The University of Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, SD recently started an Entrepreneurial Studies program and Bill Burch, President of Commercial Resources, Inc., was invited to be the key note speaker at the college as part of the program’s public introduction. The event was open to college students, professors, and most importantly – entrepreneurs themselves.

Sioux Falls is no rookie when it comes to business. In CNBC’s 2010 "Top State for Business" rankings, South Dakota moved up from #12 to #7, and the city has been rated numerous times by Forbes Magazine as the best small metro area for business and careers (siouxfallsdevelopment.com). It is with good reason that the University of Sioux Falls decided to implement the Entrepreneurial Studies program.

Bruce Watley, a professor at the University of Sioux Falls and past resident of Centerville, Iowa is playing an integral role in the Entrepreneurial Studies program at the University of Sioux Falls. He quoted, "Centerville was a big part of my life. Moving was hard, but I’m thrilled that Sioux Falls and specifically the University of Sioux Falls have been so welcoming and anxious to pull me in and let me be part of making a great place even better." Watley’s extensive experience in entrepreneurship, Marketing Degree and MBA make him a significant member of the staff at the University of Sioux Falls. He is a professor of several undergrad, MBA and DCP programs at the University, and is a long-time friend of Bill Burch’s. Watley thoroughly enjoyed having Burch as a guest and said "Bill made a real positive impression on the class and faculty, including the chair of the business school."

The combination of Burch’s work experience and natural entrepreneurial abilities made him the perfect candidate as the key speaker for the event. Burch founded Commercial Resources, Inc. (CRI) in 2003. He was a frustrated business owner and manager fighting for ways to get benefits to small businesses without enough employees. He was constantly digging for ways to pull all of the businesses into one payroll, struggling to eliminate the waste of having multiple "book keepers" and managing multiple businesses and literally hundreds of special projects all at one time. As with most any valued creation born out of need, Bill identified the need for CRI.

Commercial Resources, Inc. has earned and sustained a hard-won reputation for excellence and value. The work of his teams – which represent multi-million dollar businesses – is some of the most recognizable, high-impact and firmly grounded in his industry.

During his Locker Room Talk, Burch covered three major topics:

• The entrepreneur gets paid last

• Entrepreneurs must concentrate on what they do best

• Entrepreneurs can never stop learning

A significant quote of the night from Burch is as follows: "The weight of our country’s success lies on the shoulders of the entrepreneur. Regretfully, government has taken advantage offloading a number of their gifts of support to our populous onto the small business owner. The time has come for the small business owner to push back and for government to get a grip on how they are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs," said Burch. He urged the audience to recognize their true potential by pushing themselves to their limit in their business and everyday lives. He closed by saying, "You don’t know how far you can go until you’ve gone too far."

Burch was very impressed with his overall experience at the University and said, "I have never been more impressed with a community’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive. It’s no wonder that Sioux Falls is leading the nation as a Top 10 place to start a business." Burch felt the opportunity changed his life and the lives of some others for the better. The attendees left that night with not only a revived spirit, but with some new and valuable friends, as did he.