Entrepreneur to speak in Kalispell
Brianna Loper | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 3 months AGO
The Flathead Area Young Professionals will host Greg Gianforte as the keynote speaker at their monthly luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 19.
As one of Montana’s top entrepreneurs, Gianforte and his wife, Susan, founded RightNow Technologies, a cloud-based software company, in a spare bedroom in their Bozeman home in 1997.
The company grew to become the largest commercial employer in Bozeman and was sold to software giant Oracle for $1.8 billion in 2011.
“[Gianforte] is an outstanding businessman, and anyone who hears him speak is going to learn a lot from the event,” Flathead Area Young Professionals President Dawn Hendrickson said.
Gianforte will discuss mentorship, entrepreneurship and economic development as they pertain to Montana businesses and young professionals.
Additionally, Gianforte will conduct several individual coaching sessions and discussions for selected Young Professionals members.
Hendrickson cited this opportunity as one of the main benefits for becoming a Flathead Area Young Professional member.
“We give our members a chance to grow and network throughout our community and Montana,” she said.
Hendrickson, the director of sales at Homewood Suites in Kalispell, recently was selected as the newest president of the organization and hopes to continue to recruit speakers and presenters of Gianforte’s caliber for the organization.
Flathead Area Young Professionals hosts monthly luncheons with local and regional speakers who help participants with personal leadership growth and networking opportunities. The group also hopes to host a professional development workshop later this year.
Next week’s luncheon is open to the public. It will be held at the Red Lion Hotel Kalispell from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration is $10 for members or $20 for nonmembers, and includes lunch.
To register or for more information, visit www.flatheadareayoungprofessionals.org/events.
Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.
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