Advisory Council
Stacy Bogart
Ms. Bogart is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Corporate Responsibility of Winnebago Industries (NYSE: WGO) and President, Winnebago Industries Foundation. Winnebago Industries is a leading manufacturer of outdoor lifestyle experiences. Prior to joining Winnebago Industries, Ms. Bogart was Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Polaris Industries where she joined in November 2009. Previously, Ms. Bogart was General Counsel of Liberty Diversified International; Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at The Toro Company; and a Senior Attorney for Honeywell Inc.
Kathryn P. Dickson
Katy Dickson served as SVP, Global President of the Manitoba Harvest natural and organic plant-based foods and beverages company. Prior, Ms. Dickson was SVP for Mattel as Global President of its American Girl subsidiary, an omni-channel doll, toy, book, publishing, restaurant and digital content company. Prior, Ms. Dickson served as Chief Marketing Officer for News America Marketing, a B2B services company. Prior, Ms. Dickson served over 20 years as a brand builder and Executive at General Mills. Ms. Dickson has served as an independent Director on the public Boards of Cooper Tire and Rubber, and Flexsteel Industries Furniture. Ms. Dickson has a BS degree from the United States Air Force Academy, and an MBA from UCLA. She served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force where she achieved the rank of Captain.
David D. Murphy
Mr. Murphy is former President and Chief Operating Officer of Red Wing Shoe Company, Inc. located in Red Wing, Minnesota. Since 1905, Red Wing Shoe has manufactured high quality working boots and shoes worn around the world. Mr. Murphy was formerly a senior executive with General Mills, Inc.
Tom Fallenstein
Mr. Fallenstein is the CEO of Fun.com and HalloweenCostumes.com. Started out of his college dorm to now over $125 million in sales, the company has seen tremendous growth under his leadership. For the Halloween season, Mr. Fallenstein hires over 2,000 workers to help ship Halloween costumes all over the world. His North Mankato, Minnesota-based company designs, manufactures and works with major licensors like Disney, Warner Brothers and Universal Studios.
William A. (Bill) Fink
Mr. Fink is the founder and former CEO of Area Wide Protective, the largest provider of traffic safety services in the U.S. He was formerly the CEO of McCormick Insurance, one of the largest property/casualty brokers in Northeast Ohio. Most recently, he served as Board Chairman for Midwest Traffic Control, LLC. Mr. Fink holds a B.A. from Miami University (OH) and an M.A. from The University of Akron.
Mark A. Larson
Mr. Larson is the Vice Chairman and former President of Digi Key Corporation, one of the fastest growing electronic distributors in the world, which is located in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Over his 39 year career at Digi Key, he has succeeded in growing the company to almost $2 billion in revenue, and was recently inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame.
Tyler Lorenzen
Mr. Lorenzen is the CEO of PURIS Proteins, a rapidly growing plant-based food ingredients company located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. PURIS partners with some of the largest food production companies in the world and manufactures a spectrum of non-GMO, plant-based ingredients made from pulses. Since joining the Company in 2011, Tyler has been instrumental in expanding the commercial development of the Company’s pea protein and expanding the supply chain network of plant nutrition products. Mr. Lorenzen is a graduate from the University of Connecticut.
Brian D. Murphy
Mr. Murphy is the President and Chief Executive Officer of American Outdoor Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: AOUT). He is the former Co-President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. Previously, Mr. Murphy was the Vice President, Corporate Development of Vista Outdoor, Inc.
George Parker
Mr. Parker is the Dean Witter Distinguished Professor of Finance, and former Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of the MBA Program, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University.
Kendra Reichenau
Kendra Reichenau is currently the CEO of Heartland America, a consumer based omni-channel company located in Chaska, MN. Previously, she was CEO of Coolibar, a Minneapolis-based catalog and online retailer of sun protective clothing, when Olivarius Hospitality California acquired it in 2016. Most recently, Reichenau was advising private equity firms on potential merger-and-acquisition candidates. She has worked in leadership roles at Kohler Co., Nordstrom, Oakley and Gap Inc. and consulted with the Limited and Victoria's Secret.
Thomas J. Smith
Mr. Smith is a Board Chairman and former President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwesco, Inc., the largest manufacturer of polyethylene tanks in North America. Mr. Smith has been with Norwesco for over 30 years.
Walter F. Walker
Mr. Walker is the President and Founder of Hana Road Partners, a money management firm in Seattle, Washington. He was formerly the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Seattle Supersonics basketball franchise located in Seattle, Washington. Mr. Walker serves on several Boards of Directors and serves as a National Trustee for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Shawn Wenko
Shawn Wenko is the Williston, ND City Administrator and former Executive Director of the Williston, ND Economic Development Office which provides business development services for new and existing investors and developers. A native of Williston, Wenko received his BS Degree in Hospitality Administration from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD and an MBA in Sustainable Destination Management from George Washington University in Washington D.C. He joined the Williston Economic Development Office in 2008 as the Workforce Development Coordinator initially focusing on the Williston City Commission “Build Williston Initiative” which focused on three pillars of community development: housing, workforce and quality of life. He actively serves as Past President of the Economic Development Association of North Dakota and is a member of the TrainND Petroleum Training Center Advisory Board (Northwest Division).