MN ACE Spring Conference 2008
May 1 & 2, 2008
Radisson Hotel & Conference Center
Plymouth, MN

Thank you to all of those that attended our MN ACE Spring Conference on May 1 & 2, 2008 at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center.  The conference was a huge success.  Below you will find all of the resources provided at the conference for your reference.

Conference program

Conference Attendee List

Keynote Speakers

Thursday Keynote - Bob O’Rourke
Motivational speaker Bob O’Rourke kicked off the MN ACE Spring Conference with inspirational thoughts and creative ideas to energize us.

As the Group Vice President for Target Corporation, Bob is a well-known retail professional with many years of experience

Bob O’Rourke has been with Target Corporation for 24 years where he has moved ten times in his Target career.  Born and raised in Minneapolis, Bob is currently back in the Twin Cities.  During his 24 years at Target, Bob has held positions from Department Manager, Store Team Leader, District Team Leader and many various positions before becoming the Group Vice President now responsible for the operations of 70 Target Stores.

Bob is happily married with three children.  Bob enjoys spending time with family,
golfing and inspirational speaking.

Friday Keynote - Ryan Estis
Human capital management is an organization’s most significant competitive advantage.  Employers and Career Services are forced to become creative when it comes to attracting and retaining “A” level talent.  Recruiting is marketing and your product is your company or school; where as your consumer is the candidate.  As competition increases, the key adjustment in recruitment strategy is focusing on relationships.

Central to an effective recruitment marketing strategy is the Employment Brand.  This is the process of creating an identity and managing the employment image.  This
program addressed the steps necessary to develop an Employment Brand and
emphasized creative and strategic approaches to attract and retain the talent needed to accomplish key business objectives. 

Key take away will included:

• A synthesized understanding of employment branding as a recruitment strategy.
• The 8 steps to building an employment brand.
• The business case for employment branding.
• Ways Colleges and Universities can use this information to educate students to   be the best candidates for employers.

Ryan Estis serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Strategist for NAS, an agency of the McCann World Group and a leading provider of Human Resource Communications and Consulting Solutions with offices in 38 major markets
throughout North America. 

Having spent the last 15 years as an HR Consultant supporting a diverse clientele, Ryan’s expertise in talent acquisition, employment brand architecture and human capital management can help shape and define an organizations employment value proposition in the marketplace.  He also serves as a Senior Associate with the Employer Brand Institute and is a
recognized keynote speaker, writer and leader whose work has been featured in Electronic Recruiting Exchange, Workforce Management Magazine, HR Professional Magazine, Crain’s Business, Business News Network,  Associations Magazine and the books “Your Employer Brand” and “Employer of Choice.”

Friday Keynote Conference Handouts.

Hiring International Students: It Can Be Done.
Presenter: Naomi Perman
In this session Naomi will answer several questions.  What is an H-1B visa?, What are other visa options that provide employment authorization?  How F-1 and J-1 student visas work and how they relate to internships?   What jobs will support an H-1B petition (What is a Specialty Occupation?) and What qualifications should a foreign national have to be eligible for the H-1B classification?  
Hiring International Students Presentation.

Are Liberal Arts Students on Your Radar Screen?
Presenters: Jennifer Kaysen Rogers and Paul Timmins
This session will review who liberal arts students are, including a discussion of their skills, experience and career interests.  We will discuss reasons why employers might want to take a fresh look at this valuable, untapped market.  Finally, we will review and brainstorm strategies to help connect these students with employers.
Are Liberal Arts Students on Your Radar Screen Presentation.

Trends in Employment – What it Takes to be a Winner!
Presenters: Denise Felder and Karen Underhill
Employers can't find the right candidates, yet job seekers can't find work. Learn about recruitment issues and how to take advantage of Minnesota job trends.
Trends in Employment Presentation.
Click here to download more information about iseek.

Facebook, MySpace & the Internet: Technology & the Campus Recruiting Process.
Presenters: Angie Schmidt Whitney and Molly Sterenchuk
As job openings grow and qualified candidate pool shrinks, companies continue to be challenged to find innovative, cost-effective ways to attract college graduates to entry-level jobs.  From sourcing to background checking, follow World Data Products as they share their learnings from recruiting college graduates to technical sales positions through Facebook, MySpace and the Internet.  
Facebook, MySpace & the Internet Presentation.

Millennial’s: Who Packed Their Bags? How do we work with this generation on and off campus?
Presenters: John Clarkson and Beth Feine
This follow up workshop will be formulated around the experiential
education model of “What?”, “So What?”, “Now What?”.  For the last several years we have heard about and begun to see evidence of this new generation as they approach our work places.  It is well documented that generational differences are going to have an impact.  The question remains; What are the best strategies to deal with this new group as they exit college campuses and enter the world of work?
Millennial's Presentation.

Job Fair Best Practices.
Presenters: Brianna Lamb and Deenna Latus
In this session Brianna will cover the best approach to participating in Career Fairs, making sure the event is worth your time and money from an employer perspective. How to maximize your impact at the event. Deenna will discuss the Career Services role in student preparation.
Job Fair Best Practices Presentation.

Conference Photos

Thursday evening reception	Thursday evening reception
Thursday evening reception	Thursday evening reception
Thursday evening reception	From left to right: Jennifer Kaysen Rogers, Sandy Tilton, Matt Messerschmidt, Bob O'Rourke, Emily Scholtes and Amy Larson
Jennifer Kaysen Rogers and Matt Messerschmidt	Thursday evening keynote: Bob O'Rourke
Thursday evening keynote: Bob O'Rourke	Matt Messerschmidt and Kathy Mork
Friday lunch	Friday Lunch
Matt Messerschmidt	Friday keynote: Ryan Estis
From left to right: Emily Scholtes, Matt Messerschmidt, Amy Larson, Jennifer Kaysen Rogers and Wanda Elliott