Advisory Board Spotlight: Pat Dillon
TLI Board Chair Pat Dillon spent four years on active duty in the U.S. Navy. After her active duty ended, she joined the reserves in 1982 and retired in 2017, with one combat tour in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Along the way she rose through the ranks from E-1 to Commander. She earned her B.S. and an MBA from Winona State University in 1986 and 1991, respectively. During her career, she has worked at academic and non-profit organizations.
In 2021, she founded MNSBIR, Inc. to deliver vital business and technical assistance to startups and small businesses to secure federal research funding to convert research into products and services. Pat has over 45 years of knowledge, experience, and relationships that has impacted hundreds of businesses to compete and win more than $250M in funding. She has served on the TLI advisory board since 2006, and currently serves as chair. She was kind enough to speak to us about her career path and what led her to TLI.
Q: Hi Pat! I know you were in the reserves while going to school full-time, and you had a young daughter at the time as well. That must have been a challenge, given the average collegiate schedule.
A: It was a very busy time. I was going to school full-time, my daughter was four or five years old when I started at Winona State University. I also worked part-time in the Admissions office to help other veterans get their educational benefits started, which I really enjoyed. Then I was doing my weekend drills in Glenview, Illinois, (Chicago area) at anti-submarine warfare squadron, and it was probably the best five years of my naval career. It was just phenomenal comradery.
Q: You did your undergrad and then went on to earn a master's degree at Winona back-to-back as well.
A: Yes. I had to use up all my benefits and I had many people say, just do it. Just get it done and just don't stop and then try to go back.
Q: Anyone who starts out as an E-1 and goes out as a Commander is doing something right.
A: A can-do attitude was written up in my performance evaluation when I was a young Sailor. For me the Navy was so many things, but when you're a young person and you don't quite know what it is that you want to do in life, and you get exposed to something and there's a path, it's just laid right out for you and it's up to you to take it. That is amazing. And I had some great mentors and leaders along the way.
Q: How did you decide on the area you wanted to specialize in?
A: When you want to join the Navy, they give you the ASVAB test, which is the aptitude test, and it turned out I have an administrative-mechanical aptitude. That makes sense because I grew up on a farm and it didn’t matter that I was a girl, our father had us working on everything.
Taking that test and being categorized in aviation administration was such a blessing because it was such a good fit for me. I excelled and did very well. In this position, the rating included an advanced discipline called a data analyst. Before desktop computers, the Navy had data processing centers to process the maintenance data from the aircraft, engines, and components. As a data analyst, I had to make sure the codes matched the requirements on the required form otherwise it would create an error report. I loved being a data analyst.
In 1990, I was encouraged to submit my application for a commission. I was fortunate to be selected and was later commissioned an Ensign. I started all over again, but so glad that I am a Mustang. That is a unique status afforded to someone who ahs come up the ranks from Chief Petty Officer to Commissioned service. In 1995, I transitioned from the aviation community to the intelligence community, which led me to serve in multiple units, and an all-expense paid trip to Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012. After another five years, I retired in June 2017. I think 40 years and 4 days was enough!
Q: Tell us a little bit about MNSBIR, Inc.
A: MNSBIR, Inc. is a science and technology-based nonprofit organization that helps startups and small businesses to research, develop and commercialize technologies into novel products and services for domestic and global markets by leveraging the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs.
We act as the liaison between the companies that are trying to get access to those dollars and helping them navigate the federal R&D arena to secure non-dilutive funding. We work very closely with the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic and the private sector firms to across 11 federal agencies and the spectrum of science and technology.
I dedicated 30 years of my professional career to helping companies navigate these incredibly important funding to convert research into new products and services. To me, it supports the American Dream!
Q: Did SBIR have a lot of funding back then?
A: President Reagan signed the SBIR Program into law in May 1982. It was such an invaluable program for many firms including Qualcomm, the granddaddy of the programs. In 1982, the SBIR Program was a $500 million program. Today the SBIR and STTR Programs provide over $4 billion a year. It is commonly called America’s Seed Fund.
Q: How did the Minnesota SBIR support get started?
A: In Minnesota, it all was started by Governor Perpich and a Small Business Commission. The civic leaders recognized that Minnesota firms needed a resource to access this new funding. Minnesota Project Innovation (MPI) was formed in 1984 and existed for 20 years until 2003. The state had a huge budget deficit that impacted many organizations, ours included. We did not survive even though I worked very hard in 2004 to try to save it. I wasn't successful.
After MPI, I was hired by the University of Wisconsin. Governor Doyle led a new initiative called the Grow Wisconsin Plan and the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network. I was with the UW for about nine years. And then I came back to Minnesota, and in 2014, we (MEDA and I) applied for funding to restart SBIR support in the state.
And it's been a long journey since then, and I felt it was time to get it back to being an independent organization with our own board of directors, vision and mission.
And I thought, I'm frankly at the stage in my career where it's either now or never. I don't want to end my career wondering if I should have done it or not. So I just said, you know what? If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I started the nonprofit in March of 2021 because there was a lot of things that had to fall into place in order to launch in October of 2022. And this year we secured a million dollars in funding through the legislature.
Q: That’s not easy to do.
A: We’ve got a great story. We've helped lots of companies and helped bring in $68 million into the state through those two programs since 2014.
We operate in the world of innovation, entrepreneurship, startups, and small businesses. Navigating the federal R&D arena is challenging and overwhelming for many firms. We are the SBIR Sherpa to bring federal dollars back to Minnesota.
Q: How long does it take for initiatives like MNSBIR to pan out?
I tell people it’s like a slow-moving train. Congress authorized the SBIR Program in 1982, and then STTR was authorized in 1992. It takes about 20 years for a government program to realize its full potential. My philosophy is that it follows a product life cycle for products that start in the lab before it reaches critical mass.
Q: How did you end up on the TLI board?
A: It wasn’t too difficult. I've known about TLI for a long time. And in fact, when it was CDTL (Center for the Development of Technological Leadership) I met with (former TLI director) Massoud Amin and he had all these beautiful materials. I was just so envious.
I have known many people along the way who were instrumental to TLI’s mission and programs. Brian Isle is one person who comes to the forefront. I also count him as a mentor over the years.
ScaleUp Minnesota is a program Mark Sanders is leading, and I helped with the application to secure the funding from Launch Minnesota. It's just another step on the pathway for many startups who are growing and need more guidance and support from experienced professionals.
Q: How does TLI fit into that business incubator space? You mentioned Mark Sander’s ScaleUp program. Would you like to see more of that?
A: I would like to see more. There's a certain amount of cachet that comes along with TLI and a course or a certificate program offered by experienced people, there can be a lot of synergy in that relationship.
Q: What in your view is the next big thing? What's the thing that TLI can do to capture that future?
A: There's a lot going on at TLI. You can see that in the social media posts that are always popping up. There’s a lot more going on than there was in the past. (TLI director) Allison Hubel has shown remarkable leadership, and I’ve learned from her. Pat Lawton, Chip Laingen, Travis Thul, Mark Sanders are all doing amazing things. It’s been exciting to see the changes Allison’s been making. Even so, I was planning to resign just because I’ve been so busy. But I wound up rescinding my resignation. I joined in 2006, and I became board chair last year. Next year will be my last on the board.
It's an exciting time in the federal R&D enterprise in this country. We've got academic institutions, we've got nonprofits, we've got federal labs, we have large businesses, we have small businesses, of course in startups. It's like this whole force of nature, if you will, to advance science and technology to ensure our country continues as a world leader of innovation. I feel like it’s going to have a big impact in the future.