Introducing Rick Kupchella

 Rick Kupchella will be returning for his second year as moderator at the 2016 Business Forum on September 28. Kupchella is a serial entrepreneur and business owner with a collection of companies in new media – focused on digital innovation, content marketing, consumer news distribution and network building. He started his career in radio and television… working in New York, Washington, DC, Michigan & Kentucky – before serving more than 20 years as an anchor and investigative reporter with the NBC television affiliate in Minneapolis. During his time in news he was recognized with more than a dozen Emmys and several other honors, including Best of Show at the New York International Film Festival. In the last few years Kupchella’s founded or partnered with three different startups… collectively raising more than 15-million in venture capital, creating more than 100 jobs and seeing the successful sale of two companies… including the local news platform BringMeTheNews – which sold to the Pohlad group in 2015… and a peer-to-peer education company known as Sophia, which sold to Capella Education Company in 2012. He’s a former President of the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and immediate past-Chairman of Smile Network International – a Minnesota-based humanitarian organization that’s repaired cleft lips and palates on more than 25-hundred children in Central & South America, Asia and Africa. Rick also wrote two children’s books in honor of his daughters… including “Girls Can” – written in cooperation for former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, Olympic Great Jackie Joyner Kersee and America’s first woman in space, Dr. Sally Ride. The 2016 Business Forum will be held on Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis, MN. Great River Greening is honored to host Kupchella as the moderator for a Q&A session following the discussion. We encourage you to join the fun by purchasing tickets or sponsoring this exciting event. Come to listen, learn, and network.