Pioneer in Industry Awards

Awards Event Details

Date:         October 28, 2010

Time:         7pm - 9pm cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, VIP Reception

Location:   Gianchetta Piazza

Price:        Individual tickets: $45
                Attire:        Business dress

Deadline:   Reservations must be made by October 15, 2010

Contact:    larae.hackney@business.umt.edu or (406) 243-4830 for reservations and more information 

Campus and General Public Event – To Be announced If you are not able to attend the VIP reception, please join us on Thursday October 28, 2010 in GBB 106 at 3:15pm.  Craig Barrett and Barbara Barrett will address UM’s students, faculty, staff, and the Missoula community.  This event is free of charge and open to the public.

About the Award

The Pioneer in Industry Award is becoming a cornerstone of our efforts at the University of Montana and the School of Business Administration to enhance entrepreneurship education opportunities for our students and to inspire Montana’s future generation of successful entrepreneurs.  The MADE organization would like to thank President George Dennison and Dean Larry Gianchetta for supporting our efforts to bring world-class entrepreneurs to our campus to share their stories. 

The idea for the Pioneer in Industry Award event originated from MADE members recollections of being inspired by world-class entrepreneurs who visited their campuses while they were college students. MADE members said, “Why can’t we do the same thing here at the University of Montana?”  When MADE developed the concept for the Pioneer in Industry Award further, the group decided to differentiate the University of Montana award from other entrepreneurship awards in a very unique way that is reflective of Montana’s culture.  The Pioneer in Industry Award is presented to extraordinary individuals whose professional achievements represent a revolutionary, pioneering impact in their field of endeavor. The main point of differentiation for our award is that in addition to a candidate’s professional achievements, he or she must also demonstrate a sense of social responsibility through making positive contributions to the communities in which they live.  All of our award recipients exude these characteristics and in doing so serve as exemplary role models for our students, faculty, administrators, and the general Montana community.

MADE also decided that the physical award (photo to right) itself should be something very special, rather than just another plaque that would eventually wind up in a closet or desk drawer. Six Montana artists competed to have their work selected for this award.  The work of Justin Michael, a sixth generation Montana saddle maker, was selected.  Justin's piece, called "The Decision", was chosen as it reflects the difficult decisions and challenges that all entrepreneurs face. 

The Decision, was a milestone in the Lewis and Clark Expedition and took place in June of 1805 at the fork of the Marias and Missouri Rivers in Central Montana.

On that day a major disagreement between the two leaders and the guides arose regarding which river to travel down and the party actually split up for awhile as they went their separate ways. Later, as we all know, they reunited on the Missouri and continued their world and country changing expedition.

Our award recipients also faced many difficult decisions in their careers that were much like those faced by our famous pioneers and thus we felt this piece depicted our intent and celebrated "The Decision".

The award has been hand crafted of Montana Cow hide, tanned and stained in an original 1800's process then hand painted to highlight the colors of the day. Each piece has over 100 hours of the artist's time. The frames were selected from old bridge beams of Douglas Fir from a bridge that was removed from one of the spans across a tributary stream in Central Montana that feeds the Missouri around Great Falls.

Criteria for Selection

This award is presented by the University of Montana, the School of Business Administration, and the Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs (MADE) to world-class entrepreneurs who started with modest resources and won national or international recognition as leaders in their industry. The Pioneer in Industry Awards honor extraordinary individuals whose professional achievements represent revolutionary, pioneering impact in their field of endeavor.

In addition to their professional achievements, award recipients also demonstrate a sense of social responsibility by contributing positively to the communities in which they live and in doing so serve as exemplary role models for students and the community.

2010 Pioneer in Industry Award Recipients
Craig Barrett-Retired CEO/Chairman of the Board-Intel Corporation

Craig R. Barrett was Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation from May, 2005-May, 2009. He became Intel’s fourth President in May of 1997 and Chief Executive Officer in 1998. He was elected to Intel’s Board of Directors in 1992 and served as Chief Operating Officer from 1993 to 1997. Barrett began his tenure at Intel as a Technology Development manager in 1974. Prior to joining Intel, Dr. Barrett was an Associate Professor at Stanford University in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Dr. Craig Barrett is a leading advocate for improving education in the U.S. and around the world. He is also a vocal spokesman for the value technology can provide in raising social and economic standards globally.

Barbara Barrett-President and CEO/Triple Creek Guest Ranch

Ambassador Barbara Barrett is President and CEO of Triple Creek Guest Ranch, a Montana Hideaway near Darby, Montana. 

Until January 2009, Barbara was U.S. Ambassador to Finland. Prior to Finland she served on the corporate boards of Raytheon, Exponent and The Mayo Clinic, and was a trustee of Aerospace Corporation and Thunderbird School of Global Management. She was a member of the boards of the Space Foundation, Horatio Alger Association, the Smithsonian and Harvard’s Institute of Politics.

An instrument-rated pilot, Barrett has flown internationally in civilian and military aircraft.  She climbed Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro in August 2007 and bicycled 900 kilometers around Finland while Ambassador.  She and her husband, Craig, own Triple Creek Ranch in Montana.

2008 Pioneer in Industry Award Recipients

Mark Kvamme-Sequoia Capital 

Mark Kvamme is a venture capitalist at Sequoia Capital where he focuses on investments in enterprise data management software and consumer media and advertising services. He is currently a director of multiple institutions, including AdBrite, Cast Iron Systems, FON Wireless, Funny or Die, imeem, LinkedIn, Mark Logic, Mevio, MotoSport, Navigenics, PopularMedia, Searchme.com, Stardoll, and StrongMail Systems.  Prior to joining Sequoia Capital in 1999, Mr. Kvamme was Chairman and CEO of CKS Group, an advertising agency that pioneered new advertising strategies by integrating marketing with technology and the agency had a market value of $550 million within 4 years. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kvamme was a Director of International Marketing for Wyse Technology, the President and CEO of International Solutions, and was a founding member of Apple France. Mr. Kvamme has a BA in French, Economics and Literature from University of California at Berkeley. 

Born into an entrepreneurial family, Mark Kvamme has been engaged in entrepreneurial ventures since he was a teenager.   He has a home in Whitefish and is involved in many philanthropic causes in Montana including serving on the Board of the Whitefish Community Foundation.  An example of his generous contributions is his donation of a PLATO learning system to the Whitefish Independent High School. PLATO is a web-based learning system that is used to enhance opportunities for special needs and gifted/talented students.  He is currently developing a luxury residential development, the Homestead, with Richard Fuld, the Chief Executive Officer of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., in Whitefish.

Karen Puckett-CenturyTel 

Karen Puckett, is a telecommunications industry veteran and has 25 years of experience in the industry.  She has held the position of Chief Operating Officer at CenturyTel since 2000 and she has directed all of the company’s operations including sales, marketing, field operations, engineering, call centers and other support functions.  Upon arrival at CenturyTel, Puckett helped to integrate nearly 500,000 access lines acquired from GTE in Arkansas, Missouri and Wisconsin.  She also led the 2001 company-wide realignment to a General Manager structure, thus pushing decision making closer to the customer and making Century Tel more responsive to the marketplace.  She was instrumental in the effective divestiture of CenturyTel’s wireless business, enabling the company’s execution of a pure-play rural wireline strategy.  In addition, she led the effort to integrate CenturyTel’s largest single access line acquisition in its history, which grew the company by more than 600,000 access lines. CenturyTel’s stock is traded on the NYSE and the company is currently generating more than $500 million (more than $1 billion in EBITDA) in free cash flow annually.

Karen Puckett holds a B.S. from Indiana State University and an MBA from Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky.  She is a board member of the United States Telecom Association, the Boy Scouts of America and St. Francis Medical Center.  She was the keynote speaker at the Montana Telecommunications Conference in August 2007.

Click here to read past award recipient biographies