Bush Connect

Resiliency is an attribute all leaders share. It's also engrained in the DNA of standup comics everywhere. Sit back and take in a comedy show with renowned comics Cameron Esposito, Rhea Butcher and Myq Kaplan, and discover how bombing and getting back on stage is a lot like leading through failure and trying again. 

Design thinking is an innovative, problem-solving methodology that encourages deep empathy of the user, creative ideation and rapid prototyping. This is a 90-minute, hands-on, crash course in all five facets of design thinking. Learn by doing.

Enjoy a short walk over to DayBlock Brewing Company, housed in a building built in 1883 by Leonard Day. See how the current owners have breathed new life into their historic building through blood, sweat and tears (and now beers!) while also paying homage to the past lives of the building. Try a few of their craft beers such as Frank’s Red Ale, a tribute to Frank’s Plumbing that occupied the building for about 40 years. Learn how DayBlock Brewing Company honors the city, state and region by buying from and working with local farmers and businesses. Sip beer and ponder how you can salute the past in your work today. 

Today's nonprofits, entrepreneurs and corporations are faced with a complex environment demanding faster, cheaper and better innovations with increasingly limited resources. How can we do more with less, and leverage constraints as an advantage in order to build and grow? Through the practice of frugal (or jugaad) innovation, a low cost, flexible and empathetic approach to innovation inspired by emerging economies – one that is highly relevant for US-based organizations. Frugal innovation occurs at the intersection of business, design and social innovation, and results in the creation of affordable, sustainable and accessible solutions. This hands-on, interactive mini-lab provides inspiration, as well as clear and simple tools that help bring the principles of frugal innovation to life.

Kick off the summer season with a short walk to Izzy's Ice Cream for a private tour of their new manufacturing facility and learn first-hand how Izzy’s makes ice cream. Izzy's owner Jeff Sommers will serve as your tour guide and explain the process of making ice cream from fresh cream to finished product. All participants will get a “free single cone” token at the end of the tour, a $5 Izzy’s gift certificate and time to chat with Jeff about Izzy's leadership in the region. 

MacPhail Center for Music is a community resource for music education, events and community partnerships. Join us for a brief tour of our new flagship site in Minneapolis and experience the joy of music learning in a relaxed group setting with our teaching artists.

This highly interactive and energizing session will engage attendees in exploring the power of imagination to reshape our experiences and relationships, exercising our creative muscles and skills in engaging hands-on activities, and elevating the opportunities we have for leveraging our individual and collective imaginations for Minnesota's future!

The premise is simple.  We have 14 experts in a wide range of fields to answer any questions you have.  Some of these folks would charge $300 an hour.  You’ll get to bend their ear for free. Over the hour and a half (1:45 to 3:15pm), you can sign up for three 15-minute sessions.  There is no agenda other than the questions you bring to the table.  They are there to help you!

Here are our experts:

Accounting - Kate Barr - Nonprofit Assistance Fund                           

Advocacy - Irene Quarshie - Target                          

Board Development - Diane Herman - Cincinnatus                             

Career - Lars Leafblad - Ballinger/Leafblad                           

Change Management & Strategy - Kristin Pardue - Reve Consulting.com                   

Fundraising - Stephen Devereux - Devereux Development Consulting                         

HR - Paul DeBettignies - MNHeadhunter.com                      

Law - Hetal Dalal - PopularDemocracy.org                           

Life/Work Balance - Amanda Dustan                       

Marketing - Kolina Cicero - Cicero Media                              

Operations - Dara Rudick - Management HQ                        

Startups - Deepinder Singh - 75f                

Tell Your Story Better - Neil Chudgar                       

Web Development - Toby Cryns - Themightymo.com  

You’re already signed up to attend, but how do you sign up for a specific session?  Two ways.  You can sign up ahead of time online by going to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a48a9a622a0fa7-speed.  (You don’t need to establish an account).  You can also sign up on the day of the event the during the lunch hour or just before the session.  We’ll be in the 5^th floor café towards the back.  Drop by 10-15 minutes early (around 1:30pm) so you get your pick of sessions. 

Join the Mid-Continent Oceanographic Institute and 826 National for an afternoon of creative writing and bookmaking. All attendees will leave with a completed original book and a better understanding of the importance of storytelling.