Entrepreneur Forum : Changing Your Business for Changing Times  

Lessons from Turnaround Expert Rick Lowenberg '88 UND

When: Wed. April 22nd @ 4pm

Where: Idea Lab, Center for Innovation, 4200 James Ray Drive

(Grand Forks, ND) The UND Center for Innovation is featuring Rick Lowenberg, President of Minnesota Elevator, Inc. accompanied by John Romnes, CEO of Minnesota Elevator, Inc. as the April Speakers for the Entrepreneur Forum series.The Entrepreneur Forum will be held Wednesday, April 22nd @ 4:00 pm in the James Ray Idea Lab in the Center for Innovation. Free visitor parking is available.

A Certified Turnaround Professional, Rick Lowenberg will share his realignment approach to business and take questions from the audience.  Rick won the Turnaround of the Year award from the Minneapolis-based Upper Midwest chapter of the Turn-around Management Association with Minnesota Elevator, Inc. in 2007, with Mereen-Johnson Machine Company in 2005 and has been nominated for Turnaround of the Year with three other clients.

Rick worked with Alliance Management, Inc. from 1999-2007 where he worked with over 100 companies in 11 states as a management consultant.  From 1995-1999 he was with General Pump, Inc. out of Mendota Heights, MN a $40 million manufacturer and distributor of pumps imported from Italy. Rick also worked with Graco, Inc. in Minneapolis from 1991-1995 a $500 million manufacturer of pumps and paint equipment. Lastly Rick was with World Aerospace Corp in Maple Grove, MN from 1988-1991, a $20 million job shop for aerospace and commercial aviation as a manufacturing engineer.

Rick received his BS in Industrial Technology from the University of North Dakota (UND) in 1988 and an MBA with a marketing concentration from the University of St. Thomas in 1994. Rick currently serves on the Board of the Minnesota Elevator Inc. as a Trustee from 2008 to present. He is the Education Committee Chair of the Turnaround Management Association since 2006. Rick has been on the UND’s Department of Technology advisory board since 2002.

The Entrepreneur Forum is a periodic gathering of entrepreneurs and business people who share experiences, strategies, and success stories. The event is sponsored by the Center for Innovation and is open to the public.

Contact:  Jordan Schuetzle or John Plesuk at the Center for Innovation 777-3132

• 2007 Turnaround of the Year – Minnesota Elevator, Inc.
• 2005 Turnaround of the Year – Mereen-Johnson Machine Company
• Alliance Management, Inc. 1999-2007
• Worked with over 100 companies in 11 states as a management consultant
• General Pump, Inc. 1995-1999
• $40 million manufacturer/distributor
• Graco, Inc. 1991-1995
• $500 million manufacturer pumps and paint equipment