As director of South Dakota Center for Enterprise Opportunity (SD CEO), Michelle provides business counseling and resource guidance to aspiring and established entrepreneurs. She and the SD CEO team bring outstanding workshops, networking opportunities and conferences to professional women across the state while promoting entrepreneurship, leadership and thinking outside the box. 

Prior to joining SD CEO, Michelle owned Black Hills PR, a public relations firm she launched in 2011. Headquartered in Spearfish, Black Hills PR designed marketing, social media and PR programs for local, regional and national clients including three years traveling with a professional rodeo association.

Michelle’s experience as a small business owner fuels her ability to help entrepreneurs define and grow their business. Her experience as an employee, project manager, people manager and now an intrapreneur shapes her ability to encourage, lead and inspire those who work for someone else but still want to do big things by accessing the entrepreneurial toolbox of creativity, resilience, grit and innovation.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Advertising from San Jose State University and is a fourth-generation Californian who says that she “found her spot” moving to Spearfish in 2005.

Michelle believes that there is a room in the workplace for focused kindness, gratitude and self-care along with hard work and getting results … and that THIS is the intersection where becoming a successful intrapreneur begins.

Married to Mike for 29 years, they have one son, Jack, and live in Spearfish.

QUOTE:

“While a company can support real innovation and growth, being an intrapreneur starts with you. What you think is what you become so think big and look to create real change in your workplace!”  – Michelle Kane