Norm Asbjornson, a Montana State University alumnus and Montana native from the small town of Winifred, has committed to give the university $50 million for its College of Engineering - the largest private gift in the history of the state.

Asbjornson's gift was announced Monday morning at a press conference in the Engineering and Physical Sciences Building on the campus of MSU in Bozeman to an audience of students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members, business leaders and government officials.

"I am excited to see the amazing growth of MSU and the College of Engineering. I hope my gift challenges and inspires others who are in a position to advance the university that has given us so much. MSU needs our support now and this is the time to give back," said Asbjornson, a 1960 MSU mechanical engineering graduate. Asbjornson was also awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering from MSU and the Montana Board of Regents in 2004.

Asbjornson, 78, is the founder and president of AAON, a NASDAQ-traded heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) manufacturer based Tulsa, Okla., with annual revenues in excess of $300 million and more than 1,400 employees.

"Norm has inspired us and humbled us with not only his generosity, but with the depth of his character and his sense of responsibility for future generations," said MSU President Waded Cruzado. "This gift will transform the lives of generations of students, it will transform this campus, and it will transform the state of Montana in profound ways."

Asbjornson's gift will fund the construction of an innovative laboratory and classroom facility that will enable the collaborative, hands-on learning and leadership that embody the university's legacy and mission.  The building, to be named the Norm Asbjornson Innovation Center, is envisioned to promote dynamic interdisciplinary engagement, meaningful student-faculty interaction, and accelerated innovation that responds to and anticipates emerging trends in education, industry and society. Open to all, and anchored in the university's growing engineering programs, the building funded by Asbjornson's gift will bring to life an enduring, state-of-the-art asset that erects bridges between academic programs, serves today's outstanding students and faculty, and supports how learning and leadership will occur long into the future. University officials hope to break ground no later than the spring of 2016 and use the building to anchor development of the university's south campus.

In a previous MSU interview, Asbjornson described his feelings about gratitude and stewardship:

"I think it's an absolute must for everyone to give back to what made them successful. I had a lot of help from MSU and Winifred," Asbjornson said. "I can't repay those who helped me, for they're gone. But I can give to the next generation. I think everyone should balance the books and thank those people and institutions who helped them and also give to the next generation.

"It's a responsibility we all have."

Currently housed in Roberts Hall, Cobleigh Hall and portions of the Engineering and Physical Science Building (EPS), the College of Engineering has been the fastest growing college at MSU for the past two academic years and reached a historic, all-time high enrollment of 3,102 students in the fall of 2013 - up 12 percent from fall 2012. During this time, the college added six new tenure-track faculty lines to support the growth of students and increased its budget for graduate teaching assistants, who provide important teaching support.

From the fall of 2003 to the fall of 2013, the College of Engineering grew from 2,090 students to its current 3,102 students - 48.4 percent growth. The college has had no significant addition of teaching or laboratory space since the completion of the EPS Building in 1997.

"The College of Engineering has been growing rapidly and Norm's gift couldn't come at a better time to help us take our teaching, research and engagement to the next level," said Brett Gunnink, dean of the College of Engineering.

"As a successful engineer and businessman, Norm has seen first-hand how today's greatest challenges benefit from hands-on collaboration across academic disciplines," Gunnink said. "The building supported by this gift will be a game changer for our growing student body, for engineering education and for research and economic development in Montana."

MSU's College of Engineering offers 10 degrees and is home to some of the university's most successful research groups, centers and institutes in terms of student involvement, discovery and economic development.

Asbjornson has made previous gifts to the college and the university. In 2003, he endowed a $1 million scholarship fund for graduates from Montana high schools with 100 or fewer students. He also has created an endowed scholarship specifically for graduates of Winifred High School who attend MSU, and he created an endowment for the Burns Technology Center to develop innovative distance learning programs for rural Montana schools. In 2006, he gave more than $600,000 in cash, equipment and technical advice to create a one-of-a-kind HVAC laboratory in MSU's College of Engineering. His company, AAON, gives research grants to the College of Engineering on a continuing basis and has hired a number of MSU engineering graduates.

Asbjornson has also given of his time and ideas as a member and former chairman of the MSU Alumni Foundation board, through which his gift will be made, and as a long-time member of the College of Engineering advisory council. He has been a major philanthropist for his home town of Winifred as well.

He started his entrepreneurial career at the age of 10 when his uncle offered him a Model T in return for watering hundreds of chickens. For a summer, he hauled hundreds of gallons of water to the chickens from a well using two small pails. On payday, he learned the Model T had been covered in a flood and the engine was too rusted to start.

Undeterred, he worked on the car in his father's garage until it ran. Then he became his own boss and went into business hauling garbage for 25 cents a barrel. It felt like a lot of money to Asbjornson, who grew up during the Great Depression, his family starting in an 800-square-foot house with no indoor plumbing, running water, electricity or telephone. Asbjornson's parents added to the family home in the same way he added to his entrepreneurial skills.

After earning his degree in mechanical engineering, Asbjornson spent 28 years working in the HVAC business until he founded AAON in 1988. The company manufactures commercial air conditioning equipment weighing from 200 pounds to 20,000 pounds. Its equipment can be found cooling and heating businesses around Bozeman, throughout Montana and the nation.

Sweet Pea Festival 2014 announces its annual poster and T-shirts contests. Details of guidelines and application process can be found online at  www.sweetpeafestival.org/applications.

The 29th Annual Poster Contest will award a $1,000.00 prize for this year’s Festival poster winner. All ages and levels of expertise are encouraged to enter. Deadline for entries is Friday, April 25, 2014.

The 6th Annual T-Shirt art contest has two categories for entrants: Category 1 (ages 0 - 13) with a $100 grand prize and Category 2 (ages 14 and older) with a $500 grand prize. Winning designs will be used on this year’s Sweet Pea Festival T-shirts. Deadline for entries is Friday, March 28, 2014.

Sweet Pea Festival 2014 also announces its call for artist entries for the Arts & Crafts Show. Details of guidelines and application process can be found online at  https://www.zapplication.org/event-info-public.php?fair_id=3260. Only handcrafted original work by the selling artist is acceptable. Each entry requires 4 photos and a nonrefundable $40 Jury Fee. Booth fees are $345 for a 10’X10’ and $495 for a 10’X20’ (limited number of this size). Deadline for entries is Saturday, April 5, 2014.

The Sweet Pea Festival, in its 37th year, is Bozeman’s summer celebration of the arts. This year’s Festival dates are August 1, 2 and 3. The Festival in Lindley Park includes music, children’s activities, dance, theatre, arts and crafts, food concessions and more. Preliminary events begin July 29th and include Chalk on the Walk, an art show, the Bite of Bozeman, a parade, and children’s run.

ABOUT SWEET PEA FESTIVAL:
The Sweet Pea Festival is a three-day festival of the arts held in Bozeman, Montana, since 1978. The event includes everything from dynamic performances to children’s activities to a flower show. Sweet Pea is committed to its mission statement of “promoting and cultivating the arts.”

Hundreds of volunteers run and organize this annual event, a testament to the community’s desire for its ongoing success. All the money raised above what is needed to operate the Festival is given back to the community in the form of grants for the arts, art education, and special projects in the Bozeman area.

The Bozeman Public Library encourages local artists to submit proposals to exhibit in the Library’s Atrium Gallery. The goal is to showcase both traditional and innovative contemporary art forms, with each exhibit on display for one to three months. The Library is committed to exhibits that will expand the public’s appreciation of art, as well as reflect the diversity of the community. Selections are chosen by the Library Art Committee, consisting of local artists, community members, and staff from the Library and Library Foundation. Submissions for 2015 will be accepted starting January 2014, due on APRIL 30. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered. To learn more, please see the exhibit proposal guidelines at http://www.bozemanlibrary.org/about/art.php, or contact Paula Beswick, Library Foundation Director at 582-2426 or director@bozemanlibraryfoundation.org.

Online shopping has been around for a number of years. Each Christmas we hear the reports of the increasing numbers of consumers heading to their iPhones to make their purchases rather than the brick and mortar storefront.
Armed with WiFi, smart phones, and Internet, consumers are more informed about products and services than ever before. Your customers are talking about your business and posting reviews on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Yelp. They are researching your products and services long before they darken your door to make a purchase.

Product Research
My wife and I decided to buy an upright freezer. So I went to the Internet to do some looking. Why the Internet you ask? Because we weren’t looking for price, we were looking for dimensions that would fit the door opening of the room where it would be housed. I found the largest one that would fit through the door. Got the model number and headed out to my locally owned appliance dealer to make the purchase.

Word of Mouth
Social media has changed the very concept and delivery of word-of-mouth advertising in the past couple of years. It’s easier than ever for word to spread about your sales, your service or, in some cases, your lack of service. People are going to be talking about you on social media sites whether you embrace the concept or not.

Where To Post and How Often
If you are selling to everyone, then Facebook if probably the best bet for getting the word out. Check out how many businesses have a, “Follow Us On Facebook” decal in their windows. Over 1 billion regular users each month and the number 2 worldwide website after Google.

If you are posting helpful websites or other information to your customers then Twitter is probably best for you. Twitter has a 140 letters and spaces restriction so you need to be brief.

If you are selling to high-income folks then LinkedIn might be a good fit for you. This is the home for CEO’s, managers, and the top of the income food chain.

If you need to demo your products or to introduce new products use YouTube and embed the movie on your site. Do the same with your TV ads.

Join The Party
In my opinion, resistance to joining the social media party is a bad business decision. The numbers of your customers that are moving to social media is growing by the day. The most common complaint is, “I don’t have time to post stuff on the Internet.” Well, check out your competitors. I’m guessing they are somehow finding the time.

For my personal pages I use www.HootSuite.com to do all my posts. I can sit down Sunday night and schedule posts on all my social media pages for the whole week.

Some Final Thoughts
Using social media to grow your business is a no-brainer. It’s free advertising. It costs nothing to create a site and the reason there are so many people on social media is they’ve make it very easy to sign up and get started.

If you inform and educate people with social media it builds your credibility and your followers will share your expertise with their friends on social media. Take some time to get informed. Contact your industry association and see what they recommend. Talk to similar businesses around the country and see how they are using social media. Visit industry web sites and “like” their pages and see what they are posting. You can share their posts on your site. Get social and your business will grow.

Check out Tom’s Weekly Radio show at http://kmmsam.com Every Saturday Noon to 2 PM Mountain Time - Follow Tom on Facebook at facebook.com/smalltownmarketing and on Twitter @smalltownmarket