Rob Cimperman Email & Phone Number

Rob brings a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation to his role as Launch Minnesota Director. In this role, he works to further build the innovation ecosystem in Minnesota by supporting the growth and acceleration of startups throughout the state. He recently served as Integrator / Chief Operating Officer of MAPerformance, an e-commerce company with a passion for making automotive performance dreams become reality. Prior to this he served as NORAM VP of Sales and Marketing for Thales. Rob led sales and marketing activities for the Identity Management (Biometrics) Business, which served federal, state and local governments throughout North America.Earlier roles included Global Business Director for 3M Aerospace and Commercial Transportation Division and President of Aearo Technologies llc, from 2013-2015. He also led strategy and business development for 3M Industrial Business Group. In this capacity, he led the strategic planning process and M&A for IBG, a $10B+ business within 3M. He also led New Growth Ventures, which took a venture-based approach to organic incubation of new businesses within 3M IBG.He also led Lean Six Sigma and Hoshin Kanri deployment across 3M IBG. Earlier in his career, Rob held a variety of positions within 3M Corporate Marketing, 3M Commercial Graphics, and 3M Aerospace. During this time, he gained expertise in leading a large global business, strategic planning, M&A strategy, Six Sigma and product marketing.Prior to joining 3M, Rob held a variety of sales and marketing positions within Columbus-McKinnon, a broad-based industrial equipment manufacturer, and Mallinckrodt, a large health care company. Rob earned a BS in marketing from Virginia Tech and an MBA in marketing and strategy from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis.Expertise in:Strategic and Operating Planning at all levels - corporate, international, division, business unit and subsidiary. Specific expertise in Hoshin Kanri Deployment.Leading external growth opportunities, including licensing, outsourcing and M&A.Marketing and Business Management across multiple industries.Rob also serves at times as an adjunct instructor at Augsburg University (MBA program) in Minneapolis and University of Wisconsin River Falls (undergraduate business school). He also volunteers as a business advisor to the University of Minnesota Business Advisory Group and has served as a business mentor for SCORE, a non-profit that supports local entrepreneurs.