Innovate State is a collaboration between the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and the MSU Innovation Center.

Hosted in the Gaynor Entrepreneurship Lab, Innovate State welcomes successful Spartan alumni back to campus for a fireside chat. Guests share their perspectives on everything from launching startups to experiencing success and failure to building dynamic and nurturing work cultures.

Donald Bryant Jr. is the founder and CEO of Alden Group (Alden Oils), starting in 2007 and having a goal of providing healthy cooking oils to the world, it is currently the largest minority-owned food-grade oil processing company in the United States. With offices in Michigan and South Dakota, the company serves a variety of industries and customers including Frito-Lay, Quaker, Sysco, Walmart, Amazon, and Team Foods (Colombia and Chile) and has grown to be a major supplier of Organic and Non-GMO food-grade oils around the world. Being a graduate from Michigan State University, he received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the Broad School of Management as well as a Doctorate of Ministry degree from Luther Seminary. Bryant currently continues his time as the CEO of Alden Oils while spending time with his wife, Camille and his three kids, Kennedi, Isaiah, and Payton.

Find Donald on LinkedIn.