by Graeme Thickins

The new president of St. Cloud State University, Dr. Gregory Tomso, is on a mission. He’s out to revitalize a school that’s known to have experienced a significant enrollment decline in recent years. It’s not alone in that respect among our state schools, but some think it’s taken the brunt of the downtrend. What’s behind it? Tomso isn’t looking in the rearview mirror. Rather, he’s raising serious money since coming on board in January 2026 -- $10 million -- for a campaign to get things back on track. Already, more than half that money has been committed by various community backers.

A major strong point in selling SCSU is certainly the economic impact it’s had on the community, the state, and beyond over the years. In researching this article, I discovered more than thirty examples of SCSU alums who either founded great companies after — or, in some cases, while — they were students on the campus, or became prominent executives at successful firms in our state. Their contributions are legion. (Comments from some of those grads later.)

Dr. Tomso announced the priority areas for his three-year strategic plan soon after taking the helm. He and his team cited them as: Enrollment & Retention, a Vibrant Destination Campus, Campus Modernization, and Community Connections. A major part of the initiative is reorganizing into three new colleges to serve as pillars for the university’s mission for the future.

How’s the revitalization program proceeding? “We see tremendous momentum at St. Cloud State,” said Tomso. “Our plan is focused on investing in what matters most – our students, our people, and the partnerships that connect the University to the economic and civic life of Central Minnesota. We are strengthening student success, stabilizing enrollment and finances, and deepening our relationships with employers, alumni, and community partners to build a more sustainable SCSU and a stronger workforce for Central Minnesota."

Many dedicated alumni are stepping up. “We firmly believe that strengthening St. Cloud State matters to the region,“ said Ryan Weber, founding partner of Great North Ventures, and one of several prominent alums supporting the new initiative. He and his brother Rob are both accomplished SCSU graduates and have long been vocal supporters. They founded their first companies while they were still computer science students at the school, after transferring there from junior college. During this time, and after, they founded several successful Internet businesses. They also became active angel investors in other tech startups.

The Webers’ company NativeX, which became a major St. Cloud-area employer, was acquired in 2016, returning more than $40 million to shareholders. “The NativeX alumni network is one of the most enduring legacies of the Central Minnesota tech ecosystem,” said cofounder Rob Weber. “What began as our small startup in Sartell evolved into a training ground for future leaders who now shape the regional digital economy.” And a great many of those NativeX employees were SCSU alums.

After that successful NativeX exit, in 2017, the Weber brothers went on to found what is now Great North Ventures, which has raised two early-stage venture funds totaling some $75 million and have invested in more than 40 companies to date.

The Weber brothers have special experience with another outstanding entrepreneur produced by SCSU: Mynul Kahn. A first-generation immigrant, he earned a computer science degree and soon after founded Field Nation in 2008. The Webers became early investors in that company in 2009. It grew into North America’s largest field services platform, enabling more than a million on-site service jobs a year. It’s designed for skilled, certified technicians – independent contractors who can, for example, repair ATMs, install network cabling, configure point-of-sale systems, maintain data centers, and more. By 2015, Field Nation was processing more than $100 million in gross revenue annually with about 100 employees in North America and 60 in Bangladesh. Soon, Khan and his CFO were meeting with more than 70 venture firms who reached out after Field Nation was named the fastest growing company on the Inc. 500 list for multiple years. They ultimately chose Philadelphia-based Susquehanna Growth Equity for a $30 million Series B investment in 2015.

Ryan Weber and Mynul Kahn had been lab partners while studying at SCSU, and that relationship became a lasting and significant friendship.

“My first internship and job was with a St. Cloud startup called eBureau,” said Kahn. “It was tremendously inspiring to see the building process of a company.” eBureau was a venture-backed data startup, where Kahn worked alongside a software developer, also an SCSU grad, named Travis Emslander, who later became his CTO at Field Nation. Yet another SCSU grad, Jackie Schneider, ultimately joined as the company’s first Chief Revenue Officer, contributing to the company’s impressive growth over the years.

“When I started Field Nation, that first angel round from Ryan and Rob also provided support for me as I hired employees in those early days, and they were a sounding board for ideas,” Kahn said. “St. Cloud and SCSU played an incredibly important role in the founding days of Field Nation. I am forever grateful.”

Ryan Weber will be interviewing Mynul Kahn on stage at Great North Ventures annual meeting and reception on September 2. The Weber brothers are encouraging their fellow SCSU alums to reach out to them as that date approaches as they provide support for the school’s revitalization program.

Another SCSU alum, Travis Emslander, was key to building Field Nation as its CTO. “I arrived at SCSU already writing code and had almost skipped college altogether. I’m so glad I didn't,” he said. “SCSU’s Computer Science program built the rock-solid technical foundation I lacked, while non-CS courses – math, writing, and the humanities – shaped me into a well-rounded problem solver who could tackle multi-faceted real-world challenges.”

What relationships were most valuable to him as an undergrad? “My network of fellow CS students was irreplaceable,” Emslander said. “They constantly pushed me past my self-imposed limits – pulling me into coding competitions and ambitious side projects, like building a distributed computing cluster out of Linux machines. That tight-knit community taught me the power of collaborative engineering.”

I asked him for a favorite story while he was a student. “I was on track for a comfortable corporate internship in the Twin Cities when Professor Ramnath Sarnath intervened,” Emslander recounted. “He urged me to choose a local St. Cloud startup instead, advising that a smaller company would give me far more agency and impact. He was spot on. I gained immense technical experience and met Mynul Khan, with whom I’d later co-found Field Nation. It’s the ultimate example of SCSU professors who genuinely care, know their students, and connect the dots.”

Other leading business executives and entrepreneurs in Minnesota who are SCSU alums are also quick to praise the school.

Tom Goodmanson served as CEO of Minnesota-based Collabrio from 2008 to 2023. He was the primary architect of its growth and international expansion, from a small team of 30 employees to more than 700. The company became a global customer experience intelligence leader with more than 6,000 customers. Goodmanson steered the company through major private equity investments, culminating in a $1 billion acquisition by Thoma Bravo in 2021.

I asked him what role SCSU played in shaping his path to success. “It was really twofold,” Goodmanson said. “First were my classmates. They were incredibly smart and pushed me to try harder in classes than I had ever done before. We were also very social and, as you know, preparing for a career takes both book and street smarts. The time at DB Searles turned out to be as important as any lab time -- not that I went!” he said, referring to what was an infamous nightspot in town.

“Secondly were the professors in the business college. With smaller classes, they always got to know the students and genuinely cared. I just ran into Kate and Steve Mooney at a restaurant last weekend. and they are as kind and interesting as they were in 1991.”

I asked what was a favorite story as a college student that sticks with you as a reason for success in your career. “Probably just becoming an accountant in the first place. I was a general business major and, after my first accounting class, Kate Mooney pulled me aside and asked if I had considered a career in accounting. I didn't know a thing about accounting and got a push that way through both Kate and the accounting club. Next thing you know, I spent the next eight years at KPMG using all the things I learned at SCSU, which ended up as a really good start for my career.” Indeed – that career has been more than impressive.

Brandon Dols is a successful Minnesota-based fintech executive and entrepreneur, beginning as a senior leader at loyalty-platform company Augeo, where he led their card-linking business division. The company made an acquisition that resulted in the creation of Figg, which, under Dols’ leadership, scaled rapidly with tech that allowed advertisers and publishers to connect digital incentives directly to consumers’ payment cards. Dols achieved a major milestone for the Minnesota fintech scene when JPMorgan Chase acquired Figg. He then spent three years at Chase helping to integrate Figg’s architecture.

So, how did SCSU play a role in shaping Brandon’s success? “I came to SCSU after a few detours, which included one year at St. John’s University and two years at Alexandria Technical College,” Dols said. “I took a year off then to do a startup in Alexandria – a bad idea but good learnings. By the time I came to SCSU, it fit my unique needs perfectly by allowing me to continue getting real-world experience working at IT Services on campus. I was able to leverage my experience from the startup time while finishing my finance degree. SCSU met me where I was. By allowing me flexibility as a transfer student with a patchwork of classes, it created a path forward for me.” Today, Brandon Dols is one of our state’s most successful fintech founders, and also an active investor in other startups in his role as part of Gopher Angels.

And what is his favorite story of how SCSU has contributed to the success he’s had in his career? “The foundation of my confidence in front of groups started with the lessons I learned within the Husky Growth Fund at SCSU. HGF was a class that leveraged a $100k gift from an alumnus where we managed real funds. Each of us was a portfolio manager, researching and pitching stocks. Learning how to create a narrative based on the facts and insights in front of peers helped me enter my career with a step ahead.” Yes, it certainly makes sense that studying finance can help one become a seriously good founder and investor. Brandon Dols has proved that.

Guided campus visits are offered daily. Connect with Admissions here. SCSU is affordable and awards more than $107 million annually in scholarships, grants, loans, and student employment opportunities. And don’t forget those Division 1 men’s and women’s hockey teams! The SCSU Huskies athletics page has more.

Here’s how you can connect and engage. And here’s where you can share your story. Or nominate an outstanding alum here. Best of all, support SCSU by making a gift here.

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Graeme Thickins is an investor, marketing consultant, and startup strategist who has worked with scores of successful Minnesota founders and loves writing about them.