Brian Kueppers exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit Saint John’s University fosters and, in turn, helps younger Johnnies foster theirs. 

Kueppers, who founded healthcare IT and document design company Apex Information Technologies in 1995, started his first venture as a student when he opened a video rental store in Mary Hall. 

He grew Apex to 185 employees and $122 million in annual revenue and imbued it with Benedictine values, earning honors including being named to Minnesota Business Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Healthiest Employers. He was SJU and CSB’s Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016. Kueppers stepped down from Apex after merging with RevSpring in 2018 and now puts his business acumen to work as the principal of BWK Advisors, a partner in MY SALON Suite of Minnesota and a board member for a variety of companies. 

He personally supports non-profits such as St. Jude Children’s Cancer Research Hospital, Wounded Warrior Project and CROSS Catholic Relief Services.

Kueppers is a McNeely Center mentor who shares his expertise to help current Johnnies and Bennies developing business ventures of their own.