Honoree: Tom Bedell
Achievements:
- Tom Bedell earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1973 and attended the UI College of Law
- After law school, he headed a consulting firm in Washington, D.C., where his father, former U.S. Representative Berkley Bedell, was serving in Congress
- Took over as president of what was then Berkley & Company, the fishing-tackle business that his father founded as Berkley Fly Company in 1937
- The company was sold in 2007 and currently Tom and his wife Molly have started a new venture within the music industry, TwoOldHippies.com
- Inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004
- Received the Iowa Business Leadership Award among others
Description of facility:
Converted from an old fraternity house, the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory opened to students in 2004 as a space for entrepreneurs to meet and share ideas. The Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory (BELL) is a business incubator for entrepreneurial students pursuing the creation of a startup while attending the University of Iowa. Individual students and teams in the program receive a dedicated office space in the remodeled 10,000 square-foot facility, enabling them to concentrate on developing their business concepts.
Address: 322 N. Clinton Street
Year built: 1929
Additional building information: Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory