2/8/2013

Shawn Wellnitz has been named chief executive officer of the Entrepreneur Fund effective April 1.

He will replace Mary Mathews, who served as the organization’s CEO since it’s founding in 1989.

“The depth of Shawn’s experience with the Entrepreneur Fund and the vision he displays for entrepreneurs in the region made him the natural choice in Mathews’ succession,” said Sue Collins, Board of Directors chair and president of the Northeast Higher Education District in Virginia.

Wellnitz joined the Entrepreneur Fund in 2007 and has held various roles within the organization, including director of business development and executive director. He received a bachelor of business administration in general business with an emphasis in entrepreneurship from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a masters of business administration from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

“Building on the momentum of Mary Mathews’ passion for the entrepreneur, the organization’s priorities will center around entrepreneurship as a regional economic development strategy,” Wellnitz said in a news release.

The Entrepreneur Fund focuses on helping skilled entrepreneurs create thriving companies and build vibrant communities in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. Wellnitz will also draw on his national experience with the Opportunity Finance Network to bring progressive practices to the clients he works with.

Since 1989, the Entrepreneur Fund has helped start or grow more than 1,300 businesses and provided small business financing totaling over $15 million to 450 businesses.

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