Entrepreneurial Perspective: Opportunities in Healthcare lunch panel
MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University and the Minot State University’s Severson Entrepreneurship Academy are pleased to announce the next Entrepreneurial Perspective: Opportunities in Healthcare on Nov. 13 at the MSU Student Center Conference Center.
The event will begin with a free lunch served at 11:30 a.m. with opening remarks from Minot State Department of Nursing Chair Amy Lee. The discussion panel will begin at 12 p.m.
The lunch panel discussion will focus on various opportunities in healthcare through the unique experiences of three local entrepreneurs: Chad Thompson, Katie (Aide) Kringen ’07/’09, and Jerick Hensen ’06.
“The Entrepreneurial Perspective Speaker Series was developed to allow students to connect with successful entrepreneurs,” said Randy Conway, MSU Severson Entrepreneurship Academy director. “This event will highlight the value of specialized skills combined with an entrepreneurial mindset.”
Conway and Minot State senior individualized studies student Sydney Berg will serve as moderators.
“I am excited to hear the panelists' expertise and insights on what inspired them to start their entrepreneurial journeys,” Berg said. “Upon graduating from Minot State University, I will pursue an advanced degree in chiropractic medicine at Palmer College of Chiropractic and plan to establish my own practice in the future.”
Thompson is the president of Norsk Brothers LLC, which developed and owns adaptive reuse properties in downtown Minot; leads Sister Oak Farms LLP, a company that owns farmland with plans for self-storage development, and Leve Mer LLC, a real estate holding firm, and serves as the board chair for Prairie Grit Adaptive Sports.
He and his wife, Angie, founded Prairie Grit Adaptive Sports (PGAS) in Minot in 2016, inspired by their son Palmer, who was born with spina bifida. Recognizing a lack of recreational opportunities for people with special needs in Minot, the couple, passionate about physical activity, teamwork, and goal setting, established PGAS to provide sports and recreational opportunities for individuals with physical and developmental disabilities. Since 2017, they have also donated 1% of sales from their Qdoba locations in Minot, Williston, and Dickinson to support PGAS.
Kringen is a native of Bottineau and earned a bachelor’s in communication disorders and a master’s in speech-language pathology from Minot State University.
After six years of working in the public school system, she moved to Willison and founded Chatter Pediatric Therapy, providing essential therapy services for children and their families across Western North Dakota. Since then, Chatter has expanded to Dickinson in 2020, Jamestown in 2022, and Minot in 2023. In response to the high demand for same-day medical care in Williston, Kringen also opened Chatter Family Walk-in Clinic in 2020.
She serves on the Northwest North Dakota Community Foundation and the Williston State College Foundation.
Hensen is one of the talented dentists at Souris Valley Dental Group. He earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Minot State and completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery at the Creighton School of Dentistry. Since graduation, he has pursued hundreds of hours of continuing education at both the state and regional levels, mostly with Spear Education. Hensen currently runs a local study club through Spear that includes local general dentists, specialists, and dental laboratory technicians.
For more information on The Entrepreneurial Perspective: Opportunities in Healthcare, see the event’s WEBSITE.
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
Published: 10/29/24
