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Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
CSB Entrepreneur of the Year
SJU Entrepreneur of the Year
CSB/SJU Social Entrepreneur of the Year
A celebration of the most influential and successful Entrepreneur alumni/ae of Saint John's University and the College of Saint Benedict
2012 Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winners-
The College of Saint Benedict winner- Margaret Murphy '90
Saint John's University winner - Cary Musech '80
CSB/SJU Social Entrepreneur winner - Joe Cavanaugh '81
Margaret Murphy '90
When she was only 17, Margaret Murphy didn't try to get a summer job at a retail mall. Instead she leased her own fast-food restaurant, hiring her brothers as employees. That youthful move put her on a career track that's only gained momentum.
After getting a BA from the College of Saint Benedict and later an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, she became a top performer at Carlson Marketing for 15 years. There she gained recognition as the youngest recipient of the company's top honor for customer service. She made a move to Denali Marketing in 2007 to become the 4th employee. With her leadership the firm grew to more than $20 million in revenue. In 2010 Denali was sold to Olson, a fastest growing, award-winning ad agency. Six months later Murphy was named president and chief operating officer.Her leadership style is collaborative and authentic, and her approach has led to consecutive years of double-digit growth and an enviably high employee retention rate.
Murphy's commitment to her community is just as robust. She served as an original founding board member for Faith's Lodge, a place designed for parents and families facing the serious illness or loss of a child. She's also worked to support St. Joseph's Home for Children, a program offering shelter and stability for families. Her volunteer commitment to CSB is many hours logged as a mentor to students and alumnae and employer of many student interns.
Cary Musech '80
Cary founded Tonka Bay Equity Partners, a private equity fund, in 1998. With $350 million of capital under management, Tonka Bay has made investments in twenty-seven portfolio companies to date. Cary enjoys using his years of finance and operations experience to give advice and counsel to CEOs on "building bigger, better businesses." He has been an active member of the board of directors of several private, public and nonprofit Boards. Cary is a frequent speaker and writer on private equity and has been a judge in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program.
Prior to founding Tonka Bay, Cary gained valuable operating experience as a member of the senior management team of a privately held manufacturing company. He also worked in the leveraged and structured finance groups of U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo, after beginning his career at Ernst & Young.
Cary's other passion is Catholic education. He has chaired the Board of Benilde-St. Margaret's High School, has chaired a capital campaign for Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School, and has served on the Board of Regents of Saint John's University. Cary is a faithful Saint John's alumnus and served as the Chair of the Saint John's Alumni Association.
Cary graduated from Saint John's University and attended the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Outside of his day job, Cary enjoys spending time with his wife and three children in pursuits such as boating, snowboarding and international travel.
Joe Cavanaugh '81
Joe Cavanaugh is a nationally known advocate promoting timeless values and personal character to audiences of all ages. With over 25 years of experience working with young people, he is one of the foremost communicators to youth on the topics of respect, integrity, courage and compassion.
In 1987, Joe founded Youth Frontiers, Inc., a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization that partners with schools across the country to create more positive school communities. Through programs that help young people realize the importance of living a life of character, Youth Frontiers is transforming the day-to-day experience in schools across America so that our schools - and therefore our kids - can thrive.
Youth Frontiers is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that delivers programs to improve school climate and strengthen student character. Its purpose is to let young people know there's a better way to live, to teach character, and to honor and support educators in their critical work with young people.
This past school year YF delivered 680 retreats for youth adding 90,000 youth served to their total of over 1 million youth served in the life of the organization.. YF now has outreach staff reaching youth in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota. Youth Frontiers' work has impacted more than one million students in 4th to 12th grades. Their work with students and educators has received national acclaim. YF's primary work is to provide powerful retreats with the vision of changing the way young people treat each other in every hallway, lunch line, and classroom of every school in America so that today's young people can make tomorrow's world better.
Prior to starting Youth Frontiers, Joe was the Youth Minister at Lady of Grace Church in Edina. Joe has been the subject of countless newspaper articles as well as radio and television interviews including "The Osgood Report" on CBS radio and a 90-minute PBS television special titled Respectfully, Joe Cavanaugh. He has been recognized by General Colin Powell of America's Promise as being a leader in our nation's effort to rescue America's young people. He currently serves on boards and committees for St. John's University and Catholic Charities of St. Paul & Minneapolis.
SJU Entrepreneur of the Year:
This award recognizes the achievements of a Johnnie who best exemplifies the ideals of entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more businesses in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and in their lives.
CSB Entrepreneur of the Year:
This award recognizes the achievements of a Bennie who best exemplifies the ideals of entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more businesses in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and in their lives.
CSB/SJU Social Entrepreneur of the Year:
This award recognizes the achievements and qualities of a Johnnie or Bennie who best exemplifies the ideals of social entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more ventures that enriches humanity or addresses a social issue in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and in their lives.
2011 Winners-
SJU Entrepreneur of the Year 2011: Bill Jeatran '82 Founder & CEO RJF Agencies
and Tim Fleming '82 President RJF Agencies
This award recognizes the achievements of a Johnnie who best exemplifies the ideals of entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more businesses in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and in their lives.
CSB Entrepreneur of the Year 2011: Judith Sitarz '72 Founder & CEO Painting Perfections
This award recognizes the achievements of a Bennie who best exemplifies the ideals of entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more businesses in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and in their lives.
CSB/SJU Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2011: Denise DeVaan '75 President, DeVaan & Associates, Founder, Family Assets for Independence, and Senior Consultant, ICF International.
This award recognizes the achievements and qualities of a Johnnie or Bennie who best exemplifies the ideals of social entrepreneurship by starting and successfully managing one or more ventures that enriches humanity or addresses a social issue in a way that demonstrates notable entrepreneurial characteristics and achievements while practicing Benedictine values in the workplace and in their lives.
2012 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards!
The winners have been announced for the 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
The College of Saint Benedict winner- Margaret Murphy '90
Saint John's University winner - Carey Musech '80
CSB/SJU Social Entrepreneur winner - Joe Cavanaugh '81