280]Sure you got some more?
[00:29:30.010]I can stand here and talk 'til midnight.
[00:29:32.061](audience laughing)
[00:29:35.860]Anybody else got anything?
[00:29:39.693]Is this like the drum roll or the music you guys are like?
[00:29:42.374](laughing)
[00:29:43.640]They start playing the piano?
[00:29:44.800]There's no game here, no game here.
[00:29:48.820]Oh, there's gotta be.
[00:29:50.160]Does anyone have anymore questions for Kevin?
[00:29:53.840]Well, then of course we have a huge round of applause
[00:29:55.980]don't we?
[00:29:57.217](audience applauding)
[00:30:05.220]And Kevin, if you don't mind coming back up to the stage,
[00:30:08.060]I'm gonna pass the mic off to Darren.
[00:30:10.660]Yeah, Kevin, one last thing
[00:30:12.620]before we move on.
[00:30:14.430]We do have within Nebraska itself, we have these
[00:30:18.500]traditions that we uphold.
[00:30:20.350]And, of course, being a part of the university,
[00:30:22.830]Engler has their own traditions that we have.
[00:30:25.810]And so one of those is every speaker that we invite to
[00:30:29.140]come speak to either the Spring Lecture or even the
[00:30:31.640]Fall Lecture is
[00:30:34.000]we give
[00:30:36.220]medals to each one of our speakers
[00:30:39.960]and on this
[00:30:42.160]is the engraving of Paul, the Engler entrepreneur scholar.
[00:30:46.100]And with that, with being the Spring 2018
[00:30:48.660]speaker this year we'd like to award you with this.
[00:30:50.950]Thank you.
[00:30:51.783]And thank you for coming and speaking with us.
[00:30:53.821]Thank you very much.
[00:30:54.668]Really, that means a lot.
[00:30:55.937](audience applauding)
[00:31:09.430]The slide says it.
[00:31:10.290]Ha ha.
[00:31:11.550]Next, we are going to see some quick pitches from
[00:31:14.560]some amazing students in our program and these students,
[00:31:18.390]these five students, they showcase some of the best that
[00:31:21.430]the program has to offer.
[00:31:23.030]A lot of these are from this year, they're businesses that
[00:31:26.910]they started this year and we're just gonna roll into these.
[00:31:29.930]So, actually, can we have a round of applause for the five
[00:31:31.700]students that will be coming up?
[00:31:33.076](audience applauds)
[00:31:39.250]First up is Cheyenne Gerlach from DeWitt, Nebraska
[00:31:43.170]who loves house plants so much that
[00:31:45.870]one in the room isn't nearly enough.
[00:31:48.580]Cheyenne has eight in a tiny, shared bedroom,
[00:31:52.030]all with their own names.
[00:31:54.550]Let's hear about her business.
[00:31:57.021](audience applauding)
[00:32:06.590]I'll tell you their names later, if you want.
[00:32:09.168](audience laughing)
[00:32:11.450]Okay,
[00:32:12.970]raise your hand if you've ever heard the phrase
[00:32:15.447]"Finish your food, there's starving kids in Africa."
[00:32:20.290]That's what I thought.
[00:32:24.350]Thank you.
[00:32:26.130]I'm Cheyenne and I'm passionate about this global fight
[00:32:28.040]against hunger, however I know that this fight
[00:32:30.300]starts right where we are today, Nebraska.
[00:32:33.380]That's one of the things that makes my company,
[00:32:35.290]Giving Gloves, so special.
[00:32:37.290]We all started about a year ago,
[00:32:39.820]thank you, and
[00:32:42.030]for every pair of gloves that we sold,
[00:32:43.410]we donated a pair to the People's City Mission in Lincoln.
[00:32:46.810]By the end of the year, we had about 100 pairs of gloves.
[00:32:50.230]We took them to the mission,
[00:32:52.320]however, a week after we dropped those gloves off,
[00:32:55.650]we went back and I saw all of those gloves were still there.
[00:33:00.080]It was January.
[00:33:01.490]That was weird.
[00:33:02.790]So I talked to the Director and the Director told me
[00:33:04.930]that most low income families have a better source
[00:33:07.530]for these gloves at cheaper cost and a higher quality.
[00:33:12.770]This is where most business would have either pivoted,
[00:33:15.870]found a different market or quit altogether.
[00:33:18.800]But this is where Giving Gloves found we are truly dedicated
[00:33:21.360]to improving the community right where we are,
[00:33:24.230]Lincoln, Nebraska.
[00:33:26.660]We now sell
[00:33:28.520]trendy and high quality gloves and mittens
[00:33:30.870]for women in Nebraska.
[00:33:32.920]We,
[00:33:33.753]our target audience are young women across the Midwest
[00:33:36.240]looking to spice up their outdoors gear.
[00:33:39.290]Shout out to Stella Imaging for most of these rad photos,
[00:33:41.610]another Engler Entrepreneur.
[00:33:44.250]So 25 per cent of our profits go to
[00:33:46.940]what I call the giving grant.
[00:33:48.870]The giving grant funds ideas had by students
[00:33:52.580]anywhere from elementary age to grad students
[00:33:55.610]looking to fight hunger in their own communities.
[00:33:58.460]We won't ever send your money away to some large,
[00:34:01.010]national foundation like so many of our competitors do,
[00:34:03.750]where you'll never understand the impact that your dollars
[00:34:06.440]are having.
[00:34:07.610]We'll keep your money local.
[00:34:09.500]The money that you put into Giving Gloves could be the money
[00:34:12.310]that improves the food security of the children that
[00:34:14.890]your children are going to school with.
[00:34:17.240]Even more likely, the support that you put into
[00:34:19.640]Giving Gloves will support the ideas had
[00:34:21.480]by your own children
[00:34:22.870]to decrease poverty in your communities.
[00:34:27.140]So I kept it pretty short.
[00:34:28.784](laughing)
[00:34:29.617]I think I was supposed to.
[00:34:31.190]Our ask to you, I broke it up by the many different
[00:34:34.050]roles that we have in here today.
[00:34:36.550]Are you a business owner that is mission-driven?
[00:34:38.900]I would love mentors, I would love to work with you and
[00:34:42.120]be sponsored in boutiques and coffee shops.
[00:34:44.550]We're working on many coffee shop locations
[00:34:46.720]across Nebraska.
[00:34:48.200]Hopefully Iowa and Kansas next year.
[00:34:51.446]Are you a potential investor that is wanting to see less
[00:34:55.460]food insecurity in your own community?
[00:34:57.680]You can fund a scholarship.
[00:34:59.474]Traditionally 25 per cent of the profits go into
[00:35:02.210]scholarships but if you're only interested in funding
[00:35:04.050]a scholarship, we could work with you for sure.
[00:35:06.860]And are you a student that wants a start-up experience
[00:35:09.700]but not willing to take on the risk?
[00:35:11.360]I'm looking for campus ambassadors also.
[00:35:13.690]We have one at K State and Iowa State willing to start
[00:35:16.770]in August.
[00:35:18.360]And
[00:35:19.270]the last one that didn't get on the slideshow, I forgot,
[00:35:22.180]was if you have an idea, if you have an idea to fight
[00:35:26.450]hunger in your own community, we want to fund you.
[00:35:29.410]We are going to have,
[00:35:30.890]we have about $2000 worth of grants
[00:35:33.290]for the end of this season,
[00:35:34.400]and we're willing to split that up for
[00:35:35.690]whatever your costs are.
[00:35:37.130]If your small town doesn't have a backpack program,
[00:35:39.330]we'd love to cover those overhead costs.
[00:35:42.504]And whatever your idea is, we have a little girl and
[00:35:45.120]she makes earrings and for every pair of earrings
[00:35:47.850]that she makes, a can is donated to her local food bank
[00:35:50.972]and I'd like to fund her until she doesn't need funding
[00:35:54.030]anymore as an adult, or something.
[00:35:56.330]So,
[00:35:57.740]that's my pitch, thank you for listening.
[00:36:00.030]And I also have my hats and gloves,
[00:36:02.473]so I'll be carrying them around in a big, purple tote
[00:36:05.120]if you wanna look at them after the Englers.
[00:36:07.490]So thank you.
[00:36:08.720](audience applauding)
[00:36:18.640]Our next pitch is from Jake Wilkins
[00:36:20.640]who is from Ainsworth, Nebraska and attended a
[00:36:23.000]one-room schoolhouse until he was in the second grade.
[00:36:27.010]Let's see how his business is going to impact thousands.
[00:36:37.360]So I've got two problems.
[00:36:38.950]The first one is that it's very, very tough to follow up
[00:36:41.830]Cheyenne and what she's doing.
[00:36:43.590]The second one is that I had to pay Kevin $10 for
[00:36:46.060]every single time he said my name and I better go to
[00:36:48.110]an ATM after this.
[00:36:49.483](audience laughing)
[00:36:50.906](audience applauding)
[00:36:54.540]So today I have the opportunity to tell you about a business
[00:36:56.760]that's revolutionizing the way logistics and transportation
[00:36:59.320]are seen and done, not only here in Lincoln,
[00:37:01.400]not only across the state of Nebraska,
[00:37:03.240]but all across the Midwest.
[00:37:04.900]Let me introduce to you our company, Pik-up.
[00:37:08.170]Early last spring as I was traveling home to my hometown,
[00:37:10.630]Ainsworth, Nebraska,
[00:37:11.940]a trip that I had made many a time before,
[00:37:14.640]I was traveling with none other than an empty pick up bed.
[00:37:18.010]As I left Grand Island, I get,
[00:37:20.380]or as I left Lincoln, I get a call from my dad and
[00:37:23.250]he had just recently bought some planter parts
[00:37:26.410]on an online auction that he needed picked up in
[00:37:30.210]Aurora, Nebraska.
[00:37:31.390]So as I went through, I was able to pick them up
[00:37:34.620]and be able to deliver them home to him.
[00:37:37.170]On my trek on Highway Two, I look in the rear view mirror
[00:37:40.480]of my pick up and thought to myself,
[00:37:42.320]I had made this trip a lot of times and this was the
[00:37:44.500]first time that I had done it actually hauling something.
[00:37:47.410]So that is when the idea for our company, Pik-up,
[00:37:50.230]a company that connects drivers of pick up trucks
[00:37:52.790]and empty trailers with loads that need to be hauled
[00:37:54.990]all across the state of Nebraska and all across the Midwest
[00:37:57.480]was born.
[00:37:59.640]The rubber really hit the road when I got back to school
[00:38:02.270]early this fall.
[00:38:03.620]I'd be in talking to businesses, Kevin being one of them,
[00:38:06.310]and I began figuring out what logistical problems
[00:38:10.290]did companies have.
[00:38:11.420]And one problem that I found with all industries
[00:38:14.910]across the state of Nebraska and all across the Midwest
[00:38:17.640]was there was always going to be an oddball load
[00:38:19.390]that needs to be delivered.
[00:38:20.400]So say someone buys something on an online auction,
[00:38:22.850]they need it delivered.
[00:38:24.070]Another problem is is that there are many people that
[00:38:26.720]travel up and down the interstate, you'll count it from
[00:38:29.410]here on out, there is gonna be a lot of people driving
[00:38:32.010]with empty pick up trucks and empty trailers.
[00:38:34.320]A lot of these people are
[00:38:35.990]less than truckload carriers that travel all across
[00:38:38.600]the Midwest.
[00:38:39.980]Let's flip to the next slide here.
[00:38:42.690]So, this was ultimately what our problem was.
[00:38:45.690]And then the way that we did this was I sat down with
[00:38:47.930]a program developer and what we do is
[00:38:51.120]we are a site that allows drivers to go on,
[00:38:55.210]similar to a company called uShip.
[00:38:58.430]But we are not a bidding site.
[00:38:59.590]So say that I need to go to Grand Island, Nebraska
[00:39:02.090]tomorrow and there is a load that needs to be taken there.
[00:39:05.900]I can see that load and I can deliver it that next day.
[00:39:09.770]Where other bids might close two or three days from now.
[00:39:13.328]So the biggest thing is that our company connects these
[00:39:17.161]oddball loads and these loads that need to be transported
[00:39:20.680]over longer distances with people that have logistical
[00:39:23.590]means that go underutilized each and every day.
[00:39:26.809]So kind of how the process works is we bring on drivers.
[00:39:29.770]We prescreen them, and then from there they're able to
[00:39:32.960]start delivering loads and start making money.
[00:39:35.670]My ask from you tonight is for connections.
[00:39:38.270]Every single load that we have delivered so far,
[00:39:40.530]one of our longest being from Dallas, Texas to
[00:39:43.990]Palmyra, Nebraska and then another big one that we did was
[00:39:46.630]from
[00:39:48.150]Eastern Kansas to Eastern Wyoming.
[00:39:51.310]All these have been through connections,
[00:39:52.640]all of these have been through word of mouth.
[00:39:54.070]And we're gonna continue to grow that way, but we're,
[00:39:57.230]gain and growth can only grow a company so fast.
[00:39:59.740]So my,
[00:40:01.510]my ask tonight for all of you is connections
[00:40:03.740]in this industry and connections that you might have
[00:40:07.740]throughout the rest of your time in being entrepreneurs
[00:40:11.880]in the state of Nebraska.
[00:40:12.870]So thank you very much.
[00:40:14.262](audience applauding)
[00:40:22.640]Next, we have Audrey Foster from Broken Bow.
[00:40:25.980]And she dreamed of being an airline pilot
[00:40:27.960]when she was little, so let's see what heights she's
[00:40:30.570]climbed to since then.
[00:40:40.030]Okay,
[00:40:41.380]excuse me.
[00:40:42.213]So, it takes only a matter of seconds to form a
[00:40:44.300]first impression.
[00:40:45.490]Within this time, not only are your hair, posture
[00:40:48.370]and expression observed, but also your clothing.
[00:40:51.570]Therefore, it is critical that it is carefully chosen.
[00:40:55.020]The hand painted clothing that I am selling
[00:40:57.720]is custom made to fit each individual.
[00:41:00.800]These, each garment is then embellished with a personalized,
[00:41:03.770]hand-painted design.
[00:41:05.340]These garments are perfect for when you are wanting
[00:41:07.280]to show off who you are as an individual,
[00:41:09.560]especially through your clothing choices.
[00:41:12.410]The target market I am directing my business towards
[00:41:14.970]are women with an annual household income of at least
[00:41:17.757]$250000 a year.
[00:41:21.220]These individuals will come to my business when they are
[00:41:24.220]hoping to find tailored garments for specific events.
[00:41:27.590]As you are familiar with, we rarely make purchases,
[00:41:29.720]or we always buy clothing with specific events in mind.
[00:41:32.950]And these individuals are no different.
[00:41:35.660]They will come to my business when they are wanting to buy
[00:41:38.080]tailored garments for events such as fundraising banquets
[00:41:41.890]and alumni events.
[00:41:44.530]My business will start with selling garments that are
[00:41:46.650]primarily Nebraska-themed.
[00:41:48.550]As the business expands, so will the product options.
[00:41:52.070]As each of these garments is customly made,
[00:41:54.390]the price points will differ, however, for example,
[00:41:57.650]the breakdown of a garment that costs $1000 would include
[00:42:00.627]$100 for supplies, $400 for labor
[00:42:04.520]and $500 of net profit.
[00:42:07.130]If I sell four garments a week, each at $1000,
[00:42:10.040]for 52 weeks in a year, then by the end of the year
[00:42:13.240]I will have $104000 of net profit.
[00:42:17.750]When considering my target market, this $1000 to $1500
[00:42:21.880]starting point is very reasonable, especially when
[00:42:24.760]considering that during target market research
[00:42:26.970]in customer surveys, I found this is what the individuals
[00:42:29.660]are willing to pay.
[00:42:31.240]These individuals are paying for more than just
[00:42:33.200]the raw goods but also the expertise and talents
[00:42:37.890]of the artists along with the exclusivity of the designs.
[00:42:41.990]As my business expands, to capitalize on making money,
[00:42:45.000]instead of trying to mass produce the items
[00:42:46.930]or sell more of them, instead I will raise the prices
[00:42:50.400]to account for brand recognition and expanded expertise.
[00:42:54.370]My main competitors for this business will include
[00:42:56.960]Suma Suri Ni-sha-coc-ti, both of which offer customized
[00:43:00.550]garments or custom fit garments but have online presences
[00:43:04.430]at similar price points.
[00:43:06.220]However, neither of these business offers custom-designed
[00:43:10.150]garments or in-person consultations.
[00:43:13.150]This will give me my competitive advantage.
[00:43:15.900]Each of my garments are hand crafted and carefully created.
[00:43:19.800]This is possible due to my extensive textile and art
[00:43:22.650]background.
[00:43:23.800]I started making garments when I was eight years old,
[00:43:25.970]and over the years I've had many garments featured
[00:43:28.050]in the Robert E. Hillstead textile gallery
[00:43:30.390]here at UNL.
[00:43:32.060]These garments were chosen from tens of thousands
[00:43:34.840]of home environment entries from across the state
[00:43:37.270]and were chosen because of their creative
[00:43:39.540]and unique qualities.
[00:43:41.410]The garments I am selling are similar to these designs
[00:43:43.680]I had featured in the gallery.
[00:43:45.420]This proves their buyability and their market.
[00:43:48.070]Currently I am majoring in textile merchandising
[00:43:50.260]and fashion design here at UNL.
[00:43:52.710]So the next step my business needs to take is
[00:43:55.220]I need to get more of my products out there to start
[00:43:57.390]developing the brand recognition and marketing.
[00:43:59.950]So what I am asking tonight is to
[00:44:02.358]help find strategic individuals that I can place in my
[00:44:06.180]garments at the events I mentioned previously,
[00:44:09.030]such as these alumni banquets and fundraising events.
[00:44:11.980]Therefore these garments will get the right exposure
[00:44:14.280]and I will start generating sales.
[00:44:16.960]Thank you.
[00:44:18.428](audience applauding)
[00:44:27.500]Matt and Joe Brugger from Albion, Nebraska played guitar
[00:44:30.530]and drums in a country band in their spare time
[00:44:33.080]and you may have seen them in the Corn Husker
[00:44:34.960]Marching Band Drum Line in the ever-entertaining
[00:44:38.040]cymbal section.
[00:44:39.640]Matt and Joe.
[00:44:42.131](audience applauding)
[00:44:50.188]Alright, we're gonna try to share this podium.
[00:44:54.060]So, I just want to say before we start off that
[00:44:56.860]this presentation that we were gonna give was
[00:44:58.430]originally 15 minutes with 10 minutes of questions
[00:45:00.337]and we were asked to put it into five minutes
[00:45:02.670]and we were kind of like, ahhh,
[00:45:04.050]okay.
[00:45:05.110]So, if we get a little windy, you know why.
[00:45:08.200]So one of the things we want to first talk about is
[00:45:10.410]both Matthew and I grew up in a small town,
[00:45:11.770]as many of you in the audience have before as well.
[00:45:14.420]And growing up in that small town, we drove down the
[00:45:16.610]country roads.
[00:45:17.443]We live about 15 miles outside of Albion, Nebraska,
[00:45:20.020]and so that was a pretty long drive with lots of farms
[00:45:22.740]along the way, but as you grew up, you began to see
[00:45:25.380]less and less farms.
[00:45:26.820]Farms that are being sold left and right and because
[00:45:30.250]of that we saw our population sign decrease.
[00:45:33.380]Today we feel like there's very little opportunity for
[00:45:35.810]young agriculturalists like Matthew and I to be involved
[00:45:38.727]and to actually be directly involved in protection of
[00:45:42.170]agriculture unless you're a hired hand or
[00:45:45.130]working for a co-op or something like that.
[00:45:47.110]And,
[00:45:47.943]so to combat this problem, we have devoted our last two
[00:45:51.370]years here at the university to come up with a solution
[00:45:54.820]that we feel like other small farms and
[00:45:57.700]small farmers like us can use
[00:46:00.829]and to help create a better, sustainable way of agriculture.
[00:46:03.440]Yeah, so what we came up with was a
[00:46:05.730]model.
[00:46:07.330]Oh, nevermind.
[00:46:09.181]Wrong slide.
[00:46:11.540]So essentially what we came up with was a model that
[00:46:14.020]we believe all small farms could execute on to
[00:46:17.550]become successful.
[00:46:18.810]And the first thing was to become profitable
[00:46:21.600]through the diversification of their products
[00:46:23.240]that they sell.
[00:46:24.300]The second step was to become sustainable through
[00:46:26.560]vertical integration and the third step was to
[00:46:29.740]tell their story by creating an experience.
[00:46:34.270]And what we found was,
[00:46:36.240]we had two options.
[00:46:37.230]What we could do, we could either be a consulting business
[00:46:39.480]to go test this model and go
[00:46:41.540]show as many people as we could and see if it worked,
[00:46:44.380]or we could just go ahead and do it ourselves.
[00:46:46.890]Being young agriculturalists,
[00:46:48.280]we decided that that's the route we wanted to take.
[00:46:50.660]And so we went and decided to execute on this model
[00:46:52.640]ourselves
[00:46:53.750]and using very little,
[00:46:56.820]no investment from any of our parents or anything like that,
[00:46:59.730]we just went ahead and started.
[00:47:01.540]So like the, what Matt was talking about,
[00:47:03.460]that first step, that's currently where we're at
[00:47:05.180]with our business right now.
[00:47:06.840]And we're diversifying our operations as much as we
[00:47:08.490]possibly can.
[00:47:09.820]The one way that we're doing that through our first facet
[00:47:12.310]of business is upstream agronomy, and what we do is
[00:47:15.510]we offer
[00:47:17.230]seed solutions as well as consulting.
[00:47:20.770]And we do that by offering high quality forages and feeds
[00:47:24.330]not only form our cattle but
[00:47:26.300]for around 37 producers across the state of Nebraska
[00:47:28.730]as well.
[00:47:29.563]Again, we're doing that
[00:47:31.350]by offering seeds, seed treatment
[00:47:33.260]and I do consulting as well.
[00:47:35.710]And then the next step of our business
[00:47:39.070]that we're using to diversify is upstream Angus,
[00:47:41.060]which is we take those high quality forages and feeds
[00:47:43.860]and produce high quality beef.
[00:47:45.400]And what we're currently doing is we provide beef
[00:47:47.240]to three breweries, 75 plus customers in the
[00:47:49.710]Lincoln-Omaha area and we are the official beef provider
[00:47:52.420]for the University of Nebraska Athletic Department.
[00:47:55.820]And I guess what we kind of found was that
[00:47:57.610]that kind of led us into another aspect in which we could
[00:48:00.520]diversify our operation, which was upstream produce.
[00:48:03.270]Which we found that breweries want a one stop shop
[00:48:06.120]to locally source all of their ingredients.
[00:48:08.710]Not just their food ingredients, in which we were providing
[00:48:11.530]beef for, but also their ingredients in their beer.
[00:48:13.800]So.
[00:48:15.910]Yeah, so what we're doing right now is we just
[00:48:19.580]broke ground on our, well, one acre hop shard.
[00:48:22.870]And we're planning to get into barley production as well as
[00:48:25.190]wine grapes and apple orchards for.
[00:48:29.880]Hard cider.
[00:48:30.713]Hard cider, that.
[00:48:31.972](audience laughing)
[00:48:32.805]So we like alcohol.
[00:48:34.470]And so down the road, that's our goal right now.
[00:48:37.110]We're just in hop production, we're already contracted
[00:48:38.750]with those three breweries for this year and hopefully,
[00:48:41.580]we hope to expand that.
[00:48:42.680]But down the road, our biggest goal, what we pitched for
[00:48:46.090]actually with this business plan competition that we
[00:48:47.910]got the opportunity to,
[00:48:50.520]to pitch at was we hope to vertically integrate,
[00:48:53.510]which is step two,
[00:48:55.320]by adding a processing, storage and distribution facility
[00:48:58.700]on farm.
[00:48:59.533]We think it allows us to capture all the value from our
[00:49:01.630]products, which we think is really important,
[00:49:03.410]that all farms are able to do and indirectly connect
[00:49:05.500]with the consumer.
[00:49:06.600]That also allows us to tell our story a lot better
[00:49:08.570]because we are 100 per cent vertically integrated,
[00:49:10.950]understanding all aspects of our business.
[00:49:14.520]And so for the third step, which is creating an experience,
[00:49:17.320]we really would like to expand our brand and get people
[00:49:20.100]on our farm and allow them to really change the way
[00:49:22.360]people look at Nebraska by creating a concert venue.
[00:49:24.960]That's how we feel like we can add it,
[00:49:26.370]but we think a lot of farms
[00:49:27.210]can do a lot of different things.
[00:49:28.580]For us, we're just super passionate about music,
[00:49:30.470]so we think having an on-farm concert venue to get people
[00:49:33.100]out on our farm, experiencing Nebraska through our eyes
[00:49:35.640]is super important.
[00:49:37.010]And long term, what we'd like to do with it is,
[00:49:39.790]I don't know how many people are HGTV fans,
[00:49:42.210]but if anyone knows Chip and Joanna Gaines from
[00:49:44.550]Fixer Upper,
[00:49:45.860]they have this super awesome show.
[00:49:47.560]He's Joanna, I'm Chip.
[00:49:49.200]No, I'm, I'm Chip, he's Joanna.
[00:49:50.804](audience laughing)
[00:49:53.326]And they have this super awesome show that really does,
[00:49:57.030]they say that they're a farm, they started this farm
[00:49:58.970]called Magnolia Farm, which is really cool,
[00:50:00.780]but they really don't have a lot of agricultural products
[00:50:02.760]and we think that that's important.
[00:50:04.200]We think that we can have the same nationally recognized
[00:50:07.160]brand as something similar to that,
[00:50:09.470]except we actually sell agricultural products
[00:50:11.340]and we can really change the way that people look at
[00:50:14.100]Nebraska and our rural landscape and we can get more people,
[00:50:17.090]younger people just like us, because we believe that,
[00:50:19.720]you know, a lot of young people, they can,
[00:50:22.040]we can tell them all this stuff,
[00:50:23.690]but what we'd really like to do is just be rock stars
[00:50:25.770]while we're doing this and allow people to kind of
[00:50:27.900]grab on to that and let young agriculturalists say
[00:50:30.640]hey, if they're doing it a little bit different,
[00:50:32.270]then maybe we can do it a little bit different.
[00:50:33.790]And so that's our end goal with this, is really change
[00:50:35.610]the way people look at Nebraska and rural communities and,
[00:50:38.480]and just kind of leave our dent in the world.
[00:50:41.210]So thank you guys for your time.
[00:50:43.155](audience applauding)
[00:50:50.440]Our final pitch of the night comes from
[00:50:51.467]Brenea Backmeyer from Elmwood, Nebraska
[00:50:54.650]who's expanding her horizons by studying abroad
[00:50:56.980]in the Czech, I almost said Jeck, in the Czech Republic
[00:51:00.050]this summer.
[00:51:00.883]So let's hear what she's up to next.
[00:51:03.173](audience applauding)
[00:51:13.026]Alright, I'm just gonna go right into it.
[00:51:15.280]So, I reviewed 21 businesses and start ups over the past
[00:51:19.070]five months and have also worked with over
[00:51:21.490]50 college students from every type of major,
[00:51:24.390]learning about their challenges with the classroom
[00:51:26.500]and gaining real world experience.
[00:51:28.130]And both businesses and students identified
[00:51:30.150]one main problem.
[00:51:31.420]Businesses say that they can't hire students because
[00:51:34.380]they don't have enough real experience
[00:51:36.860]but students say that they're being turned away from
[00:51:38.800]internships because they don't have enough experience.
[00:51:41.830]And both outcomes do not work together.
[00:51:44.410]And I create,
[00:51:45.370]this gap is my business opportunity.
[00:51:47.970]I call it the experience gap.
[00:51:50.740]I call it the experience gap.
[00:51:53.160]And both outcomes do not work together.
[00:51:55.240]So I created a solution,
[00:51:56.540]My Pop Up Shoppe.
[00:51:57.730]My Pop Up Shoppe is a weekend program where students gain
[00:52:00.586]the opportunity to experience the entrepreneur mindset,
[00:52:04.210]fail and gain real experience to get their first internship.
[00:52:07.800]What happens during a weekend is that students meet
[00:52:10.410]two weeks prior, are challenged to go fund raise
[00:52:12.880]one to two hundred dollars to cover their start up costs
[00:52:15.480]and then they get a product that's already made
[00:52:17.610]and established for them.
[00:52:19.100]Then, they come back two weeks later after they order their
[00:52:21.560]pre-approved product and receive a few workshops but are
[00:52:24.350]challenged to makes sales, set their budget and actually
[00:52:27.220]run a business for a weekend
[00:52:29.220]with the product already developed.
[00:52:30.340]So you don't have to, don't focus on the ideation stage
[00:52:32.520]at all and they're challenged to problem solve everything
[00:52:34.730]on their own, like real entrepreneurs and they have the
[00:52:37.120]opportunity to fail and gain real experience so they can
[00:52:40.420]get that real internship.
[00:52:43.470]I've been running programs this year already
[00:52:47.380]I've tested four separate weekends and then next fall
[00:52:50.672]I'm running and having paying customers that are
[00:52:52.180]ready to run it.
[00:52:53.280]The Engler program is actually doing it next fall and then
[00:52:56.360]a student club,
[00:52:58.070]the Student Marketing Association of Omaha
[00:52:59.740]and then the Business Builders Club at Ohio State.
[00:53:01.770]So my next steps are expanding to more college campuses
[00:53:04.230]and getting more students to experience this new type of
[00:53:06.460]learning that isn't experienced in the classroom.
[00:53:08.850]My ask for all of you tonight is that
[00:53:12.390]anyone who knows any student clubs or organizations
[00:53:14.790]on campus who this would benefit and who you know
[00:53:17.810]want to experience the entrepreneurial mindset and
[00:53:19.920]real experience.
[00:53:21.771]I want connections to student groups.
[00:53:23.450]They could be in Nebraska and other places.
[00:53:25.970]And I'm Brenna Brackmeyer, I'm passionate about
[00:53:27.745]changing the way students learn and this is
[00:53:29.530]My Pop Up Shoppe.
[00:53:31.399](audience applauding)
[00:53:38.960]Talking in front of people is tough and especially when
[00:53:41.850]you're talking about your ask and you've built this
[00:53:44.610]presentation.
[00:53:46.220]That had to be tough, and they did all an amazing job.
[00:53:49.200]Please, a humongous round of applause for all five
[00:53:51.670]of those pitches.
[00:53:52.851](audience applauding)
[00:53:59.130]It's time for the awards show!
[00:54:01.527]Woo!
[00:54:02.410]There we go, that's what I'm talking about.
[00:54:04.470]Now, I'm gonna welcome up our Director, Tom Field,
[00:54:07.200]and he's gonna explain a little bit more about these awards
[00:54:09.790]and get us oh so excited to get started.
[00:54:12.280]Hand, please, for Tom Field.
[00:54:14.005](audience applauding)
[00:54:20.260]Let's just do a quick little experiment because,
[00:54:22.979]you know there's this rumor going around
[00:54:24.170]that this generation won't do anything.
[00:54:27.710]So,
[00:54:29.400]if you are an Engler student or an Engler almuni
[00:54:31.827]and in the last year,
[00:54:34.450]your company sold anything for revenue
[00:54:37.110]and or you made an agreement for a purchase in the future
[00:54:40.810]with someone, I want you to stand up.
[00:54:46.771](audience applauding)
[00:54:55.950]So what I would say to Unicameral and the governor is
[00:54:59.230]come here, we have a solution.
[00:55:02.262]Woo!
[00:55:03.180]And, that solution was recognized by the
[00:55:05.940]Omaha World Herald.
[00:55:08.400]They wrote an editorial.
[00:55:10.490]They said, you know what, we gotta stay with it,
[00:55:12.690]with higher education, but we gotta change.
[00:55:15.820]And they mentioned two programs.
[00:55:19.290]An alumnus, and I wish J.P. Milligan was here
[00:55:21.770]because he was the guy that told me when I got hired,
[00:55:23.970]he said you know, everybody else is excited,
[00:55:26.490]I'm still on the fence.
[00:55:27.450]Well, J.P., I hope this gets you off the fence.
[00:55:30.050]Because the two programs they mentioned,
[00:55:33.120]The Rakes Program and the Engler Agribusiness
[00:55:37.270]Entrepreneurship program that you built, all of you,
[00:55:41.550]stand up and do a little cheering,
[00:55:43.910]'cause that's a big deal.
[00:55:44.743]Woo!
[00:55:45.737](audience applauding)
[00:55:59.460]This is an amazing community.
[00:56:04.680]And so we're adding something a little new tonight.
[00:56:07.430]Tonight we're gonna add some special recognition
[00:56:09.370]to the program, just as athletics have the ESPYs
[00:56:11.810]and music has the Grammies, we have the Englers.
[00:56:15.583](audience laughing)
[00:56:17.220]And as we launch our inaugural
[00:56:19.320]recognition ceremony, it's important to know that our
[00:56:21.750]recognitions are built around the core values
[00:56:24.150]of our program.
[00:56:25.591]Build.
[00:56:26.970]Inspire.
[00:56:28.260]Passion.
[00:56:29.400]Partner.
[00:56:30.460]Grit.
[00:56:31.293]And courage.
[00:56:33.840]Secondly, tonight is not about segregating a few winners,
[00:56:38.480]but about acknowledging efforts that have gone
[00:56:40.770]above and beyond.
[00:56:41.750]Collectively our staff
[00:56:44.160]gets this really awesome privilege, we work with these
[00:56:47.605]young people all the time.
[00:56:49.760]Dave is from our core.
[00:56:53.870]Brendan, remarkable guy, Michelle, remarkable.
[00:56:56.730]We have partners in Carlos.
[00:56:59.880]Sarah in the back who help us grow this program.
[00:57:03.780]And we get a lot of feedback.
[00:57:05.290]We see them at their best and their worst.
[00:57:07.760]We see it when it's difficult and when it's fun.
[00:57:11.130]And we work with all these great people in our community
[00:57:15.160]who have never said no to us.
[00:57:17.480]Who have always said no, I'll show up, I'll help.
[00:57:20.320]And so we get feedback from the business community
[00:57:22.650]all the time.
[00:57:24.560]And so,
[00:57:26.570]it's from those
[00:57:27.900]deep experiences and all that feedback that tonight's
[00:57:31.560]recipients were selected.
[00:57:34.230]This is really about the extra mile.
[00:57:37.240]You'll notice that tonight we're only going to award
[00:57:40.350]five of the Pillar Awards.
[00:57:43.140]Because not every year do we anticipate
[00:57:46.950]awarding every single one of these.
[00:57:49.780]We want 'em to be special, we want 'em to mean something.
[00:57:53.370]And yes, tonight we're gonna recognize a few individuals,
[00:57:56.170]but more importantly, we're gonna celebrate an extraordinary
[00:57:59.030]and remarkable community of people.
[00:58:02.170]Our alums,
[00:58:04.190]I'm gonna give a quick shout out.
[00:58:07.720]I get almost all good days.
[00:58:10.350]It's not really fair.
[00:58:13.210]But every now and then, I get an awesome day.
[00:58:17.040]And last summer, I got this awesome
[00:58:19.270]email
[00:58:20.420]from this young woman who we had kept saying to
[00:58:23.110]over and over and over again, launch the company,
[00:58:26.030]launch the company, launch the company.
[00:58:29.380]And I got the email,
[00:58:31.040]and she launched.
[00:58:32.920]Emily Long, I want you to stand up and be recognized
[00:58:36.040]for launching the company.
[00:58:37.716](audience applauding)
[00:58:46.610]Might have been my best day as Director of this program.
[00:58:54.060]Tonight is about our team.
[00:58:57.020]This community.
[00:58:57.853]It's about all of you, it's about the hard work you do.
[00:59:00.800]And it's about the hard work that's in front of us,
[00:59:03.960]'cause we have a long, long ways to go.
[00:59:07.850]Because if we're gonna deliver on our God-given opportunity
[00:59:12.110]to find our purpose and chase it,
[00:59:14.780]it will take special effort.
[00:59:18.070]I'm grateful for each and every one of you
[00:59:20.290]students, alums, parents, community members,
[00:59:24.380]supporters inside the institution, and I'm in debt
[00:59:28.640]to all of you, because together
[00:59:31.150]we did what Paul Engler hoped might be possible
[00:59:36.440]in 20 years,
[00:59:38.610]and we got there in six.
[00:59:41.390]And I know how disappointed he is to not be here tonight.
[00:59:45.380]But to Paul,
[00:59:46.213]I want you to know the dream's alive.
[00:59:48.890]We're making it come true.
[00:59:51.820]We can not underestimate the value and the power
[00:59:54.410]of our alumni.
[00:59:56.540]We set out to build a community that would survive
[00:59:59.020]past the undergraduate experience.
[01:00:02.730]I think the future of Nebraska
[01:00:05.700]and the world might actually be in this room.
[01:00:10.450]And so I want to bring up a couple of my favorite alums.
[01:00:16.180]These guys have helped me get in and out of trouble
[01:00:19.250]on more occasions than we should probably talk about.
[01:00:22.000]So if Jeff Morning and Jared McKee would come up,
[01:00:25.200]they're gonna have a little special presentation
[01:00:26.930]on behalf of the alums.
[01:00:28.130]Welcome these guys.
[01:00:29.617](audience applauding)
[01:00:40.410]Following Doctor Field is always one of my
[01:00:43.550]fun things to do in life because it always makes it seem
[01:00:45.910]like I am not prepared and don't know what I'm doing.
[01:00:49.430]So thank you, Tom, I really appreciate that.
[01:00:53.202]Tonight, I would like to welcome you on behalf of the
[01:00:56.420]Engler Alumni Association
[01:00:58.970]to this event.
[01:01:00.580]We are part of the reason why you changed the name to
[01:01:03.596]The Englers, 'cause us old, washed-up people still want to
[01:01:05.530]be involved and wanna help do things.
[01:01:08.810]The alumni association is
[01:01:12.130]trying something a little bit different.
[01:01:15.090]We're not necessarily an alumni association
[01:01:17.220]that needs money.
[01:01:18.053]We don't need funds, but we need people that help us
[01:01:22.300]and help us by bringing others together
[01:01:25.570]but keeping ourselves together as well.
[01:01:28.420]We've done three events this year.
[01:01:30.550]We did the Fall Freshmen Onboarding Experience.
[01:01:33.690]And after that, we had an alumni social.
[01:01:36.290]Just trying to keep everybody we had together,
[01:01:39.640]but also introducing ourselves to the oncoming freshmen
[01:01:42.530]so that they knew some of the people that had
[01:01:44.650]been successful in the program were.
[01:01:47.520]The next event we held was the alumni round table
[01:01:49.960]and showcase, where we showcased some of the businesses
[01:01:53.040]the alumni had
[01:01:54.570]and also host
[01:01:56.300]a round table where we can give some ideas and thoughts
[01:02:00.130]on what we thought was right.
[01:02:02.890]Next is the Spring Celebration.
[01:02:06.440]With that, we're gonna highlight one alumni
[01:02:09.440]in the past year, and Jeff is actually gonna do that.
[01:02:15.750]Also, while Jeff is getting ready,
[01:02:18.340]if you're an alumni of the program, please stand.
[01:02:26.410]Let's give these people a round of applause.
[01:02:28.041](audience applauding)
[01:02:34.510]First and foremost, thank you.
[01:02:36.480]From the alumni, especially to the students.
[01:02:40.140]Your
[01:02:41.160]accepting of our desire to be a part of this
[01:02:43.190]signature event means more to a lot of us
[01:02:45.450]than any of you will know.
[01:02:47.330]At this time, we've got a quick message from
[01:02:49.460]three of our all stars.
[01:02:50.650]If you guys could make your way forward.
[01:02:53.730]We've got quick, 30 second wrap ups from
[01:02:56.370]Matthew Hebner, Jacqueline Hahn now, congratulations,
[01:03:00.400]and Grant Stahla.
[01:03:02.950]We're gonna have each of these individuals give a quick,
[01:03:05.280]30 to 60 seconds about their entrepreneurial journey,
[01:03:08.800]their involvement with the program
[01:03:10.180]and what they're doing now, and then we've got a
[01:03:11.880]couple of quick questions for 'em.
[01:03:14.190]Do we have a microphone for these folks?
[01:03:16.870]Just use this?
[01:03:17.780]Okay, go ahead.
[01:03:21.270]Hi, my name is Matthew Hebner.
[01:03:23.500]So I got involved in the Engler program my sophomore year
[01:03:27.700]and really enjoyed it and it really gave me a backbone to
[01:03:31.730]what I'm doing now.
[01:03:32.660]It provided me with the tools to learn how to
[01:03:36.360]run a business and specifically the financial side
[01:03:39.740]of the business.
[01:03:41.420]Halfway through my
[01:03:43.570]fall semester my junior year of college,
[01:03:45.810]I got call from a couple farmers that I had been working
[01:03:49.280]closely with over the last few years
[01:03:51.353]and they had decided that they were gonna retire
[01:03:54.020]and that they were gonna give me the opportunity to rent
[01:03:56.620]some of their ground.
[01:03:58.030]And so after consulting with Tom and
[01:04:01.610]all the staff on the Engler Board and those that were
[01:04:04.320]close to me at home,
[01:04:06.130]I decided that the best decision for me
[01:04:08.280]at that point in time was to leave college
[01:04:11.210]and pursue a dream.
[01:04:12.540]And,
[01:04:14.120]so yeah, that's my story.
[01:04:17.291](audience applauding)
[01:04:23.090]Hello, I'm Grant Stahla,
[01:04:25.420]I actually joined the Engler program my Senior year
[01:04:28.560]of college, at the beginning of it.
[01:04:30.580]And I have a restroom, trailer and port-a-potty company
[01:04:33.980]here in Lincoln.
[01:04:36.120]And I
[01:04:37.670]started the company my last year of school,
[01:04:41.250]just with,
[01:04:42.720]just had a desire to do something on my own that was
[01:04:47.570]kind of within my wheelhouse where I could have trucks
[01:04:49.820]and trailers and a shop.
[01:04:51.470]And Dave and Tom and the Engler program really gave me a
[01:04:55.810]platform to
[01:04:58.550]put the,
[01:04:59.900]put the numbers down and really, you know,
[01:05:02.970]make the sales calls
[01:05:04.250]and build a website
[01:05:07.160]and do marketing
[01:05:08.220]and just the actual
[01:05:10.770]business foundational things,
[01:05:14.550]instead of,
[01:05:15.900]instead of just classwork that would have been
[01:05:19.740]kind of irrelevant to what I was doing.
[01:05:21.057]And so it was a very necessary platform to
[01:05:25.710]getting my business to where it is now.
[01:05:28.509](audience applauding)
[01:05:34.750]Well,
[01:05:35.583]I'm Jacqueline Hahn, I own Bayview Floral and Event Design.
[01:05:38.370]So I'm a florist and I help people with the
[01:05:40.680]behind the scene details of their events, their weddings,
[01:05:43.140]whatever they need help with.
[01:05:45.340]So, this past year, well I graduated in May,
[01:05:49.530]so I'm not that old,
[01:05:51.350]but anyways,
[01:05:52.330]I came here, I came to UNL because of the Engler program.
[01:05:56.420]I didn't like school, so I graduated in three years
[01:05:59.730]and then now I'm on my own, kind of.
[01:06:02.730]So,
[01:06:03.580]anyways,
[01:06:04.413]florist, I've been a florist since I was in freshman year.
[01:06:06.590]In high school I started making prom corsages.
[01:06:09.420]Actually, one of my first customers is in the back,
[01:06:11.370]which is kind of fun to see just years later.
[01:06:15.580]But, either way, I'm rambling,
[01:06:18.840]now I'm still doing floral and event design here in Lincoln
[01:06:22.470]but I just got married two and a half weeks ago
[01:06:24.940]and will be moving to Central South Dakota.
[01:06:27.440]I don't quite know what's next yet, but
[01:06:30.570]I'll do something.
[01:06:31.620]People still need flowers, so yeah.
[01:06:34.250]Anyways, thanks.
[01:06:35.659](audience applauding)
[01:06:42.340]Each of these individuals has touched on it just a
[01:06:44.600]little bit, but we're gonna ask each of 'em one question.
[01:06:47.270]We'll start with Matt.
[01:06:48.690]Who or what was the most influential piece of your decision
[01:06:52.080]to take a risk and dive head first into your venture?
[01:06:57.170]Mine would be a what.
[01:06:58.690]One of my,
[01:06:59.990]one of the things that drives me the most,
[01:07:01.600]nuts most, is people that say I wish I would have.
[01:07:05.100]And I didn't wanna look back on my life and say
[01:07:07.440]I wish I would have.
[01:07:08.400]I wanted to be somebody that when I was talking I said,
[01:07:11.060]I'm glad I did.
[01:07:15.920]And for Grant, what piece of the Engler program
[01:07:18.190]has helped you most when growing and building your company?
[01:07:25.560]I would say the relationships.
[01:07:27.690]There's some special people in here that
[01:07:31.770]it just provides an environment of
[01:07:34.610]entrepreneurs and people that actually go out and do stuff
[01:07:38.640]and take risks.
[01:07:39.620]And so I really appreciate the Engler program with
[01:07:44.670]bringing everyone together and facilitating that
[01:07:47.420]even after college.
[01:07:48.540]I've been out for three years, four years
[01:07:52.090]and I just feel
[01:07:53.680]included in the program.
[01:07:55.310]So, I appreciate the relationships.
[01:07:57.983](audience applauding)
[01:08:01.239]Sure.
[01:08:03.460]And for Miss Jacqueline, following up in your shoes,
[01:08:05.600]what's the biggest tool that the Engler program
[01:08:07.480]has provided you?
[01:08:11.300]Sweet, well, networking is huge.
[01:08:13.320]That's a huge part of the Engler program.
[01:08:15.800]And also just learning the practical steps
[01:08:17.700]to run a business, how to create a business plan, is huge,
[01:08:21.650]but you know also, one of the biggest things that the
[01:08:25.120]Engler program provided me was courage.
[01:08:27.230]As a freshman I was pretty scared of everything and
[01:08:30.370]the Engler program provided people to be like, hey,
[01:08:33.400]like, you're fine, you're worth something.
[01:08:35.450]So, anyways, courage was probably the biggest.
[01:08:38.415](audience applauding)
[01:08:41.233]Let's give these three people a round of applause.
[01:08:47.693]Abraham Lincoln
[01:08:49.570]once said,
[01:08:51.137]"Do not worry when you are not recognized,
[01:08:54.477]"but rather strive to be worthy of recognition."
[01:09:01.610]Our group has decided to highlight one Engler alumni member
[01:09:05.870]every year who exemplifies what it means to be a member
[01:09:09.870]of our group.
[01:09:12.084]In this building, with these people at this signature event
[01:09:16.660]every year, we're gonna highlight one individual
[01:09:19.450]and dub them the Engler Alumni Champion of the Year.
[01:09:23.040]One person
[01:09:24.800]that's been involved with the students,
[01:09:27.080]that gives back through the alumni,
[01:09:29.160]that pursues their own venture either full or part time
[01:09:34.270]and above all, demonstrates excellence
[01:09:36.510]within the Engler Pillars.
[01:09:39.430]When we sat down to think about what this looks like,
[01:09:43.640]who this looks like,
[01:09:45.300]how does this look,
[01:09:47.750]our minds began to wrap around students
[01:09:49.882]ten, fifteen, twenty years from now.
[01:09:54.460]There's gonna be a plaque in Miller Hall
[01:09:57.730]or wherever Tom Field kicks his boots up,
[01:10:01.120]and there's gonna be a name at the top left corner.
[01:10:03.810]Number one.
[01:10:05.810]Who does that person need to be?
[01:10:07.457]Twenty years from now,
[01:10:10.380]when hopefully
[01:10:11.730]our kids go through this program,
[01:10:14.440]who's the person the person that they're gonna strive for?
[01:10:17.200]Who has demonstrated excellence?
[01:10:19.770]And I am pleased to report tonight the person we're about to
[01:10:22.180]recognize
[01:10:23.960]has proven time and time again that this organization
[01:10:27.100]is a priority,
[01:10:28.650]first as an Engler student,
[01:10:30.890]then as an Executive Officer within the program
[01:10:34.010]and now as a very active alumni member.
[01:10:38.950]This person is committed to the success of this program.
[01:10:41.740]Period.
[01:10:43.100]But above all, they've proven that they're
[01:10:46.130]passionate.
[01:10:48.200]They're passionate about entrepreneurship,
[01:10:50.100]they're passionate about agriculture and they're passionate
[01:10:52.930]about helping every single person in this room
[01:10:55.360]achieve their dreams.
[01:10:56.520]And that's what we're all here to do, is help the students.
[01:10:59.880]So Engler students, staff, guests and alumni,
[01:11:04.360]please join me in congratulating the inaugural
[01:11:07.680]Engler Alumni Champion of the Year,
[01:11:10.510]being recognized tonight for his passion,
[01:11:13.900]Mister Ben Alverson.
[01:11:15.937](audience applauding)
[01:11:24.040](laughing)
[01:11:31.190]I didn't know that was coming.
[01:11:33.730]I don't know if I have anything mind blowing to say.
[01:11:37.069](laughing)
[01:11:38.860]I, to say this means something to me wouldn't be
[01:11:42.352]saying anything.
[01:11:43.920]The friends I've made from this program have changed
[01:11:47.140]who I am as an individual and
[01:11:49.440]Tom Field has,
[01:11:51.240]and Dave Lam, Michelle, have had an impact on me that
[01:11:54.680]words can't describe and I appreciate this and
[01:11:58.193]that's quite the honor.
[01:11:59.690]Thank you.
[01:12:00.996](audience applauding)
[01:12:09.880]Another big round of applause for the
[01:12:12.170]Engler Alumni Association and Ben, congratulations.
[01:12:15.409](audience applauding)
[01:12:21.550]Alright, so the next award for the evening has been dubbed
[01:12:24.280]the Swashbuckler Award,
[01:12:26.180]or the Swashbuckler Award.
[01:12:28.810]It's because we're,
[01:12:30.380]as entrepreneurs, we're kind of like a merry band of pirates
[01:12:32.720]in that we kind of loot each other's imaginations and
[01:12:35.630]we come up with really innovative ideas and go on crazy
[01:12:39.170]adventures.
[01:12:40.610]We're gonna have Tom come up and explain the award and
[01:12:43.920]he's gonna present the award as well.
[01:12:54.950]Our vision long term is really to transform
[01:12:57.070]higher education in a radical way.
[01:12:59.910]And it's not easy to do that incrementally.
[01:13:02.820]You have to just flat go for it.
[01:13:05.980]And so we've always thought a little bit about ourselves
[01:13:08.720]as sort of swashbucklers.
[01:13:10.140]So what's a swashbuckler?
[01:13:12.120]He or she is a protagonist who is heroic,
[01:13:16.300]idealistic and willing to embrace the adventure and risk
[01:13:19.430]associated with the great undertaking.
[01:13:22.480]Tonight, we want to honor two partners,
[01:13:25.200]two live, in the flesh swashbucklers
[01:13:29.440]who've played critical roles in the growth and success
[01:13:32.100]of this program.
[01:13:34.360]The first recipient of the Engler Swashbuckler is someone
[01:13:37.190]who has become not only an ally but a staunch advocate
[01:13:39.810]who challenges us to reach higher and to tackle
[01:13:43.150]difficult questions.
[01:13:45.170]Her Engler lecture was epic because she drove home the
[01:13:47.630]message that you can not shrink your way to greatness.
[01:13:50.940]And when the young women in the Engler program
[01:13:52.520]began to dream about a way to build a cohort of
[01:13:54.630]female role models, advisors and mentors,
[01:13:56.900]she created and financed a two-day program that
[01:14:00.090]brought together professional and college women
[01:14:02.070]in Bridgeport, Nebraska to create the kind of exchange
[01:14:05.980]and interaction that opened eyes, minds and doors.
[01:14:10.480]She is a true swashbuckler in her own right,
[01:14:13.690]she runs a feed yard in a male-dominated world.
[01:14:16.810]She is my hero.
[01:14:18.300]On behalf of the Engler community, it is a distinct pleasure
[01:14:21.390]to honor Cassie Lapaseotes as an Engler Swashbuckler.
[01:14:24.883](audience applauding)
[01:14:36.920](laughing)
[01:14:41.150]Every pirate needs one of those.
[01:14:44.330]Thank you, Cassie.
[01:14:45.376]Let's give her another round of applause.
[01:14:49.013](audience applauding)
[01:14:52.980]The second swashbuckler knows that then Engler program
[01:14:55.640]runs counter to the conventional approach to education.
[01:14:59.280]Our model has been built on questioning long standing
[01:15:01.920]assumptions, challenging tradition and rejecting
[01:15:04.320]conventional wisdom.
[01:15:06.270]Such an approach can be really isolating,
[01:15:08.600]especially in a very historic institution that hasn't
[01:15:12.250]changed its graduation hat since the middle ages.
[01:15:16.251]There's been times when it's been a little lonely.
[01:15:19.860]There's been times when we thought that we were maybe
[01:15:21.490]missing the mark altogether.
[01:15:24.500]Fortunately, there was another organization,
[01:15:26.480]led by an extraordinary person who was willing to be a
[01:15:29.210]partner in blazing new trails, testing new ideas
[01:15:32.630]and approaches at speed and always reminding us that our
[01:15:35.820]first and foremost obligation was to serve the people
[01:15:38.430]of Nebraska.
[01:15:40.510]We needed a trusted partner and we found that relationship
[01:15:43.610]with the Rural Futures Institute.
[01:15:46.120]I can not sufficiently express how much it has meant to me
[01:15:49.070]to have Chuck Schroeder as a confidant,
[01:15:51.730]mentor and accountability coach.
[01:15:54.870]Chuck is a cowboy, artist, engaged citizen, visionary
[01:15:59.650]and my friend.
[01:16:01.620]He's the kind of leader that you know will only pick fights
[01:16:04.410]that matter
[01:16:05.980]and it has been an honor to have been his wingman
[01:16:08.280]in a couple of those battles.
[01:16:11.280]He and his team have fought for our students
[01:16:13.300]as if they were their own children,
[01:16:14.800]and just as Paul Engler never forgot where he came from,
[01:16:17.870]neither did Chuck or his team.
[01:16:20.370]They are Nebraskans.
[01:16:22.420]It is an honor to recognize the Rural Futures Institute
[01:16:25.490]and their Director, Chuck Schroeder as our second inaugural
[01:16:29.090]Swashbuckler recipient.
[01:16:30.751](audience applauding)
[01:16:50.920]Alright, man, let's keep it rolling.
[01:16:52.420]Let's keep in rolling.
[01:16:54.890]Alright, our next award,
[01:16:58.520]that's,
[01:16:59.734]whoa.
[01:17:01.020]Technology.
[01:17:01.910]Our next award is a special one that really only
[01:17:04.830]Brendon Costello can present.
[01:17:06.360]So, Brendon,
[01:17:08.957]will you come on up?
[01:17:13.920]So this past year,
[01:17:15.960]Engler went through a major upgrade
[01:17:18.986]to what we do and how we teach entrepreneurship.
[01:17:21.680]And the core of this curriculum is focused on what we call
[01:17:24.000]Build Camp.
[01:17:24.890]It's a brand new
[01:17:26.370]system that Engler developed.
[01:17:29.060]It's the foundation of what we do
[01:17:31.635]and it's the foundation of what we think helps
[01:17:33.850]our students created successful businesses.
[01:17:35.750]There's several what we call Builders in the room right now.
[01:17:39.700]And as we built Build Camp
[01:17:41.990]and went through a process of really trying to understand
[01:17:44.670]what this was, there was really one individual who
[01:17:47.730]decided to
[01:17:49.430]take this on and rebuild it from the beginning.
[01:17:52.610]And this individual, I don't imagine it was easy for him
[01:17:56.260]because after 31 years of teaching,
[01:17:58.890]completely starting over how
[01:18:02.050]you teach entrepreneurship and your philosophy
[01:18:04.100]of teaching entrepreneurship, it would be something that
[01:18:06.190]I know would be very, very difficult to do.
[01:18:08.540]But he took it on and
[01:18:10.680]had a tremendous amount of energy to do it.
[01:18:14.170]And one of the reasons that I think he's so good at
[01:18:16.420]what he does is he really cares about students
[01:18:18.770]first and foremost.
[01:18:21.250]And as an example for me, for one day wanting to be an
[01:18:23.730]educator, an example of this person
[01:18:26.670]who really built Build Camp.
[01:18:29.790]And as part of Build Camp, since we're actually starting to
[01:18:32.840]build businesses, everyone gets a hammer.
[01:18:35.060]So it's an engraved hammer, and that's your entrance
[01:18:37.500]into build camp.
[01:18:38.810]So we dubbed a new special award this year,
[01:18:42.600]calling our Chief Builder, we'd like to award our
[01:18:45.410]faculty member Dave Lam with the Chief Builder Award.
[01:18:47.838](audience applauding)
[01:19:10.500]Please stand up because you have helped me
[01:19:14.942]more than I have ever helped you.
[01:19:17.242]So any builder, can you please stand?
[01:19:19.593]Give them a round of applause.
[01:19:21.106](audience applauding)
[01:19:37.180]I'm gonna memorize how that sounds, I promise.
[01:19:40.650]Now we're gonna look at the student pillar awards
[01:19:43.080]as mentioned earlier by Tom Field.
[01:19:45.420]First, we're gonna take a look at courage,
[01:19:46.970]which is one thing to talk about it,
[01:19:49.770]but it's another to live it every single day.
[01:19:53.120]Check out this clip.
[01:20:04.643](audience booing)
[01:20:15.883](bell ringing)
[01:20:22.520]She's tough.
[01:20:26.349]I can't get inside, I can't close enough to hit her.
[01:20:28.150]You know why that is?
[01:20:29.679]Why?
[01:20:30.512]She's a better fighter than you are, that's why.
[01:20:33.580]She's younger, she's stronger, she's more experienced.
[01:20:36.550]Now, what are you gonna do about it?
[01:20:44.680]Get in.
[01:20:46.928](bell ringing)
[01:20:47.761]Fight.
[01:20:50.770](audience cheering)
[01:21:03.192]Three, four, five,
[01:21:05.964]six,
[01:21:07.190]seven,
[01:21:08.419]eight,
[01:21:09.517]nine,
[01:21:11.278]ten.
[01:21:12.111](bell ringing)
[01:21:14.770]Courage is the daily decision to confront what most would
[01:21:17.630]consider unsurmountable challenges head on
[01:21:20.760]while refusing to let obstacles become barriers.
[01:21:24.990]I'd like to introduce Brandon Nichols to say a few words
[01:21:27.270]about this recipient and present the Courage Award.
[01:21:30.400]Welcome Brandon.
[01:21:32.418](audience applauding)
[01:21:37.310]I've had the pleasure of knowing this person
[01:21:39.370]since we were Juniors in high school.
[01:21:41.960]We were in the same group in NAYI.
[01:21:44.510]Her involvement has made an impact on the campus.
[01:21:47.550]Some of you are probably already starting to think
[01:21:48.870]who this is.
[01:21:50.060]She has the courage to run for officer positions,
[01:21:52.970]be an engaged classmate during class discussions
[01:21:56.370]and share her joy for helping others
[01:21:58.250]make their lives easier.
[01:22:00.186]She always has a business idea on her hand
[01:22:03.340]that makes others lives easier, even if it is a simple task
[01:22:07.040]that is taken for granted.
[01:22:09.060]She has the courage because not only did she come to college
[01:22:12.160]and double major, she also jumped both feet first
[01:22:15.470]into the Engler program.
[01:22:17.640]She has the courage not to be intimidated by thinking
[01:22:20.150]outside the box and building many business ideas.
[01:22:23.830]I would hope to everyone that goes to college,
[01:22:26.230]they would be able to meet someone that has the courage
[01:22:28.810]she does because I know I wouldn't trade it for the world.
[01:22:32.120]In fact, she set the bar so high, we're going to name
[01:22:35.397]the award after her,
[01:22:37.308]for her here on.
[01:22:39.700]It's my honor to present our very first Courage Award
[01:22:43.200]to Morgan Cuttlers.
[01:22:44.997](audience applauding)
[01:23:23.200]Our next Pillar Award is Partnership.
[01:23:25.830]And,
[01:23:26.773]here's a short video to illustrate just how important
[01:23:28.710]of a role that is.
[01:23:36.635](soft music)
[01:23:44.021]Frodo, no!
[01:23:46.326]Frodo!
[01:23:48.554]Mister Frodo.
[01:23:49.641]No, Sam.
[01:23:54.815]Go back, Sam.
[01:23:57.462]I'm going to Mordor alone.
[01:23:59.146]Of course you are.
[01:24:00.895]And I'm going with you.
[01:24:04.299]You can't swim!
[01:24:10.222]Sam!
[01:24:17.690]Sam!
[01:24:25.815](soft music)
[01:24:50.299](coughing)
[01:24:59.723]I made a promise, Mister Frodo.
[01:25:02.819]A promise.
[01:25:04.280]Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.
[01:25:08.588]And I don't mean to.
[01:25:11.385]I don't mean to.
[01:25:15.090]Oh, Sam.
[01:25:21.449](soft music)
[01:25:24.640]As a community of entrepreneurs, we value partnership
[01:25:27.420]as one of the highest forms of human relationship.
[01:25:30.470]We've been inspired by John Gordon's account of
[01:25:32.460]the life of a great team mate in his book The Hard Hat.
[01:25:36.360]Gordon lists 21 characteristics of a great team mate
[01:25:39.690]and partner.
[01:25:40.680]Tonight's recipient lives these values but there are five
[01:25:43.330]in particular that stand out.
[01:25:46.040]One, well done is better than well said.
[01:25:50.460]Two, practice selfless compassion.
[01:25:54.710]Three, leave the place better than you found it.
[01:25:58.880]Four, do it for the team, not the applause.
[01:26:03.450]And five, choose to be humble
[01:26:06.440]and hungry.
[01:26:08.240]Whatever the situation, this person steps forward
[01:26:10.870]offering a helping a hand,
[01:26:12.560]taking the lead to find a solution,
[01:26:14.730]modeling the humble servant leader we should all strive
[01:26:17.530]to be, said one staff member in Engler.
[01:26:20.520]Help me congratulate the first Partner Award Recipient,
[01:26:24.660]Logan Kowalkowski.
[01:26:28.110](audience applauding)
[01:26:40.386]Yeah.
[01:26:41.820]Oh, this needs pictures.
[01:26:44.593](audience laughing)
[01:26:45.581]It fits.
[01:26:46.570]The third pillar award we're giving away this evening
[01:26:49.040]is one of Grit.
[01:26:54.230]Alright, everybody, gather round.
[01:26:57.122]Come on, I want you to look around.
[01:27:00.383]The best in the state, right?
[01:27:03.420]Every team that's here deserves to be.
[01:27:06.120]Including you.
[01:27:08.290]They haven't got what you got, alright?
[01:27:11.203]They don't get up at dawn like you to go to work
[01:27:13.750]in the fields, right?
[01:27:16.288]They don't go to school all day
[01:27:18.661]and then go back to those same fields.
[01:27:19.820]That's what you do.
[01:27:21.980]And then you come out with me and you run eight miles,
[01:27:25.040]ten miles and you take on,
[01:27:27.550]you take on even more pain.
[01:27:28.650]These kids don't do what you do.
[01:27:29.840]They can't even imagine it.
[01:27:35.180]When I went out in the field that day with you Diaz kids,
[01:27:37.100]I'll be honest with you, it was a,
[01:27:40.284]it was the worst day's work I ever had to do in my life.
[01:27:43.720]And I said to myself, whatever kind of crappy job
[01:27:46.050]I end up at, it'll never be as tough as that.
[01:27:52.030]You kids do it everyday.
[01:27:54.682]And your parents hope they can do it everyday,
[01:27:56.110]and they'll do it for a lifetime if it means
[01:27:57.910]a better life for you.
[01:28:06.770]You guys are superhuman.
[01:28:09.050]What you had to endure just to be here,
[01:28:10.390]to get a shot at this, the kind of privilege that someone
[01:28:12.960]like me takes for granted.
[01:28:16.640]There's nothing you can't do with that kind of strength,
[01:28:20.179]with that kind of heart.
[01:28:24.080]You kids have the biggest hearts I've ever seen.
[01:28:31.490]Go run your race.
[01:28:37.030]Grit is perseverance and passion while displaying
[01:28:39.700]an uncommon level of dedication to the attainment
[01:28:42.980]of a goal.
[01:28:44.030]The entrepreneur's path is rarely a straight line.
[01:28:46.610]It's filled with setbacks, changing directions
[01:28:48.940]and returning to the drawing board time after time again.
[01:28:53.020]One student said, "While some tend to bounce from
[01:28:55.687]"one business idea to another, this person thoughtfully
[01:28:59.207]"chooses ideas and pours his heart and soul into them.
[01:29:03.397]"Not only does his grit come through in his actions,
[01:29:06.047]"but in his personality as well."
[01:29:08.470]Tonight's recipient has embraced the reality
[01:29:11.180]that blue collar toughness, grit and sweat equity are
[01:29:14.750]required to create a successful enterprise.
[01:29:18.280]This year's Grit Award goes to Brandon Nichols.
[01:29:21.895](audience applauding)
[01:29:37.393]Aspiration is the next pillar.
[01:29:39.620]And everyone knows
[01:29:40.760]entrepreneurs refuse to accept the status quo.
[01:29:44.090]Check out this clip.
[01:29:47.990]Great moments
[01:29:51.730]are borne of great opportunity.
[01:29:57.067]And that's what you have here
[01:29:58.440]tonight, boys.
[01:30:01.870]That's what you've earned here tonight.
[01:30:09.540]One game.
[01:30:12.620]If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine.
[01:30:18.570]But not this game.
[01:30:22.000]Not
[01:30:22.900]tonight.
[01:30:26.410]Tonight,
[01:30:27.620]we skate with them.
[01:30:31.110]Tonight,
[01:30:32.120]we stay with them
[01:30:33.950]and we shut them down because we can.
[01:30:43.700]Tonight,
[01:30:44.820]we
[01:30:46.180]are the greatest hockey team in the world.
[01:30:56.081]You were born to be hockey players.
[01:30:59.720]Every one of you.
[01:31:04.157]And you were meant
[01:31:05.570]to be here tonight.
[01:31:12.690]This is your time.
[01:31:19.191]Their time
[01:31:20.380]is done.
[01:31:22.120]It's over.
[01:31:25.330]I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great hockey team
[01:31:29.310]the Soviets have.
[01:31:31.490]Screw 'em.
[01:31:32.980]This is your time.
[01:31:37.570]Now go out there and take it.
[01:31:41.860]Aspiring entrepreneurs see solutions
[01:31:44.640]and pathways to solutions where others see problems.
[01:31:48.240]Our first recipient uncovered a process pain point
[01:31:51.130]in an industry and aspired to develop the solution.
[01:31:54.680]He's the classic example of how a non-techie
[01:31:57.470]built a tech company.
[01:31:59.320]His vision has received multiple sources of funding
[01:32:01.700]in the past year, including big wins at UNL
[01:32:05.000]Business Plan Competitions.
[01:32:06.840]It is our pleasure to give the first Aspire Award
[01:32:09.890]to Grant Suddarth.
[01:32:11.572](audience applauding)
[01:32:27.475]And tonight, the final Pillar Award we want to give out
[01:32:30.310]is the Build Award.
[01:32:32.480]Engler entrepreneurs are builders.
[01:32:34.800]It's simply part of our DNA, and this video fits tonight's
[01:32:38.130]recipient perfectly.
[01:32:42.290]Right, let's do the math.
[01:32:44.920]Our service mission here was supposed to last
[01:32:47.640]31 sols.
[01:32:48.520]For redundancy, they sent 68 sols worth of food,
[01:32:50.800]that's for six people.
[01:32:51.900]So for just me, that's gonna last 300 sols,
[01:32:54.670]which I figure I can stretch to 400 if I ration, so,
[01:32:58.070]I gotta figure out a way to grow three years worth
[01:33:01.840]of food here,
[01:33:03.890]on a planet where nothing grows.
[01:33:06.890]Luckily,
[01:33:10.750]I'm a botanist.
[01:33:15.650]Mars will come to fear
[01:33:18.920]my botany powers.
[01:33:23.510]Builders don't wait for all the answers,
[01:33:25.570]they just get moving and do it.
[01:33:27.750]This recipient racked up thousands of miles of travel
[01:33:31.060]his first summer building a dealer network,
[01:33:33.680]creating relationships and developing a deep understanding
[01:33:36.450]of the market.
[01:33:37.470]Tom Fields recounted a recent time that he traveled on I-80
[01:33:41.080]and spotted a van with the company logo of tonight's
[01:33:43.770]recipient speeding down the highway,
[01:33:46.600]gaining miles as he gains respect for his business.
[01:33:50.100]The first winner of the Build Award tonight
[01:33:52.790]is Thomas Kayton.
[01:33:55.023](audience applauding)
[01:34:06.230]The final award for the evening is the new
[01:34:08.220]Fire in the Belly Award, named after our founder,
[01:34:11.270]Paul Engler.
[01:34:12.640]Dave Lam is going to come up and explain more about it.
[01:34:16.000]Please welcome back,
[01:34:16.990]Chief Builder, Dave Lam.
[01:34:19.076](audience applauding)
[01:34:27.200]The Fire in the Belly Award is
[01:34:29.490]core to our belief that entrepreneurs have a fire
[01:34:34.160]or deep passion inside them.
[01:34:37.180]It comes from a desire
[01:34:38.900]to fulfill their purpose.
[01:34:41.330]The knowledge that failure is not,
[01:34:44.300]is an opportunity to learn.
[01:34:46.320]Giving up is not an option.
[01:34:48.890]They are willing to take the necessary risk
[01:34:51.660]to achieve goals.
[01:34:53.780]Fire in the Belly Award touches on all six pillars,
[01:34:57.620]passion, grit, partner,
[01:35:01.180]aspire, courage,
[01:35:03.310]and build.
[01:35:05.770]This year's Fire in the Belly
[01:35:07.750]Award goes to two people I've had the opportunity to
[01:35:11.030]work closely with.
[01:35:12.930]And Kevin Houtwod, if you were on the second floor
[01:35:15.380]of Miller Hall, you would experience the up and the down
[01:35:19.580]of entrepreneurship every day.
[01:35:22.050]And Tom, you don't get to do that, either,
[01:35:23.796]because you're not on second floor.
[01:35:25.090]But I get to.
[01:35:26.312](laughing)
[01:35:27.145]But I get to with these two guys.
[01:35:28.980]They're in the building all the time
[01:35:32.350]and they're always coming up with new ideas
[01:35:35.550]and new experiences that they're working on.
[01:35:38.720]And so this is,
[01:35:39.960]this award goes to Darren
[01:35:42.290]Kenobi
[01:35:43.360]and Jake Wilkins.
[01:35:45.111](audience applauding)
[01:36:09.968]Now I'd like to invite Tom back up to say a few
[01:36:12.210]concluding words.
[01:36:21.340]Let's congratulate not only the recipients of awards
[01:36:24.440]tonight but every young entrepreneur with a dream
[01:36:27.560]who is willing to chase Kevin Houtwod's vision.
[01:36:30.904](audience applauding)
[01:36:39.523]I want to point out that we're starting to have a reach
[01:36:41.440]that goes beyond Nebraska.
[01:36:44.540]We've got our very own terrapin in R.J. Baldwin
[01:36:47.190]form Maryland.
[01:36:49.720]We've got
[01:36:51.060]international
[01:36:53.550]reach.
[01:36:54.800]We have students from Rwanda and from Nepal
[01:36:58.270]who have joined our ranks.
[01:37:01.640]And in that realm,
[01:37:03.230]we're building people to be difference makers.
[01:37:07.530]Now, there are entrepreneurship programs in this country
[01:37:11.380]that are far more sophisticated,
[01:37:14.610]they are far more pretty than we are.
[01:37:18.540]We are not slick.
[01:37:20.840]We are not shiny.
[01:37:23.210]Instead, we are the get your hands dirty,
[01:37:26.410]embrace the hard work, make the mistakes,
[01:37:30.460]learn from them,
[01:37:32.060]ride hellbent for leather
[01:37:34.500]and live by the code of honor,
[01:37:36.830]integrity,
[01:37:38.100]and humility kind of entrepreneurs.
[01:37:41.730]We believe there's a little bit of entrepreneurship
[01:37:44.660]in most everyone.
[01:37:47.100]And even for those of our ranks who won't start companies,
[01:37:50.220]we know they're going to find a way to move
[01:37:53.280]the mission of entrepreneurship forward.
[01:37:56.503]All of sudden, we've become the source of ag-educators
[01:38:01.860]to start new chapters and to rebuild ones that are troubled.
[01:38:07.200]That's part of our global domination strategy.
[01:38:09.440]That's how we're gonna get the pipeline of talent
[01:38:11.380]fully into our program, and so Kate and Sarah and
[01:38:14.700]all the other educators in this room,
[01:38:16.330]we're so thankful that you're in our ranks.
[01:38:19.210]But mostly tonight I just want to say thank you.
[01:38:22.450]Parents,
[01:38:24.460]I'm hopeful that tonight
[01:38:26.560]you leave
[01:38:28.690]thinking about your role as a parent in a brand new way,
[01:38:33.820]that you can now tonight go to sleep knowing
[01:38:37.750]that you did God's work and you did it well.
[01:38:41.010]You have been successful.
[01:38:43.900]Student's please thank your parents right now
[01:38:46.930]one more time, because without them,
[01:38:49.960]you would not have arrived here.
[01:38:52.298](audience applauding)
[01:39:00.740]We hope you've enjoyed tonight.
[01:39:02.680]I want to turn back to my friend DeWayne,
[01:39:04.730]who I gotta tell you,
[01:39:06.840]one of the great
[01:39:08.240]blessings in our program is to have this young man
[01:39:10.850]join us and bring his talent, his mission, his energy
[01:39:14.550]and his love to our program
[01:39:16.570]and help us understand that at the end of the day
[01:39:19.010]it is love that matters.
[01:39:21.795](audience applauding)
[01:39:29.050]So one last thing.
[01:39:30.440]Just like we had our student pitches have an ask ready
[01:39:33.300]for tonight, we're gonna leave you with an ask.
[01:39:36.990]For just a moment, think about how you can encourage
[01:39:39.840]entrepreneurship anywhere.
[01:39:41.800]Whether it's in the Engler program, your own enterprise
[01:39:44.940]or those people in your life who you know that if you were
[01:39:47.810]to give them that spark, and if ignited,
[01:39:50.230]it might just change a family,
[01:39:52.110]a neighborhood, a community or even the nation,
[01:39:56.360]what promise will you make to support entrepreneurship?
[01:40:01.500]There's a special sheet we put on your seat
[01:40:03.410]with the program tonight.
[01:40:05.020]Please jot down
[01:40:06.610]your promise there.
[01:40:08.820]These promises will be displayed in Miller Hall
[01:40:11.490]for the next year to inspire and remind our students
[01:40:15.350]that we have partners and we have a community
[01:40:18.220]that they can count on as they aspire to become
[01:40:20.910]the next generation of difference makers.
[01:40:23.910]You'll also see a space for you
[01:40:26.290]to ask us, the Engler program, for something you may need
[01:40:29.290]in the entrepreneurship space.
[01:40:31.590]How can Engler help you contact a special student,
[01:40:35.640]visit a school or provide you
[01:40:37.630]with a resource you're needing?
[01:40:39.210]Just let us know.
[01:40:40.640]You can drop these sheets in the basket
[01:40:42.750]at the dessert reception table, just
[01:40:45.140]there.
[01:40:46.420]So thank you all so much for coming.
[01:40:48.290]Help yourselves to some more delicious dessert and drinks,
[01:40:50.880]'cause I see that they're not all gone
[01:40:52.590]while you visit and make more connections.
[01:40:55.170]Drive safely and of course we'll see you back here
[01:40:57.330]next year, but we'll see you even sooner.
[01:40:59.600]Thanks for coming.
[01:41:01.018](audience applauding)

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Engler Spring Lecture with Kevin Houtwed

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