Lauren Bush Lauren
Lauren Bush Lauren, founder and CEO of FEED Projects, a company with the simple mission
of creating good products that help feed the world, will be one of the keynote speakers
at the fifth annual Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference at the Cox Business Center in
Tulsa on April 8. She will also be presenting a talk to students on Oklahoma State
University’s Stillwater campus that same evening, made possible by the Student Government
Association Speakers Board.
The Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference, sponsored by the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship
at OSU, is not only for the traditional entrepreneur in Oklahoma who has started a
business, has an idea for a new business or is looking to grow their existing businesses,
it is also for those who would like to learn more about the entrepreneurial mindset.
“I am so excited to share my journey with FEED at Oklahoma State University, and engage
in conversations about the power of social business and conscious consumerism to empower
entrepreneurs passionate about a cause,” said Lauren, the niece of former President
George W. Bush and the granddaughter of former President George H.W. Bush.
Lauren will discuss her journey as an entrepreneur and share what motivates her as
a CEO. She will also talk about the undeniable power of conscious consumerism and
the growing demand for giveback products, while revealing valuable lessons FEED has
learned along its seven-year journey, and what’s in store for FEED’s future.
Lauren started her work as an honorary spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP)
in 2004, when she helped to launch her Universities Fighting Hunger initiative. Over
the past four years the 29-year-old has traveled to many countries with WFP and UNICEF
including Guatemala, Cambodia, Lesotho, Sri Lanka, Chad, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya,
Uganda, and Honduras to learn about the realities of poverty and hunger firsthand.
Inspired by her travels, in 2005 she conceptualized and designed the initial FEED
1 bag, which feeds one child in school for one year through WFP, as a way for consumers
to give back in a tangible and meaningful way. In 2007, she started FEED Projects,
LLC to sell FEED bags, and in 2008 she co-founded the FEED Foundation to increase
FEED’s impact in the fight against hunger. To date, FEED has partnered with companies
like Whole Foods Market, Barnes & Noble, the Gap, HSN, Lord & Taylor, Pottery Barn,
Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods and many more. Through the sale of eco-friendly products,
mainly bags, FEED Projects, in partnership with the FEED Foundation, has donated over
$6 million to the WFP’s school feeding program, which equates to over 60 million meals
to school children.
Modeled after the Women Entrepreneurs (WE) Inspire Conference, the new Entrepreneurs
Inspire Conference is a resource-packed day featuring both local and national entrepreneurial
role models and speakers discussing their failures and successes, as well as providing
conference attendees with the latest in business development and strategy.
“The Riata Center is so proud to launch our newly revised Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference
this year,” said Craig Watters, director of the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship.
“We’ve expanded to reach beyond just women and embrace the entire Oklahoman entrepreneurial
community, from artists to youths to minorities to corporate employees wanting to
learn more about intrapreneurship, there is something for everyone who possesses the
entrepreneurial spirit.”
The conference will explore the unique obstacles, demands and challenges entrepreneurs
face when creating and growing their own ventures. In addition to featured national
keynote speakers, the conference will consist of hands-on breakout sessions that will
examine a broad range of practical issues to enable entrepreneurs to act on their
dreams. The breakouts will include five tracks catering to the interests of entrepreneurs:
1) Entrepreneurship in the Arts, 2) Women Entrepreneurship, 3) Youth and Creativity,
4) Corporate “Intrapreneurship,” and 5) Inspiring Entrepreneurs.
For OSU students in Stillwater, SGA Speakers Board is excited to host Lauren Bush
Lauren on campus. “We are proud to present her combination of passion for service
and creativity in design,” said Logan Scott. “Miss Bush Lauren's initiative to provide
a connection across cultures in a mutually beneficial manner is inspiring to all young
people looking to change the world.”
To register for the Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference, go to the website: https://riata.okstate.edu/inspire/register/.
For additional information about the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship, go to riata.okstate.edu,
or sign up for the Riata Newsletter.
