Local Entrepreneur to Share About His Business and Invention that Protects Piglets
William Penn University
(OSKALOOSA, Iowa) – Oskaloosa native and 2018 Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ recipient, Matthew Rooda, will present on Tuesday, April 10, at 6:00 p.m. in the Musco Technology Center (MTC) on William Penn University’s Oskaloosa campus. The presentation will be centered on his motivation to create the life-saving technology, SmartGuard®, that’s used to stop sows from crushing their piglets. SmartGuard® is produced by SwineTech Inc., which was founded by Rooda in 2015.
“Many times people are faced with a problem. Most ignore it and go on, some get angry, but others take the problem and turn it into a challenge. These are the entrepreneurs who want to solve problems and in the process make money,” said Ann Fields, Associate Professor of Business Administration at William Penn University. “Matthew Rooda is an entrepreneur who did just that. He saw a problem and then worked to solve it. Maybe you’re not interested in agriculture, but if you’re interested in starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur, this presentation is for you.”
About the Speaker
Matthew Rooda grew up in Oskaloosa and graduated from Pella Christian High School. He went on to graduate from the University of Iowa with a degree in Enterprise Leadership in 2017. Throughout college, Rooda worked as a medication aide, farm manager, and as a Nutriplant seed salesman. In 2015, he founded SwineTech Inc. that went through the University of Iowa’s student start-up program – the Iowa Startup Accelerator – and has since grown the business to 10 plus employees. Rooda was then named the EO National Student Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Farm Bureau Entrepreneur of the Year, and was selected as part of the 2018 Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ class.
The Leaders Speak Series is an annual initiative that reaches out to the community with diverse leadership-based themes. The 2017–18 series has expanded on the theme “Ignite,” which aims at bringing in speakers to encourage students and community members to pursue their passions and promote positive change. The event is free and open to the public and can also be streamed online at: www.wmpenn.edu/leaders.
