The McQuinn Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership is dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship in the food and agriculture sector. The Center exists in the Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS) at the University of Missouri’s Columbia campus.

The Center was founded as a result of the generous gift of Al and Mary Agnes McQuinn to the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources in 2004. From the unrestricted gift, the Dean of the College, Dr. Tom Payne, was able to develop a State of Missouri match to create a chair in entrepreneurship named in honor of the McQuinns. Al McQuinn founded the Ag-Chem Equipment Company in Minnesota in 1963, less than ten years after graduating from the College. He and his wife were consummate innovator-entrepreneurs in the special agricultural equipment industry, leaders in the development of precision agriculture — the data-centered approach to effective, efficient, and environmentally responsible crop production. In the Center, we seek to encourage the spirit of innovation and leadership that Al and Mary Agnes McQuinn exemplified over the past five decades.

The faculty, staff, and students associated with the McQuinn Center welcome your comments and inquiries.