JPEC Benefactors and Donors

Several generous individuals and organizations support us in our work to provide a comprehensive program in entrepreneurship education for student populations. Many of these people are listed below.

R. J. McElroy

R. J. “Mac” McElroy enriched the lives of thousands of people in northeastern Iowa as a pioneering radio broadcaster and as founder of the Black Hawk Broadcasting Company. The company grew to include radio and TV stations, the most prominent of which was Waterloo’s NBC affiliate, KWWL Television. Mr. McElroy’s final gift to the community was the establishment of the R. J. McElroy Trust, a charitable foundation designed to benefit deserving young people. Since 1965, the McElroy Trust has helped thousands of children and youth through grants and scholarships in northeastern Iowa.

T. Wayne Davis

Two years after his death in 1992, T. Wayne Davis, founder of Control-o-fax Corporation and developer of the Control-o-fax system, was inducted posthumously into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. Not only was Mr. Davis a consummate entrepreneur, but his accounting innovation, the control-o-fax billing system, aided hundreds of small firms and professionals to gain control of their accounting and billing systems, enhancing their own prospects for financial success. Mr. Davis was also an active proponent of his community, tirelessly contributing his time, energy, and money to numerous causes, both in the community at large and at the University of Northern Iowa. A major gift of $1 million was contributed in his memory for a new performing arts center at UNI and for an academic program in entrepreneurship at UNI.

Incubator Suite Sponsors

  • Kathy McCoy
  • H. D. "Ike" Leighty
  • R. J. McElroy Trust
  • Peterson Genetics, Inc.
  • Ross Christensen Family
  • Young Plumbing & Heating Company
  • Central Iowa Power Cooperative
  • Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute
  • Jorgen and Camilla Heidemann
  • Robert and Margaret Bradford

Annual Fellowships & Other Support

  • Team Companies
  • Steve Dickinson
  • Matt Hesse
  • Katie MacDonald Hesse
  • R. J. McElroy Trust
  • Don DeWaay

Scholarships

  • John and Mary Pappajohn
  • Joe Nelson Scholarship as supported by Ike Leighty