BMX Minister and Advertising Masters in Minnesota
The last two interviews I have to share with you are about Mike Jungbauer and Brand Labs.
Mike Jungbauer is a state senator in Minnesota who is a student of the environment and a minister of the BMX, really. A man who went through many trials in his life including several accidents which by any measure should have left him dead or at the very least paralyzed, Mike is a man who knows if he has not been taken from this world yet he must have something important he is slated to do.
As religion became a strong factor in his life, Mike figured out how to marry his passion for the church with his passion for the bike and became a youth BMX minister.
In his daily tasks Mike constantly works to better the lives of others.
Brand Labs is the dream child of parent company Olson Marketing. The company leaders recognized that children in the tougher neighborhoods were underepresented and the field itself was not very diverse. Situated in one of Minnesota’s lower income neighborhoods the Olson team decided to create Brand Labs to introduce young minds to the opportunities in the world of advertising.
In the schools Jim Cousins, Director of Brand Labs, sends in advertising experts to work with students on creating print and video ads. The students become inspired and engaged and their eyes opened to a professional area that speaks to using your talent to make your living.
I had the honor of meeting several of the lucky students chosen through their participation in Bran Labs to hold a much coveted internship at Olson this summer. One young man told me that he was pretty much responsible for helping his mother feed his siblings and he never thought he’d be able to marry his love and skill as an artist with his profession. He is hoping his internship will get him a job at Olsen one day. His plan is to unseat the CEO!
That’s a wrap for Minnesota! I can now go in to Maryland this week with a clear conscience as I blog about the new people I meet and the community problems being solved by ordinary people with great ideas about helping others.