2015
Entrepreneurship DAY
APRIL 22, 2015
Kerr McGee Auditorium /// Meinders School of Business
Presented by Oklahoma City University’s
BUSEY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE and Love’s Entrepreneurship Center
As one of the most diverse Oklahoma-based aerospace defense contractors, thousands of service men and women around the world count on DRG to provide critical training and logistics services for many of today’s modern military programs and aircrafts.
2015
Entrepreneurship
DAY
W E LCOME! We are delighted to welcome you to the Meinders School of Business for our 2015 Entrepreneurship Day event. The Busey Leadership Institute and the Love’s Entrepreneurship Center are proud to present three entrepreneurs from our community who promise to inform, motivate, and inspire. Today’s speakers include: Frank Merrick, VP of the Merrick Foundation & President of Ward S. Merrick, Inc.; Cory Miller, Founder and CEO of iThemes Media LLC; and Shaun Tilford, CTO at ViralNova.com and CoFounder/CTO at Quibids LLC. Each of our speakers will share their stories of entrepreneurial success along with the guiding principles they have acquired throughout their careers. Thank you for your support of the Meinders School of Business and the Love’s Entrepreneurship Center. Enjoy your morning at Oklahoma City University! Best Regards,
Bob Greve, Ph.D. Director of the Love’s Entrepreneurship Center Associate Professor of Information Technology Meinders School of Business Oklahoma City University
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2015
Entrepreneurship
DAY
SCH EDUL E Wednesday, April 22, 2015 8:00–8:30 a.m.
Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30–8:35 a.m.
Welcome & Introductions
8:35–9:20 a.m.
Frank Merrick
9:20–10:05 a.m.
Cory Miller
10:05–11:00 a.m.
Shaun Tilford
11:00 a.m.
Conclusion
Questions? Use your mobile device to share questions at joinspeaker.com/eDay
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2015 E NT R E P R E N E U R S H I P DAY
FRANK W. MERRICK
President Foundation Management, Inc. Vice President Merrick Foundation President Ward S. Merrick, Inc.
It was his decades of service as director and vice president of The Merrick Foundation that inspired his interest in forming Foundation Management, Inc. (FMI) to serve the needs of philanthropic individuals and organizations. As president of Ward S. Merrick, Inc., he manages all aspects of a family business in oil, gas, real estate and venture capital investments. Merrick has extensive experience and involvement with foundation management, charitable organizations, and the grantmaking and grant-receiving community. Using this experience, he serves as a consultant for family foundations, both new and established, as well as numerous 501(c)(3) organizations. Specializing in board development, generational transition issues, and policies and procedures establishment, he assists these organizations throughout their various development stages. Extending from local activities in Ardmore and Oklahoma City to statewide organizations and associations, Merrick’s efforts are making a difference for several organizations across the state. He served as the past chairman of both the Memorial Hospital of Southern Oklahoma and the Ardmore Development Authority. He is past president and a current board member of Grantmakers of Oklahoma. He was a founder of the Homeless Alliance in Oklahoma City and currently serves as a Day Shelter board member and chair of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. His professional affiliations include service on the boards of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, Oklahoma Industry Finance Authority and the Council of Southwest Foundations. Prior to starting Foundation Management, Inc., Merrick was vice president of trust sales for the Bank of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City and served as vice president of development for the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Merrick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He has also completed post-graduate work in business administration and participated in numerous professional training seminars and workshops.
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2015 E NT R E P R E N E U R S H I P DAY
CORY MILLER
Founder iThemes
Cory Miller is a former newspaper journalist turned full-time entrepreneur. In 2008, he started iThemes, which builds web design software and offers cutting-edge web design training for thousands of customers around the globe. Named the seventh-fastest growing company in Oklahoma City in 2011 by the Metro 50, iThemes employs more than 20 people around the globe with headquarters in Edmond, Okla. In 2011, he co-founded The Div, Inc, a nonprofit tech foundation aimed at inspiring and training the next generation of web developers through its kids’ program, Div Jr. He is the co-author of “WordPress All-in-One for Dummies” (Wiley, 2011) and is a member and current communications chairman of the Oklahoma chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a network of more than 8,000 entrepreneurs in 40 countries with companies that have revenue over $1 million dollars annually. He blogs regularly on CoryMiller.com about entrepreneurship and career advice. He is married to Lindsey Miller, who leads the education program at iThemes aimed at helping provide school and educators with professional Web design tools and training.
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2015 E NT R E P R E N E U R S H I P DAY
SHAUN TILFORD
CTO ViralNova.com
Shaun Tilford is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for technology driven results and a strong focus on developing cutting-edge web applications that boost revenue, demand high availability, and spur interaction in high traffic environments. He leads by example with a unique blend of business intellect that leverages the power of what can be accomplished with technology in today’s rapidly evolving connected world. Tilford was born and raised in Oklahoma, which he uses as an excuse to travel the world. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma with a minor in Spanish and spent much of his college career abroad. He has a broad interest in culture and how different societies interact. A self-taught programmer, he started out with the original dot-com bubble working for a development house at the age of 14. Since then he’s spent nearly two decades developing state-of-the-art web applications for clients worldwide with his own freelance company, launched numerous web properties, managed large teams, and worked in dozens of industries developing key solutions. Before he turned 30, he directed technology initiatives behind numerous explosive growth companies with cumulative revenue exceeding $500 million. Tilford is currently serving as CTO (Chief Technology Officer) for ViralNova.com, a leader in the online social news space based out of New York City. ViralNova is a heavily visited site (top 500 in the world) that presents unique challenges on the technology front. Previously, Tilford spent five years at the Oklahoma City based e-commerce company QuiBids as a co-founder and executive, leading their technology initiatives. Current interests include his children, encouraging wife, running, soccer, exploring other cultures, and an obsessive tendency to follow the news and current events.
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