Mellem Business Symposium features national speakers The College of Business and Public Administration will hold its third annual Mellem Business Symposium, with a full itinerary of national business and government leaders scheduled to speak on the topic of the energy and business. The event begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, at the Burtness Theatre with keynote addresses scheduled throughout the day. The College of Business and Public Administration invites all members of the University and Greater Grand Forks business community to attend. This year's Mellem Business Symposium tackles the topic of energy, specifically how new energy alternatives are driving businesses to operate differently. This topic continues to be in the national spotlight as business and government grapple with rising energy costs while trying to seek alternatives to the country's traditional dependence on foreign oil. The Mellem Business Symposium offers a diverse array of CEOs, government leaders, and local business representatives who will provide perspectives from various industries that are using or developing new business practices to accommodate energy alternatives. The keynote speakers include: Dennis Haider, executive vice president, Montana Dakota Utilities (MDU); Bernie Karl, an entrepreneur from Fairbanks, Alaska, who created Chena Hot Springs Resort using geothermal energy; Jake Hamlin, government affairs associate from Cargill, Inc.; Shane Goettle, North Dakota Commerce Commissioner and chair of Gov. Hoeven's EmPower Energy Commission; Tom Molinski, Emerging Energy section head from Manitoba Hydro in Winnipeg, Canada; Mike Jagadich, sustainability coordinator of State Farm Insurance; as well as many researchers in the subject of energy and entrepreneurship from the University of Manitoba and the University of North Dakota. Each keynote address is 45 minutes in length and begins at the top of the hour, going from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the Burtness Theatre. The event is free and open to the public. The Mellem Business Symposium is named in honor of College of Business and Public Administration alumni, Ken and JoAnn Mellem. The event is supported by private gifts and sponsorships from JR Kirkland and State Farm Insurance. The Mellem Business Symposium supports the College of Business and Public Administration's mission is to teach students the necessary skills to excel in business, government and society, while providing a forum to discuss timely topics with members of the regional community. For more details regarding the event, check out www.business.und.edu or call 777-6937. -- CK Schultz, Director, External Relations, College of Business & Public Administration, ck.schultz@mail.business.und.edu, 777-6937