Bio
’06 economics, marketing, Iowa State University
Owner, First Fleet Concerts
Des Moines, Iowa
Sam’s entrepreneurial spirit is something he has nurtured since childhood. It grew to fruition after he started his genre-diverse promotional company, First Fleet Concerts, while still a student double-majoring in economics and marketing at Iowa State University. If asked at present, he may even say that he is just breaking through the soil as he is someone who is always looking to expand upon the empire he and his partners have built in the Des Moines metro and greater Midwest region, bringing entertainment and a sense of community to the people.
Sam and partners, Josh Ivey and Rafe Mateer, opened Wooly’s in 2012, contributing to the revitalization efforts in Des Moines’ historic East Village neighborhood. The following year, the trio opened Up-Down, a 21+ arcade bar in the East Village. Committed to growth and the music, Sam is also widely regarded as having revamped festival culture in the Midwest with Hinterland, a three-day festival in the wooded hills of St. Charles just south of the metro. In its infancy, Hinterland was intended to bring music to the people in an outdoor setting reflective of the great festivals of the past which were centered on the love of the music and sense of community. In the near decade since the first festival in 2015, Hinterland has brought artists like Zach Bryan, Noah Kahan, and Chappell Roan to Iowa.
Sam and his team of loyal followers have amassed 3 entertainment venues, and 9 dining/drink establishments in nine states across the US. First Fleet Concerts has been booking and promoting for Wooly’s, Val Air Ballroom, and over two dozen other venues in Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois. Up-Down has quickly gained esteem as a playful environment for adults to enjoy arcade games, pinball machines, and throwback classics such as skee-ball and vintage gaming consoles. Since opening the initial location in the East Village, seven more Up-Downs have sprouted in Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and soon, Alabama.
Sam’s recent focus has been on restoring the historic Val Air Ballroom and renovating the basement to create additional spaces for people to come together. He enjoys creating aesthetics that honor the historical beauty of his spaces while updating them to include modern amenities that meet the wants and needs of today’s attendees.
Sam’s favorite part about entrepreneurship is the brainstorming and big-idea phase. The most exciting part of entrepreneurship to him is thinking through a big idea and knowing it may never happen, while holding onto the possibility that it could. Risk is an important part of entrepreneurship and something that he learned and embraced early on.
When Sam isn’t working, he enjoys spending his time with his family and appreciating the outdoors. He often emphasizes that no business venture is more important than family, and this is reflected in the environment he creates for the hundreds of people his businesses employ. Sam recognizes how much work goes into ensuring things run smoothly, and that patrons/attendees and performers alike have a positive experience.
His hope for his time in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council is to create conversations to ensure students are prepared to understand and take risks when presenting their ideas in the real world.