Nebraska Summit on Entrepreneurship is Feb. 25

Pam Dingman
Pam Dingman

The CEO of Nebraska's only woman-owned engineering firm will deliver the luncheon keynote address at the fifth annual Nebraska Summit on Entrepreneurship, to be held Feb. 25 at the Embassy Suites Omaha La-Vista Hotel and Conference Center, 12520 Westport Parkway in La Vista.

The summit is sponsored by the University of Nebraska, The Gallup Organization and the Nebraska Business-Higher Education Forum.

Pamela Dingman, CEO of Engineering Design Consultants, will deliver remarks titled "It's Not Over" - a message to entrepreneurs to keep pursuing their dreams even when they encounter obstacles. Dingman, a Ralston native who earned her bachelor's degree in civil engineering from UNL, was named one of the nation's top 10 businesswomen by the American Business Women's Association in 2006. Engineering Design Consultants, which has branches in Lincoln and Omaha, has developed more than 4,000 lots and 2,500 acres of land.

Dingman will be joined at the Summit on Entrepreneurship by a diverse group of speakers representing the education, government, business and other sectors. The summit will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and includes a trio of keynote addresses, breakout sessions focusing on the entrepreneurial process, networking opportunities and more. Registration is $25; high school and college students may attend at no charge. A full agenda, registration information and other details about the summit may be found at http://www.nebraskaentrepreneur.com. Last year's summit drew about 450 participants.

"The University of Nebraska is proud to join with The Gallup Organization and the Business-Higher Education Forum to offer Nebraskans this opportunity to learn from and network with successful entrepreneurs across the state," NU President James B. Milliken said. "Today, more than ever, successful economic development depends on a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship - a spirit which is shared by many people in Nebraska. The university is committed to encouraging and facilitating Nebraskans' passion for entrepreneurship through efforts like this summit."

Milliken and Nebraska Lieutenant Gov. Rick Sheehy will make opening remarks at the summit. They will be followed by a morning keynote address from Clint Runge and Charles Hull, co-founders of Archrival, a youth marketing, design and social media company in Lincoln.

Breakout sessions throughout the day will focus on three steps in the entrepreneurial process - discovery and innovation, start-up, and growth - and will feature entrepreneurs, educators and other experts from across the state. Attendees also will be able to sign up for 15-minute Meet the Experts sessions during which they can meet one-on-one with a CPA, banker or attorney.

Joe Moglia, chairman of the Board at TD Ameritrade, will deliver the closing keynote address.

- Melissa Lee, NU Central Administration

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/csf