Hosted by University of Puget Sound Alumni Association
7 a.m. Tuesday, March 31, at Seattle Art Museum

TACOMA, Wash. – Young Loggers who graduated from the University of Puget Sound are making strides in the business world in areas ranging from Internet technology and sports equipment to political consulting and publishing.

To hear three of these outstanding young entrepreneurs talk about their experiences, the keys to their success, and their markets, come to the Seattle business breakfast Loggers on the Rise: Young Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2015.

The breakfast, hosted by the University of Puget Sound Alumni Association, will take place from 7–8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, at Seattle Art Museum, in the Brotman Forum. Reservations can be made at pugetsound.edu/psbb or by calling 800.339.3312. Please RSVP by Tuesday, March 24.

The presenters include Ryan Payton ’03, founder of Camouflaj games studio; Jesse Proudman ’07, founder of Blue Box Group cloud-hosting company; and Alex McConnehey ’11, founder of cellphone and tablet repair service See Jane Fix.

The three speakers’ achievements have been celebrated in many a press story, and they have garnered honors including Jesse Proudman’s naming as 2014 Young Entrepreneur of the Year by GeekWire, the inclusion of Ryan Payton’s creative efforts in The New York Times, and Alex McConnehey’s naming as “Geek of the Week” by GeekWire.

Jeff Matthews, George F. Jewett Distinguished Professor in Puget Sound’s School of Business Leadership, will moderate the session and invite the audience questions. Here is more about the panel:

 

Ryan Payton ’03 is the founder and creative director of Camouflaj games studio (Bellevue, Wash.), developer of the award-winning video game République. Payton started his career in games as a Japanese correspondent, joined Konami Digital Entertainment in Tokyo in 2005, shipped five games, and then returned home to Washington state to become the creative director for Microsoft’s Halo 4.

 

Jesse Proudman ’07, technology entrepreneur, parlayed his passion for the “plumbing” of the Internet into the 2003 creation of Blue Box Group, a Seattle-based, private cloud-hosting company. As founder and chief technology officer, Proudman has guided its rapid growth through two rounds of funding: a $4.3 million Series A round and a $14 million Series B round.

 

Alex McConnehey ’11, the founder of See Jane Fix, was a history major at the University of Puget Sound and never intended to start her own business. Through luck and hard work, entrepreneurship found her, and she launched her own on-site smartphone and tablet repair service, with an emphasis on convenience and customer service.

 

Jeff Matthews (moderator), professor of business leadership at the University of Puget Sound, has received multiple teaching honors, including the Thomas A. Davis Teaching Excellence Award and the President’s Teaching Excellence Award. Matthews has published dozens of articles and three books. He is currently a partner and the business director of the Camouflaj games studio in Bellevue, Wash.

The annual Puget Sound Business Breakfast is hosted each spring by the University of Puget Sound Alumni Association, allowing business people to hear from industry leaders and to network with potential partners in the community.

When:              Tuesday, March 31, 7–8:45 a.m.
Where:             Seattle Museum of Art
                           Brotman Forum
                           1300 First Avenue
                           Seattle, WA
Admission:      $30 for general admission
                           $25 for University of Puget Sound alumni, parents, students, and trustees

To reserve a space or for more information, contact: pugetsound.edu/psbb or phone 800.339.3312. Please reserve your space or table by Tuesday, March 24.

For directions to Seattle Art Museum, visit seattleartmuseum.org/visit/seattle-art-museum.

Press photos of the speakers and moderators are available upon request.

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