CEO Roundtable- January 2019

10:00 am – Welcome by GNDC

• Arik Spencer, President/CEO
   

• Aaron Cummings, Marketing Teacher, Watford City High School
• Jason Filie, Relationship Manager - Youth Entrepreneurs

• Paul Steffes - CEO, President and Chairman of the Board
• Todd Mayer - Chief Product Officer and Director of Oil & Gas Products

• Matt Dunlevy - President & CEO

CEO Roundtable Speaker Bios

Matt Dunlevy is the President, CEO, and founder of SkySkopes, a nation leading unmanned aircraft systems flight operations company based in Grand Forks, ND. SkySkopes is North Dakota’s first unmanned aircraft startup certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly commercially. They offer aerial inspections, energy audits and other services from office locations in Grand Forks, ND and Minot, ND. Under Dunlevy’s leadership, the business grew from a group of four employees to an organization of national recognition in under three years.

Dunlevy studied mechanical engineering and history at the University of North Dakota. During that time, he became interested in entrepreneurship and founded several startups before ultimately combining a lifelong passion for aviation with his drive for business to form SkySkopes.  Dunlevy has taught numerous courses at the University of North Dakota, including UAS in Business, UAS in Engineering Design and Applications, and the Ethics of UAS.  Dunlevy’s aviation experience includes logging hundreds of flights on powered aircraft, gliders, and hobbyist unmanned aircraft since his teens.  

Paul Steffes P.E. is the CEO and chief innovation advisor for Steffes LLC, an American manufacturer of oilfield products, off-peak electric thermal storage (ETS) heating systems and contract manufacturing.

Steffes has grown from 2 to 450 employees and sales from zero to over $120 million since 1973.

Paul is known for his innovation and entrepreneurial spirit which has won him many local and national awards to include North Dakota’s Small Business Person of the Year awarded by the federal Small Business Administration. Through his participation and support of various local organizations and economic development efforts, Paul has become a respected leader of his community and inspiration to his family, peers, and employees. His name is on many patents. Paul is focused on successful succession in using the owner board management (OBM) system to help ensure its success.

Todd Mayer has more than 24 years of engineering experience with an emphasis in new product development and managing engineering talent.

As the CPO and Director of Oil & Gas Products at Steffes, Todd leads a team creating solutions for the oil and gas industry. Todd joined Steffes in 1998 after earning his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University and his master’s degree in Engineering Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Aaron Cummings is a Marketing Education Teacher in Watford City, North Dakota in the McKenzie County School District. There he teaches a course called Youth Entrepreneurs where students learn entrepreneurship by solving problems to make a profit through the guidance of 8 Foundational Values.

Jason Filie is a Stakeholder Relationship Manager at Youth Entrepreneurs (YE). He assists schools and educators that participate in the YE program and adopt the YE curriculum in implementation and training. Jason taught Social Studies for 18 years in Detroit and was one of the first YE trained teachers there, before accepting a position with YE to train and empower other educators in this inspiring program that teaches high school students about entrepreneurship and core foundational values to help guide them through life. He also helps build relationships with local community members and entrepreneurs to be involved with the class and enhance the experience and impact for the students in the classroom.

Youth Entrepreneurs began in 1991 began as an eight-week program, eventually expanding into a yearlong, accredited course and experiential adventure for students in high school.

Youth Entrepreneurs began in 1991 began as an eight-week program, eventually expanding into a yearlong, accredited course and experiential adventure for students in high school.