Minnesota Entrepreneurs has been promoting entrepreneurship in Minnesota since long before it was popular to do so.
Founded in 1981 as the Minnesota Entrepreneurs' Club, Minnesota Entrepreneurs is a pioneer in educating, inspiring and providing resources to entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Like many businesses, The Minnesota Entrepreneurs' Club (MEC) began as a simple idea. In the fall of 1981, Control Data Corporation assembled a small group in order to attract clients for Bill Norris's new business incubator concept. The draw was guest speaker Leo Hauser, whose topic was, "Reach for the Moon and You'll Land Amongst the Stars."
By 1982, an informal but committed group of entrepreneurs was holding monthly meetings in Minneapolis, MN and calling themselves the Minnesota Entrepreneurs' Club (MEC).
In those days, entrepreneur was a little-known French word that had not gained much recognition among the business community. The exotic pronunciation and spelling fit those willing to label themselves as risk-takers. These entrepreneurs tended to be dreamers who were willing to sacrifice much (sometimes all) in order to achieve success. MEC quickly caught on as employees from organizations large and small flocked to hear words of inspiration and wisdom from successful entrepreneurs and educators including Leo Hauser, Curt Carlson, Irwin Jacobs and many others.
The organization's first president, Mark Peltier, and every president since then, has assumed leadership of a club whose members reflect the challenges and characteristics so unique to entrepreneurs. During the 1980s, MEC quickly gained the reputation as an affordable, hands-on source of networking, motivation and information.
In 1998, the Minnesota Entrepreneurs' Club formally incorporated as a non-profit Minnesota corporation, or 501(c)3, to enable the organization to expand its focus and provide improved services to its members. Today, Minnesota Entrepreneurs is well-known as one of the state's oldest providers of inspiration, education and networking opportunities to Minnesota's thriving entrepreneurial community.
We encourage you to find out for yourself how ME! can help you to succeed as an entrepreneur!
All content contained within this site is owned by Minnesota Entrepreneurs, Inc. Copyright 1997 - 2008 Privacy Policy
Second Tuesday Event
