Two Karis are taking the stage this week at 1 Million Cups: Kari Warberg Block, founder and CEO of EarthKind, and Kari Peterson, Presdient and co-founder of Sky Blue Technologies.
The first natural solution to pest control
Kari Warberg Block started EarthKind when she was forced to face a problem on her family farm: rodents. As a mother of two young kids, she was determined to find a natural solution – one that didn’t contain dangerous toxins, which at the time were used in 90% of pest control solutions.
So, she created Fresh Cab, the first botanical rodent repellent safe enough to use at home but strong enough to meet Federal EPA standards for efficiency.
Today, Fresh Cab, along with a natural line of products called Stay Away that repels not only rodents but also insects, are sold into 55,000 retail stores throughout the USA and Canada. The company also recently added a line of biodegradable air fresheners.
Kari has been recognized as one of Ernst & Young’s 2012 Entrepreneurial Winning Women, an Inc. 500/5000 fastest growth company, and a runner-up for National Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Kari was previously named North Dakota’s Small Business Person of the Year. Kari serves as an adviser to the President, Congress, and Small Business Administration through the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC).
Automated custom virtual machines
Kari Peterson worked for Microsoft for 14 years before deciding to launch a startup with her friend and co-worker Amy McKinnon last November. In those past few months, they created Sky Blue Technology – a software based off Microsoft Azure that automates the process of creating demos for software solutions. Read all about her and Amy’s story here.
Kari Peterson (left) and Amy McKinnon (right)
Job Board + Tailgating!!!
For the first time ever, there will also be tailgating in front of the Stage at Island Park before the event, starting around 8 AM. This means sharing coffee, maybe some muffins, maybe some donuts.
“It seems to work for NDSU football games…” said Greg Tehven.
As with every first 1 Million Cups of the month, there will also be a job board after the presentations. This is the ideal opportunity for anyone looking to get hired or companies looking to find employees. Employers present the position they are looking for and then gather in the foyer afterwards to exchange business cards and meet anyone who is interested. Don’t miss it!
Let us know you will be there by signing in here! See you Wednesday, 9:15 am at the Stage at Island Park.
