A new weekly podcast spotlighting faculty experts from St. Thomas Opus College of Business and local entrepreneurs is debuting April 10. A partnership between Twin Cities Business (TCB) magazine and Opus College of Business, “By All Means” is hosted by Allison Kaplan, TCB’s editor-in-chief. The podcast features in-depth conversations with entrepreneurs and business people, along with a “Back to the Classroom” segment with Opus College of Business professors who will provide insight and analysis on various topics.
“We are very excited to partner with Twin Cities Business magazine on this new podcast,” said Laura Dunham, associate dean of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship within the Opus College of Business. “We will be able to showcase our professors and their deep knowledge and understanding of building a business. We hope listeners are inspired after hearing from entrepreneurs and local business owners as they share their paths to success.”
Kaplan said a podcast is the perfect medium to share the human stories behind well-known brands.
“On 'By All Means,' we have the luxury of delving deep with the founders themselves about how they got their ideas, what made them a success, industry perspective and advice on everything from raising venture capital to adding a philanthropic mission to a for-profit business,” Kaplan said.
“St. Thomas is the perfect partner for this podcast spotlighting local business leaders and entrepreneurs,” she added. “Talking to a professor on each episode allows us to broaden the conversation and make it relevant to listeners, whether they’re looking for added context on the business topic at hand, or strategic advice for their own ventures.”
Season one of “By All Means” includes eight installments. The first episode features a conversation with John Puckett, co-founder of Caribou Coffee and co-owner of Punch Pizza, along with commentary from David Deeds, Opus College of Business entrepreneurship professor.
Subsequent episodes – a new one released each week – include:
Megan and Mike Tamte, founder + CEO of Evereve, a women’s apparel retailer with 85 stores in 25 states and $110 million in annual revenue. Featured Opus faculty – Gino Giovannelli, distinguished service faculty.
Zachary Quinn, a St. Thomas alumnus, co-founder and president of Love Your Melon, the $40 million hat company that donates half of its profits to fighting pediatric cancer. Featured Opus faculty – Jay Ebben, associate professor, entrepreneurship.
Erin Newkirk, founder of Red Stamp, a digital stationery app which she sold to Taylor Corp. She then served at the first CMO of Bright Health and is now CMO of St. Paul-based meal kit company Local Crate. Featured Opus faculty – David Deeds, professor, entrepreneurship.
Jacquie Berglund, founder of Finnegans, the first beer to donate 100 percent of profits to charity, and the newly opened Finnegans' brewery and taproom along with the Finnovation Lab where she is incubating socially minded start-ups. Featured Opus faculty – Laura Dunham, associate dean of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship.
Andrew Dayton, co-founder and co-owner of North Corp., the umbrella company behind Askov Finlayson, Bachelor Farmer and Marvel Bar. After serving as deputy director of legislative and government affairs to San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, he returned to the Minnesota to launch the Constellation Fund, which takes a data-driven approach to philanthropy. Featured Opus faculty – Katherina Pattit, associate professor, ethics and business law.
Elizabeth Giorgi, founder + CEO of Mighteor, an innovative internet video production company that has worked with Facebook, Google and the NFL. And founder of new business Soona, a same-day studio for professional quality video. Featured Opus faculty – John McVea, associate professor, entrepreneurship.
Ann Kim, owner of Vestalia Hospitality and head chef at Pizzeria Lola, Young Joni and Hello Pizza with a fourth concept opening soon in Uptown. Featured Opus faculty – Alec Johnson, associate professor, entrepreneurship.
“By All Means” is distributed on iTunes, SoundCloud, Spotify and Google.
