Jeffrey Stamp Ph.D

"It Isn't About the Box: Conquering Creativity - Why it Fails, How to Win

Jeffrey Stamp Assistant Professor and Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation University of North Dakota

Jeffrey A. Stamp is an assistant professor and the chair of the entrepreneurship and innovation program at the University of North Dakota. The UND program is ranked 8th out of the top 25 entrepreneurship programs in the United States, placing it in the top 1% of programs nationwide. Stamp's research is focused on the creative and cognitive processes that entrepreneurs use in idea creation, technology innovation, and opportunity recognition. Stamp is the inventor, creator, and brand manager of Baked Lays, which was named by Ernst and Young as the top brand introduction in the 90's in the food sector.

Stamp spent two days at Iowa State University, sharing his story while discussing various topics with students and faculty members. Stamp also led two student workshops, co-sponsored by the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurship in Human Sciences program.

While on campus, Stamp led several creativity sessions for both students and faculty. Students created new products from a variety of cereals and toppings, then named their creations, and presented the target markets. The students had a great deal of fun and got a midnight snack in the process. In the faculty session, Iowa State professors and staff were encouraged to think out of the box and be creative.

Stamp's keynote address focused on creativity and passion and how they can be paired in idea creation and entrepreneurial ventures.

Stamp discussed the importance of looking inside our personal box, rather than constantly looking outside, because a person’s box is their "perception of reality at the time."

When Stamp was developing the Baked Lays concept, his idea was met with furrowed brows and many questions from executives within Pepsico. However, employees within the company loved Baked Lays and Stamp was surprised by how quickly they were consumed from testing bowls. Stamp needed $56 million in order to launch the Baked Lays business and executives agreed to give Stamp the funding he needed, but if he didn't reach $100 million in sales during the first year, he and everyone on his team would be fired. He and his team met and exceeded their goals.

Stamp introduced his newest venture, Syllabets®, a line of children's books written with all single syllable words to encourage young readers. The Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship purchase several copies of the books, and entrepreneurship students will take the books to local elementary schools in the fall to read to students and donate books to the schools.