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University of Wisconsin Oshkosh alumnus Daniel Burrus ‘71, of Hartland, has done it all in the business and entrepreneurial world as a keynote speaker, business strategist and global futurist.

The New York Times has referred to him as one of the top three business gurus for speaking to businesses about how to strategize for new and upcoming technology that drives economic changes. Burrus founded six companies and serves as founder and CEO of Burrus Research Associates. He currently travels worldwide to give keynote presentations through extensive business research and presents technology forecasts.

While a student at UWO, Burrus became one of the first undergraduate students in the nation to direct a federal research grant.

“I didn’t let being an undergraduate keep me from making a bigger difference or from doing something that had never been done,” Burrus said. “It was a great experience and I learned about the power of original research and applying it to real life.”

Not only does he manage his own company, speak and research strategies, but he also is a contributing blogger to popular sites like Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post and Wired Magazine.

Burrus’ interest in writing began in his third year at UW Oshkosh, where he earned an education degree with a social science minor and published his first professional article.

“During [college], I did deliver a number of speeches, but at the time I didn’t realize that in the future, I would be a high-demand keynote speaker,” Burrus said.

He put himself through college by playing lead guitar in a rock band called the Chicago Army, which featured music similar to the blues, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Allman Brothers and more.

“We played from Green Bay to Milwaukee, and in Oshkosh, we played the most at The Cove,” Burrus said. “At the time, it had the largest room for music. I still play a little every day and as a guest with bands on occasion.”

After graduation, Burrus started as a science teacher in the early to mid 1970s. He started four businesses during this time and sold them in 1982. He then began research in global innovations.

Burrus became the first and only futurist to accurately predict the 20 technologies that would help drive companies economically in 1983, which eventually launched his business forecasting career.

“They included the Internet, the digital revolution, lasers, fiber optics, molecular design, robots, genetics, parallel processing and what we now call cloud computing, to name a few,” Burrus said.

In 2001, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from UW Oshkosh, which highlighted his success on being inducted into the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame.

Burrus founded Visionary Apps, LLC in 2009, a company that developed the first mobile apps for military and emergency response personnel, as well as the first national real estate apps for smart phones.

Currently, Burrus has presented more than 2,800 keynote presentations around the nation and the globe. He has traveled as far as Beijing, Moscow, Singapore and South Africa, and has addressed audiences as large as 14,000.

Since his career launch, Burrus has published six books, including his latest Flash Foresight, many of them labeled best-sellers by the New York Times and Amazon, and hundreds of articles.

Throughout his career, Burrus has had top-named clients, like Google, IBM, Yahoo!, Sara Lee and more, helping them use technology to do things they thought were impossible. He uses humor and insights to motivate his audiences.

In his free time, Burrus plays  instruments and enjoys photography, boating and motorcycling.

Burrus encourages current students to keep thinking bigger, and not let what they may think is a big idea stop them from finding an even bigger idea.

“Choose to be extraordinary on a daily basis,” Burrus said. “Before doing something, ask yourself what would an extraordinary person do, and do that instead.”

Burrus was reassured by his professors at UWO to keep pursuing his dreams and that made a difference in his career.

“A university has buildings and equipment, but it will always be the people, and your willingness to engage, that will make your experience great,” Burrus said.

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