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NEWS RELEASE

09-10-03

Contacts:
Judi Eyles, ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, (515) 296-6532
Kevin Brown, News Service, (515) 294-8986

ISU ALUMNI TO SPEAK ABOUT LAUNCHING A SUCCESSFUL BED & BREAKFAST AT SEPT. 12 ENTREPRENEUR FORUM AT ISU

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University graduates Lauren Kernan Smith and Clark Smith will speak on "Turning an Old House into a Thriving Bed and Breakfast" at noon Friday, Sept. 12, in the Pioneer Room of the ISU Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public.

The husband and wife entrepreneurial team began renovating their apartment complex in Des Moines in 1999 into a bed and breakfast. Lauren Kernan Smith quit her position as an investment portfolio manager at Des Moines-based Principal Financial Group to launch the now thriving and popular Butler House on Grand B&B.

The 1923 Tudor architecture of the Butler House showcases the work of area designers and artists and offers a welcoming environment for guests, complete with breakfast and traditional Iowa hospitality.

The Des Moines Business Record named Lauren Kernan Smith as one of the 2003 Forty Under 40 up-and-coming business leaders. The couple will share the ups and downs of opening a bed and breakfast and managing a customer service driven enterprise.

The event is part of the Entrepreneur Forums sponsored by the Pappajohn Center. The forums are held every other month and feature area business leaders and a roundtable discussion.

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