Next Speaker Fall 2025
Connecting entrepreneurs, students and the community
- Entrepreneur Connect Speaker Series seeks to connect successful entrepreneurs with students and the community to share stories and advice in a casual, open setting. A faculty panel will asks questions about entrepreneurship and encourages members of the audience to share inquiries of their own.
- Entrepreneur Connect will be held twice a year, once in the fall near or during the Global Entrepreneurship Week and once in the spring.
- Entrepreneur Connect celebrates fresh perspectives, taking risks and bringing new ideas to life.
The event is open to the public and no ticket is required.
Parking is free in the Brady Garage.
Take these steps for free parking:
- After parking your vehicle, take down your license plate number and proceed to a parking payment machine.
- Enter your license plate number.
- Select: 1) Purchase Ticket.
- Select COBE E-Connect for the event name.
- The process is completed and a receipt will print (you do not need to place this receipt on your dash).
Past Events:
Kristi Saucerman
Spring 2025 — Kristi Saucerman is an entrepreneur with a passion for transforming nonprofit fundraising. As founder and CEO of Auction Frogs, she revolutionized fundraising through online bidding platforms and event management tools, helping nonprofits raise millions throughout North America. Kristi also serves as executive producer of Nonprofit MVP, a television show spotlighting nonprofit stories and fundraising challenges. She oversees the show’s strategy, content creation, and partnerships, making it a key platform for awareness and community support.
Adam Pishl
Fall 2024 — Adam Pishl is the co-founder and CEO of Clēnera, a leading utility-scale solar developer and independent power producer based in Boise, Idaho. In its 11-year history, Clēnera has become one of the top solar companies in the United States, developing, constructing, or managing nearly 3 GWdc of solar power. In 2021 Clēnera was acquired by Enlight Renewable Energy LTD (NASDAQ: ENLT).
Pishl’s leadership combines a focus on profitable growth with a commitment to making a positive impact. In 2024 he launched a new vision for Clēnera: Build Better. Give More., emphasizing the company’s mission driven approach and its dedication to improving the communities where its projects operate, both here in Idaho and throughout the country.
Scott & Carmen Moscrip
Spring 2024 — Scott Moscrip has a bachelor’s degree in physics from OSU and a master’s in management information systems from Texas A&M. He worked for the federal government for 5 years in Washington DC. He then moved to Idaho where he formed Truckstop,com, revolutionizing the transportation industry by establishing the first online load board. Carmen has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Idaho State University. After marrying Scott, she became a full-time mom and her life was filled with service opportunities and supporting and advising Scott in his businesses. The Moscrips relocated to Orlando, Florida in 2019, where they pursue philanthropic endeavors.
Jesse McKinney
Cofounder and CEO, Red Aspen
Fall 2023 – Entrepreneur and mission-driven CEO, McKinney cofounded Red Aspen in 2017 and lead the company to more than $30M in sales annually. She is a staunch advocate for women and inspires them to stand up, stand out and stand together – uniting passion with purpose. In 2019, she was named one of Idaho’s Accomplished Under 40 and in 2021 she was named as an Idaho CEO of Influence.
Allen Dykman
“Turning Passion into Purpose”Spring 2023 — Allen Dykman and his wife Dixie founded Dykman Electrical, Inc., selling motors out of their home garage. Since then, the company has become one of North America’s largest suppliers of motors and electrical solutions, with presence in ten U.S. states, as well as a sales and distribution network that spans the globe.
John Jackson
ICEO and Founder, Jacksons Food Stores
Fall 2022 — Starting with one store while in his 20s, Jackson grew an empire of c-stores, travel centers and car washes and one of the largest privately held corporations in Idaho. Watch the presentation to learn how this nationally recognized c-store leader expanded Jacksons stores across nine western states.
Jay Parkinson
CEO and Founder, Stonehill Environmental Partners
Spring 2022 — Idaho native, Jay Parkinson, shared the path his career took from private equity to founder and CEO to serial entrepreneur. Founded in 2021, Stonehill provides infrastructure and environmental solutions to the upstream energy industry. Their financial partner is Golden Gate Capital, a $19 billion private equity fund based in San Francisco, California. (Video of the lecture is not available.)
Randy Hales,
CEO, Next Level Apparel
Fall 2021 — A seasoned executive, Randy Hales has served as the president and CEO of First Scientific (pharmaceutical), Back to Basics, Inc. (kitchen appliances), Mity Enterprises, Inc. (furniture systems), ZAGG Inc. and Next Level Apparel. Hales speaks about levers to lift any enterprise and the simple way to value your company and the competition.
Amy Gile
Co-founder and CEO, Silverdraft Supercomputing
Fall 2020 — Amy Gile began her career in the media and entertainment industry in multiple aspects of the industry including actor and producer. Amy identified a need in the industry for a better solution for production and for the artist. Amy knew that there was a better, faster way to bring complex content to the masses. She co-founded Silverdraft and has dedicated herself to building the highest performance compact supercomputers on the market for various industries including Automotive, and Media and Entertainment. Amy is a TEDx speaker and is passionate about technology and pushing what’s possible. (Video of the lecture is not available.)
Andy Scoggin
Founding Member and Executive VP, Alberstons LLC
Spring 2020 — Learn how Albertsons LLC grew from a regional chain with $4 billion in annual sales to the second-largest nationwide traditional grocery chain and the third-largest private company in the United States with more than $63 billion in annual sales.
Cord Christensen
Founder and CEO, PetIQ
Fall 2019 — Learn how successful entrepreneur Cord Christensen disrupted the animal health and wellness industry and created a company with a billion dollars in sales. He gives excellent business and personal advice, too. Have a listen.
Eileen Langan Barber, Brad Wiskirchen
Langan Barber, Director and co-founder of Keynetics Inc.
Wiskirchen, founding CEO at Kount
Spring 2019 — Keynetics, the parent company of ClickBank and Kount, has grown to become Idaho’s largest privately held technology company. ClickBank is the intermediary between the end customer, the product owner, and the affiliate marketer. They connect every party and provide the infrastructure for a smooth transaction online. Kount is fraud protection and prevention solutions.
Ward Parkinson, Joe Parkinson
Tuesday, November 13, 2018 marked the inaugural lecture of the College of Business and Economics’ new Entrepreneur Connect Speaker Series. A standing-room-only crowd welcomed Micron co-founders Ward and Joe Parkinson to Skaggs Hall in the aptly named Micron Business and Economics Building. The twin brothers took turns recounting the early days of founding one of Boise’s biggest success stories. Ward, the engineer of the duo, had never before spoken publicly about the company making it truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the students, faculty and community members in attendance. There were lots of laughs and lessons as the duo shared experiences. They talked of the ups and down — times they nearly lost the company and times when they worked with a team of Boise’s best to keep things going. Pictured are Joe and Ward in 1978 with the first working DRAM.