Homecoming Panel Impresses Bemidji State University Student Audience!

Scott Dunlop

Hollywood Executive Producer, Alternative Energy Leader, Advertiser & Creative Consultant - www.dunlopgrp.com

DID YOU KNOW? Creator & Executive Producer of record-breaking HIT-SHOW

`The REAL Housewives of Orange County,`   is a BSU Business GRAD?

 TRUE!

The Dunlop Group, a diversified media and alternative energy company headed by OC entrepreneur Scott Dunlop, is pleased to announce that its television series, `Real Housewives of Orange County` helped lead NBC/Bravo to its best second quarter performance ever.

Scott, principal of Dunlop Entertainment, is a producer and writer based in Orange County. Dunlop most recently created and was Executive Producer for “THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF THE O.C.“  Scott also produced the off-Broadway play, “THE LAST MANHATTAN“ and is co-author of the “PURPLE CLOUD.“  The advertising division of the Dunlop Group has produced award winning television, radio, and print campaigns for decades, for clients like LA Cellular (AT&T), and the agency is active in developing branded entertainment projects. Scott founded the Pure Energy Corporation and remains active in global bio-energy initiatives targeting bio-fuel and wind-energy development.  The Company became the only privately held firm to earn the distinction by the U.S. Department of Energy under EPACT, of developing and patenting P-Series, a liquid motor fuel defined as a “non-petroleum substitute for gasoline.“

Al Clark

#1 State Farm AGENT in the COUNTRY

DID YOU KNOW?  

The Numero-Uno State Farm Agent in the U.S. of A. is a BSU Business GRAD?

TRUE!

Al Clark graduated from Bemidji State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business education.  He later went on to earn a Masters degree and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.  Al began his career in education, teaching and coordinating vocational education in Minnesota for 15 years.  From there, Al moved into financial services and insurance and has been with State Farm for 26 years.  He has been recognized as the number one producing multiple line agency for State Farm for the past eleven years out of their 17,000 agencies in the United States and Canada. He is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Round Table and of State Farm`s President Club.  He has been recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and was named Arlington, Texas Employer of the Year in TWICE!

Dave Ramsey

First Vice President, Federated

Dave Ramsey earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Bemidji State University. Upon graduation, Dave began his career with Federated Insurance in Owatonna, MN. Starting out as a commercial lines Underwriter, he quickly moved his way up the ladder in the Federated organization. He became a Marketing Representative, then served as an Account Executive for the Association for Risk Management Services. He was promoted to District Marketing Manager and to General Marketing Manager. Following, he was named as a Vice President and was then promoted to Assistant Director of Administration. He also was appointed First Vice President and assumed the duties of Director of Administration. Then Dave was promoted to Senior Vice President and then again to his current position of Senior Vice President and Director of Insurance Alliances with Federated Insurance in 2000. Dave has passed requirements to gain the designations of Associate in Underwriting (AU) and the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter.

Anthony `Tony` Gramer   

Graduating from Bemidji State with degrees in business management and accounting, Tony Gramer is currently head of Gramer Company, LLC, a private investment company.  Mr. Gramer is also one of the organizing partners and a co-managing partner of Partners Detroit, LLC, which has co-ventured with MGM Mirage, Inc., to form MGM Grand Detroit, LLC, a successful applicant for one of three casino licenses available in the city of Detroit.  Prior to this, he owned a real estate development and management company specializing in the development of shopping centers.  The company developed, redeveloped and managed approximately 18 million square feet of space in 14 states. Following, Mr. Gramer formed a self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust which was placed on the New York Stock Exchange.  Mr. Gramer served as CEO and president of the public company until his departure.  He began his career as a member of the Detroit audit staff of Touche Ross & Co.  Upon leaving public accounting, Mr. Gramer held various officer positions with companies in the mortgage banking industry, and also served as the Chairman of the legislative committee of the Michigan Mortgage Bankers Association.  Mr. Gramer was also president and CEO of a publicly held real estate company which acted as general partner for seven publicly held partnerships with properties in 15 states.

Scott Lindberg

Scott Lindberg has spent 25 years in the electronic semiconductor industry, starting in Minneapolis and then transferring to the San Francisco Bay area, where he opened the San Jose, California based distribution branch of Avnet, Inc. He helped that business grow from a startup to $20 million in four years. Eventually, he moved to Hitachi, where he ran the company’s computer memory manufacturing operation and saw it grow from a $25 million business to over $500 million. Moving into sales, he then helped Hitachi implement a worldwide distribution strategy, which included a partnership with Avnet.  This allowed Hitachi to become Avnet’s first Asian supplier. During his career at Hitatchi, he traveled to Asia over 50 times. He later helped oversee a merger between Hitachi and Mitsubishi, which at the time were the world’s two largest semiconductor manufacturers. Mr. Lindberg retired from Hitatchi as the Vice President of Sales after 15 years with the company.  He currently holds licenses as a real estate broker and insurance broker and works for Northstar Insurance, a brokerage firm serving private clients in California.

Bob Solheim

Bob Solheim graduated from BSU in business accounting.  Upon graduation, he joined the Minneapolis audit staff of Touche Ross & Co (now Deloitte, Touche) and worked there until he took a financial manager position with a small pharmaceutical company in northern Minnesota called Raid-Rowell Solvay.  Then he was promoted to CFO and the executive management group. Until his retirement in 2006 he was a member of the senior leadership of the organization and was responsible for a number of functional activities including operations, finance, strategic and operational planning, business development, investment and other administrative services. During this period the organization grew from $3MUSD to nearly $1BUSD in sales, from a regional / national to a national/international focus in terms of geography, from a general focus to a specialty focus in terms of products, a growth in employment from 80 to nearly 2500 people and, most importantly a commensurate growth in profitability.  Mr. Solheim is a past member of AICPA, Minnesota and Georgia Society of CPAs, and the Financial Executives Institute.