Join us for the fifth annual Iowa Family Business Conference

Katie Kreis-Voigt 

UNI Family business center

Katie is the emcee for this event. She serves as the Marketing Manager for the University of Northern Iowa Family Business Center and its umbrella department, Business & Community Services. Katie has been at UNI since 2021 and is passionate about helping people overcome obstacles through clear communication and educational opportunities. 

‌Type column 1 here‌

‌Mary Andringa

;dalkd;falksdnf;alksdnf

‌Type column 1 here‌

Jason Andringa

;dalkd;falksdnf;alksdnf

‌Type column 1 here‌

‌Rob Feeney

;dalkd;falksdnf;alksdnf

‌Matt Knight

executive director, alberta business family institute

Matt Knight is an executive leader, family business advisor, and entrepreneur with over 17 years of experience in strategy and technology consulting and family business management. Matt is an Executive Professor at the University of Alberta, teaching Managing Family Business, Strategic Consulting to Family Business, and the European Family Business Tour. He serves as the Executive Director of the Alberta Business Family Institute, responsible for leading and delivering world-class research, education, and programming to support business families and advisors.

Matt has his MBA, an FEA (Family Enterprise Advisor), ACFBA (Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising), and his ICD.D designation in corporate governance. Matt has conducted workshops and speaking engagements on AI, technology, innovation, and family business for audiences ranging from 8-person executive groups to keynotes of up to 5000 leaders across Canada, the US, and Europe.

Dave Austad

CEO, Austad's Golf

Dave has been in the golf business since the second grade when he swept the floor of the warehouse for a bottle of pop from founder and dad, Oscar Austad. Since then, Dave held almost every job imaginable at Austad's until taking over as President in 1988 and has helped steer the company through many changes over the years. Dave summarizes his career this way, "Being at Austad's is all I ever wanted to do. I've been blessed with great staff, suppliers and customers that have helped make Austad's the oldest family-owned golf chain in the United States."

‌

‌Ryan Austad

President and COO, austad's golf

Ryan has been playing golf since he was old enough to grip a club. "My best golf memory is playing the 'ice cream hole' with my dad when I was a kid. If I scored a 6 or better, we'd go out for a frozen treat following the round," said Austad. Ryan now has three kids of his own who are starting the game. Prior to rejoining the Austad's team in 2015, Ryan spent seven years working as a management consultant with Fortune 500 companies. "While consulting taught me a lot, the golf industry is ultimately where I belong. We believe in having fun each day while helping people reach their golfing potential. I wake up each day loving what I do."

‌

‌Brendan Comito

COO, Capital City Fruit

Brendan Comito is the Chief Operating Officer and co-owner of Capital City Fruit, Inc., a third-generation family-owned produce distributor headquartered in Norwalk, Iowa. Since joining the company in 1995 as Vice President of Human Resources, Brendan has played a key role in the growth and evolution of the business. Alongside his two brothers, he continues to build on the company’s long-standing commitment to quality, service, and innovation in the produce industry. A graduate of Boston College, Brendan brings both strategic vision and operational leadership to Capital City Fruit. He is a former Chair of the United Fresh Produce Association Wholesaler-Distributor Board and served on the United Fresh Produce Association Board of Directors from 2005 to 2012, including four years on the Executive Committee. In addition to his industry leadership, Brendan has been an active contributor to the Des Moines community, serving on numerous non-profit and civic boards throughout the years.

‌Type column 1 here‌

‌Dennis Passis

founder, family wealth library

Dennis Passis is the Founder of the Family Wealth Library and a former family business leader himself. When the family dynamics of wealth, rivalries, and generational disputes tore apart his own family (and business), Dennis sought to learn more about the business of families and how to help others avoid the pain that his family went through. While many people are concerned with the fiduciary and investment issues, few are concerned with managing family dynamics. Both are important.