Camp Enterprise 2013—100 students attend and engage

Each student at Camp Enterprise participated in leadership training, team-building exercises, case study work and one-on-one coaching to develop their presentation skills  Students had mentors who are members of local Rotary clubs that volunteer to share their life and business experience as students prepare a business plan and present the plan to a venture capital panel at the conclusion of camp. Each day was a mix of working on a team, listening to guest speakers and discussions with business specialists. The goal of Camp E is to develop tomorrow’s leaders by providing students access to established business leaders and an inside look at how the free enterprise system works.

All participating students were also eligible for five $1,000 scholarships for post secondary education. The $5,000 in scholarships were awarded based on student participation and essay writing while at camp.

By the numbers: 100 students attended representing 55 different Rotary Clubs and 90 Rotary members volunteered during the event.  

As a next step, the students, who were sponsored by their local Rotary Club, will be making a short presentation about their Camp Enterprise experience to their local club. 

Guest speakers for the event included:

John Crudele, Eden Prairie Morning Rotary, professional speaker 

This is the second year John was a mentor and speaker at Camp Enterprise. John was very well received last year. With more than 25 years experience, John Crudele is known as a speaker, author and coach who relates to his audience in a very personal and profound way. More than two million people have been inspired by his stories, attracted to his authenticity and challenged by his candor.  More information: www.johncrudele.com.

Chris Pears, Vantage Program Director, Minnetonka School District 

After a very successful career at Cargill, Chris is now developing the VANTAGE program for the Minnetonka Public Schools. In this innovative new program, students will work on a project team, on location, solving real-world problems and learning about the challenges of project-driven work. Under the direction of a licensed teacher and in partnership with business professionals, these project teams will strive to make a contribution to a partner-defined project while gaining invaluable experience in today's marketplace. More information: www.tonkaVANTAGE.com.

Paul Mooty, Rotary Club of Edina, Faribault Woolen Mills

Paul Mooty and his family became the owners of Faribault Woolen Mills in 2011 after it had closed in 2009 and appeared destined for the history books. Opened in 1865, the year Lincoln died and the Civil War ended, Faribault has played a part in history. Whether traveling in covered wagons with the frontier movement West, covering our troops during the war years, or providing warmth for those in need, Faribault blankets and woolen products have been woven into the fabric of American history. At a time when most textile production has moved overseas, the Faribault mill is thought to be North America's only fully-integrated facility with equipment that washes, cards, spins and weaves wool into Faribault brand blankets and throws. More Information: www.faribaultmill.com.

Angela Champagne-From, volunteer 

Angela Champagne-From relied on her self-defense training to fend off a knife-wielding attacker. She wants to make sure other women can fight back, too. She was attacked at 4 p.m. on a Thursday in a downtown Minneapolis parking garage. Her assailant camouflaged himself in a business suit. She was parked just steps from the elevator on her way from work to school. As he put a knife to her throat and hissed in her ear, “We’re going for a ride,” Angela Champagne-From had one thought: She was not going to get into that car. Instead, the longtime Anoka County resident and former beauty queen fought back. Remembering moves she learned in a Spring Lake Park High school self-defense course, she stomped his feet, clawed at his face, bit his hand and jabbed at his crotch, kicking and screaming. She suffered a 10-inch stab wound to her abdomen that cut so deep the tip of the blade reached her back muscles.  As her assailant, a sex offender, fled, he said, “You’re lucky you’re a fighter.” She lost half her blood as she ran down four levels of the parking garage, but she survived. A year after the attack, she has made it her mission to educate women and girls about the importance of self-defense by sharing the details of her survival.

Champagne-From, 30, has launched the “Fight Like a Girl” campaign. It’s intended to reclaim the negative, mocking views that society has about fighting, hitting—doing anything—like a girl, Champagne-From said. She hosted her first public event last week at Blaine City Hall. More than 70 people—mostly women and teenage girls—attended, listening as Champagne-From shared her frantic 911 call to police as well as photos of the crime scene and her injuries. She discussed the attack, her recovery, the criminal trial and her campaign to teach other women to fight like a girl.

“I believe if he’d gotten me into that car, I wouldn’t be here today,” Champagne-From said.  “I want to be remembered as an intelligent fighter who survived every woman’s worst nightmare and go on to touch the hearts of as many woman as possible by sharing my survival story and advocating for silent victims.”

Champagne-From grew up in Blaine. She’s a 2001 graduate of Spring Lake Park High School and was crowned Miss Blaine 2002-03. More information: www.facebook.com/pages/Angelas-Story-Fight-Like-a-Girl/468294123242801?fref=ts

Jermaine Davis, teacher, speaker and author 

Jermaine M. Davis is the son of Carolyn “Charmaine” Davis, single mother of four children. He grew up on the west side of Chicago in the Henry Horner’s housing projects. After the unfortunate loss of six family members to violent deaths, Jermaine began studying motivational principles and success strategies and enrolled at Elmhurst College to change the direction of his life. Jermaine completed college, earning a BA in Speech Communication and continued his education to complete a MA in Speech Communication and a second Masters in Education. He began his career in corporate America as a snack food sales rep. After holding several corporate positions, he decided to honor his vocation and follow his passion of teaching individuals to communicate appropriately, competently and effectively: Jermaine became a college professor of Communication Studies.

Jermaine has been actively teaching college adults for more than 15 years, during which he received the prestigious student-nominated College Instructor of the Year Award. He has authored and co-authored 10 books in the areas of academic success, diversity, motivation, inspiration, leadership, and women’s leadership. Jermaine is CEO, founder and co-founder of two companies: Seminars & Workshops, Inc. and The Stand Out Leadership Company. He is currently a professor of Communication Studies at Century College and is a Doctoral Candidate studying and researching in the area of Organizational Leadership. Jermaine is also a documentary filmmaker and is currently working on the release of his debut documentary Breaking the Cycle. 

Jermaine delivers keynotes and workshops to thousands of people each year and has worked with hundreds of organization across the United States and Internationally. Managers, executives, college and high school students, educators and other workshop participants describe Jermaine as entertaining, enthusiastic, engaging, knowledgeable, authentic, passionate, motivational, inspirational, content-focused, professionally fun and a little silly at times. More information: www.jermainedavis.com

Business specialists participating in Camp E were: 

Jack Lee, Business Specialist: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Jack is a member of the Edina Morningside Rotary Club and the Executive Director at Voyageur Outward Bound School. At Outward Bound, they help build character and leadership skills through challenge and adventure. In the Twin Cities, they're bringing the Outward Bound experience to the metropolitan community by partnering with schools and community organizations.  More information: www.vobs.org

Randy Sparling, Business Specialist: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Randy Sparling is a member of the Lakeville Rotary Club and practices commercial law and estate planning. He has substantial experience in representing clients engaged in business acquisitions and dispositions. He also has assisted clients in debt and equity financing transactions and advised businesses with respect to compliance with franchise and distribution regulations. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Sparling served as Compliance Officer for the First National Bank of St. Paul.  More information: www.felhaber.com

Jean Morrison, Business Specialist: Human Resources

Jean is a member of the Rotary Club of Edina and owner of Morrison and Associates, Inc. a human resource management-consulting firm based in Minneapolis. With over seventeen years of experience serving businesses and organizations, founder and president Jean Morrison is renown for her work in the area of employee relations. Morrison and Associates, Inc. specializes in:  Conflict resolution, performance management, team building, employer/employee relations, executive/individual coaching, organizational transitions. More information: www.jeanmorrisonhr.com

Samantha Metcalf, Business Specialist: Operations (Production, Distribution, Development)

Samantha Metcalf is a Partner with the CliftonLarsonAllen in the Manufacturing and Distribution Group and provides assurance, tax and consulting services to closely held companies, including retail, emerging growth and manufacturing entities. Metcalf has extensive experience assisting companies with regard to their stock option accounting, revenue recognition practices, inventory management and a variety of other accounting issues, including due diligence and operational consulting engagements. Her professional affiliations include the Minnesota Society of Accountants, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association, TwinWest Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers Alliance. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. Mary’s University.  More information: www.claconnect.com

Daniel Shannon, Business Specialist: Sales and Marketing

Daniel is not your average speaker. Imagine a man whose earliest childhood memories are characterized by poverty. A man who, as a child, tested into the Gifted and Talented educational program in the country’s number one school district; and yet this same child somehow managed to secure his own reserved seat in the school’s “behavior room.” Imagine that same man’s best friends grew to be drug dealers and inmates, yet despite what seemed to be an inevitable fate…he escaped. Daniel Shannon is a visionary. From humble beginnings, the prospect for a prosperous future was bleak. Rather than succumbing to the circumstances around him, he developed a vision for the life and success that he wanted, he invested himself in that VISION and now he’s living it out!

Daniel, a magna cum laude graduate from the prestigious Howard University has overcome countless obstacles in order to arrive in his position as one of the country’s leading authorities in Visionary Transformation. Daniel has traveled the world, from Ethiopia to Japan, competed with and against some of the world’s most talented athletes as a Division 1 Track and Field star, has more than a decade of leadership experience in corporate sales with a fortune 50 company, has authored a book and has owned multiple properties all before the age of 30 years old. The culmination of experiences from Daniel’s meteoric rise in his personal and professional life creates an undeniable value added experience for any audience that invests in his services. This motivational guru is the perfect speaker for any organization seeking to produce and perform at the peak of its potential. Daniel specializes in Motivation, Conflict Management, 21st Century Diversity (Traditional, Intergenerational, Socioeconomic and Educational), the Millennial Generation, and Personal Branding. Daniel’s audiences are quickly captivated by the stories he shares. The depth of his content coupled with his signature style of incorporating language arts into his presentations has made Daniel a dynamic and lively speaker, much loved by his audiences.  

More information: www.danielshannonspeaks.com

Tom Gump, Business Specialist: Law

Tom is a member of the Edina Morningside Rotary and a licensed attorney in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, California and Georgia.  As a Development Principal in The Beard Group, Tom is a licensed attorney with land acquisition, governmental approvals and financing expertise. His focus is on business development; specifically, the identification, structuring and financing of qualified project opportunities. Tom is well recognized in the land development industry. He has written for industry publications and lectured on real estate issues for numerous educational services. Before joining The Beard Group, Tom co-founded another development company and served as General Counsel for a regional land development company. Tom started his real estate career in Minnesota as a Real Estate Attorney at the Minneapolis Law Firm of Larkin Hoffman, where he represented builders, contractors, developers and homeowner associations. More information: www.beardgroupinc.comherine and son Andrew. 

Above, Rotarian Paul Mooty was a speaker at Camp E, and gifted each camper with a scarf from Faribault Woolen Mills. The scarves were made especially for the event. Here, Mooty (front row, center) poses with all the campers wearing their scarves.