Zeal announces board appointments, officers

Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship has added Jason Ball, Chad Hatch and Laurie Knutson to its 11-member board of directors.

Ball, the president of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, is originally from Nebraska. He served most recently as president of the Chamber of Commerce in Hutchinson, Kan., and before that spent five years with the Chamber of Commerce in Lincoln, Neb., where entrepreneurship was one of his focuses.

Hatch is the co-founder and managing partner of Bird Dog Equity Partners, a private equity firm based in Sioux Falls. He is a native of Bridgewater, whose career has taken him to positions in the military, financial services, Bluestem Capital and US BioEnergy, a company he helped take public and eventually merged with VeraSun Energy.

Knutson is the CEO of EmBe, a Sioux Falls-based nonprofit dedicated to helping women discover their potential, become leaders and use their power to create dynamic and evolving communities. She is a Minnesota native who has been involved with the nonprofit work of the Sioux Falls community for more than 20 years and has a rich history in leadership development, fundraising and financial management.

“We are excited to add such a range of expertise to our board of directors,” said Rich Naser, Zeal’s president. “Our board plays a critical role in setting the strategic direction for our organization and guiding our efforts to support Sioux Falls’ entrepreneurial community.”

In addition, the following board members have been elected to serve as officers: Paul Ten Haken, chair; Deb Sepich, vice chair; and John Henkhaus, secretary treasurer.

The other members of the Zeal board are Pam Homan, Slater Barr, Steve Statz, Mike Vetter and Venky Venkatachalam.

Zeal at 2329 N. Career Ave. offers services for entrepreneurs at every stage of business ownership, including co-working space, incubator and accelerator programs, and affiliate memberships. Zeal companies collectively have secured more than $172 million in equity financing and hold 65 patents.

To learn more, visit realzeal.com.

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