Thinc Iowa Video Series: Luke Vandermillen of The Principal

The eighth speaker in our Video Series is Luke Vandermillen, who heads up marketing for retirement and investor services at the Principal Financial Group, a Des Moines-based financial services provider. A Fortune 500 company founded in 1879, The Principal is firmly entrenched on the “corporation” side of the conversation between startups and …

Recorded Oct. 21. This is the Livestream version; look for the final cut from Event1 Video to be published soon.

The inaugural Thinc Iowa conference provided an arena for conversation on the common ground between established corporations and startups. Nine speakers, ranging from the founder of a new payments network to the chairman of a worldwide advertising network, took the stage on Oct. 21 at the Temple for Performing Arts in downtown Des Moines to contribute to that conversation.

To be timely, we’re releasing the entire Thinc Iowa Video Series this month as recorded via Livestream. Thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City-based foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation, for sponsoring the Livestream and Video Series, and to our video and post-production team made up of Event1 Video and Evolve. Look for the final cut from Event1 Video to be published soon.

The eighth speaker in our Video Series is Luke Vandermillen, who heads up marketing for retirement and investor services at the Principal Financial Group, a Des Moines-based financial services provider.

A Fortune 500 company founded in 1879, The Principal is firmly entrenched on the “corporation” side of the conversation between startups and established companies, but in his talk Vandermillen touched on ideas useful to companies new and old. He addressed the question “How do you thrive?” by reflecting on lessons learned from both The Principal’s growth and development and from the many small- and medium-sized businesses — some 100,000 across 400 industries — with which The Principal works.

How, Vandermillen asked, does a company keep going for decades? By emphasizing some of the same principles that keep a company going in its first weeks: innovative thinking and the ability to act on new ideas. “You don’t sit still,” Vandermillen said. “You grow. You do different things five years from now than what you’re doing today. You do different things next month than what you’re doing today.”

Read our recap:Luke Vandermillen – ‘You listen, you evolve and you innovate’

About Thinc Iowa and Big Omaha, our two premier events:

Thinc Iowa, a Silicon Prairie News premier event, is held each October to provide a common ground for startups and corporations to explore partnerships, examine innovation and share lessons learned. Visit thinciowa.com to learn more.

Big Omaha, a Silicon Prairie News premier event, is held each May to inspire, educate and connect entrepreneurs, especially those with an interest in the tech industry. Visit BigOmaha.com to learn more.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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