Dear BYOBiz community:
It has been a busy winter! We’re writing to keep you up-to-date on everything that’s happened recently on- and off-campus with BYOBiz.
We officially introduced the BYOBiz Inaugural Class to the Champlain community and to the public at the Cornerstone Awards ceremony November 13 in Champlain’s IDX Student Life Center. Each of our six inaugural members—Pete Bruhn and Pete Jewett of GoTradingPost.com, Ben Haulenbeek of Ben Haulenbeek Photography, Jason Nikel of Third Shift Clothing, Ben Kaufman of Mophie, Inc. and Justine Macris of Crash Technologies—received a true cornerstone: a block of North Barre, Vt. granite engraved with the name of their business in recognition of their role as an original BYOBiz entrepreneur.
Two-step entry into BYOBiz: In December, Business faculty member Robin Lane and BYOBiz co-Director Charlie Nagelschmidt helped students kick-off the Champlain Entrepreneurs' Club, designed for those students whose business ideas are still being formed. As a BYOBiz incubator, the Entrepreneurs' Club will funnel members with newly developed business plans into the BYOBiz program. The Entrepreneurs’ Club is open to students campus-wide in any major who have an interest in running their own business. This is a great way to build on dreams and nurture ideas.
New BYOBiz business! Champlain senior Thomas Deckman has launched Fusion Catering of Vermont (802-264-9865). Tom has worked diligently in the restaurant and catering businesses, gathering knowledge and saving capital. He completed his Senior Seminar in the Work-based Learning course with Prof. Jim Thornton and gained advice and expertise from the Vermont Small Business Development Center (thank you, Richard Munkelwitz!). Congratulations and good luck, Tom!
We were thrilled to win a $5,000 Coleman/Hughes Elevator Grant for the BYOBiz Speaker Series from the Coleman Foundation and the John E. Hughes Foundation at the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference in Orlando in January. Charlie, Robin and Greg Morgan, Champlain’s director of foundation and corporate support, attended. The grant will partially fund the expenses of the Speaker Series beginning March 15 and will help us achieve sustainability for future educational events.
The inaugural Speaking from Experience: Entrepreneurship Series 2007 will be held Thursday, March 15 and will feature two events in Champlain’s Alumni Auditorium. At 5:00 p.m., Michelle Bushneff, president and co-founder of Plan B Enterprises, Inc., will speak on “Beyond Games: strategically crafting your intellectual properties,” presented in conjunction with Champlain’s Electronic Game and Interactive Development Program and the Division of Communication & Creative Media. At 7:00, Champlain Marketing Professor Jay McKee will host “Retailing in the Millennium: Challenges and Opportunities," a panel discussion featuring short presentations and a Q&A with Yves Bradley of The Body Shop, Roger Frey of Earl's Cyclery & Fitness, Edward Shepard of Small Dog Electronics, Chris Middings of Lake Champlain Chocolates and Kyle Thompson, aka Fattie B of Steez. Each will speak about his own particular approach to retailing.
Wednesday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m., Professor McKee will host a discussion and Q&A with Bob Verrico of Giant Step Strategies, on the topic "Using the latest technology to place a value on your customer," also in Alumni Auditorium.
We invite you and others you know would be interested to attend. All events are open to the public. The Speaking from Experience: Entrepreneurship Series 2007, which will host other events this fall, is sponsored in part by a grant from the Coleman Foundation.
We're continuing to help students refine their business concepts and models. Several are moving quickly toward the point at which we'll be calling on those of you who volunteered to help mentor our students to the next level. Dave Binch is matchmaker on these efforts.
We appreciate your willingness to assist our student entrepreneurs and look forward to building our relationship with you.
Best Regards,
Charlie and Dave
