Category: AEP

Austin Entrepreneurship Program

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SOLVE: Take your business to the next level

Your business is constantly growing and evolving, aiming to get to the next level of success. As it changes, it will move through various stages of the business life cycle. In this OSU College of Business SOLVE panel, we explore how businesses adapt, evolve and shift. A panel of experts will discuss roadblocks, challenges and successes you will have to navigate as your business grows.

 

Date: July 18, 2017
Time: 5-7 pm
Location: Moss Adams
805 SW Broadway, Suite 1100
Portland, OR 97205

 

Our panel of Oregon companies will explore how to take a business to the next level, whether that is launching a startup, developing a strategic growth plan for an established business, or how companies adapt to market and technology shifts.

Don’t miss this event where we bring leaders in our business community and higher education together to SOLVE business challenges and address critical issues. Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served.

Meet the panel

Julie Desimone, CPA, Partner, Moss Adams
Amol Joshi, Assistant Professor, College of Business, OSU
Jim Fagan, CEO Malarkey Roofing Products
Jill Nelson, CEO Ruby Receptionists


Your response is requested by Tuesday, July 11, 2017.

We look forward to seeing you there.

With thanks to our host:

Moss Adans logo SOLVE: Take your business to the next level

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Week 7: Academic and Athletic Excellence for Harrison

Oregon State College of Business' baseball player KJ Harrison named to CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 team

We are excited to share this news: College of Business junior KJ Harrison and two more of his baseball teammates were named to the CoSIDA (Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-District 8 team. Our men’s baseball team is the only Division-I team across the eight districts to have three players selected. All three are in the running to become Academic All-Americans – the premier awards program in intercollegiate athletics for honoring combined academic and athletic excellence. We’ll hear about that in early June. Congratulations, and good luck!

In more good news for Harrison, Oregon State baseball holds onto its no. 1 national ranking and clinched the Pac-12 title this weekend. Go Beavs!

Fridays in Austin: Entrepreneurship

Fridays in Austin this week features entrepreneurship. Some of our outstanding Oregon State alumni will share experiences, including sales techniques for startups, crowdfunding campaign strategies, commercial real estate, venture capital, angel financing and more.

Our speakers include John Stirek, President of Western Operations for Trammell Crow Company, technology consultant Dan Ellis, Bruce Carpenter from PGE, Jake VanderZanden with OTTO DesignWorks, Mike Hermens from Capgemini, and many others. The Marketplace will feature “Startup Central”  company tables from local startups for a great opportunity to network and learn.

Advising

Here is an important update for all design students: The course designator DHE will be replaces by DSGN. When looking for design courses during fall term registration, you will need to search for DSGN, in addition to DHE. DHE courses are equivalent to DSGN courses, and they will still fulfill your MyDegrees requirements. DHE will eventually be phased out, and all courses will become DSGN.

Be ready: fall term registration begins May 21. More information about registering for courses, including how to look up your assigned fall registration day/time, is here. We also posted a narrative about what a good experience it is to become a “first friend” for international students entering the College of Business from abroad. They are recruiting for fall term so go online to apply.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

The College of Business Undergraduate Graduation Celebration takes place Fri., June 16, from 2 – 4 pm at the Austin Hall Plaza (outdoor) and Austin Marketplace (indoor). This is chance for graduates to bring their families together at Austin Hall prior to the formal university event on Saturday. Greetings from Dean Mitzi Montoya at 3 pm. Refreshing drinks and light fare. RSVP here by May 31.

Graduate students and their families can attend this smaller, more intimate celebration of the graduate degree accomplishments in our home setting one day ahead of the OSU commencement. Dress is business attire. Reception immediately following Austin Hall Plaza (tented outdoors) and Austin Marketplace (indoor). Refreshing drinks and light fare. Information about seating and RSVPs will accompany an exit survey in coming days. (Remember, the OSU Commencement is Sat., June 17. Details here.)

Finally, don’t forget to get your tickets for the 12th annual Oregon State Spring Fashion Show will be for in Milam Hall Room 224 from May 3 – 19, Wednesdays 2-4 pm and Fridays 11 am-1 pm, cash only. The show is Saturday, May 20 at the SEC Plaza. Doors open at 7 pm, and the show starts at 8 pm.

 

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COB Arthur Stonehill International Business Exchange Buddy Program

COB Arthur Stonehill International Business Exchange Buddy Program

By Ashlie Cooper, Business Information Systems and Entrepreneurship major, College of Business

Oregon State College of Buiness exchange studentsMoving to a country that you have never visited before can be very intimidating for even the most ambitious of young college students. After packing all of your belongings, flying overseas and arriving at your new home and starting a new school, settling in can be an overwhelming process.  It can be hard to make friends, too, as an international student. If you’ve ever been the “new kid” you might have a sense of what some may feel shortly after arriving. In a country different than your own, there may be variances in language, culture and environment, which can create a barrier when attempting to connect with others.  Luckily, when students in the College of Business Exchange Program travel internationally to Oregon State University, they are offered the opportunity to have a friend through the COB Buddy Program.

Becoming a buddy can also appeal to local students as well, giving them a unique opportunity to make a friend and create an intercontinental partnership.  The COB exchange program partners with 13 colleges worldwide, including Spain, Thailand, Germany, along with several others. Being a buddy essentially means that you are volunteering your support as a friend to an international student.  Helping someone become acclimated to a new environment can be very rewarding for both parties. As they arrive in the states, many buddies will meet their international counterpart at the airport to welcome them, give some direction and answer any questions they may have. Buddies are often the first friend that an incoming exchange student makes.

Being a part of the exchange program can be incredibly beneficial to both parties involved. Building a relationship with someone of another culture and perspective can help with developing a deeper understanding of these differences. Networking, building a connection with others, and leadership are all critical skill to have in the business field, making it a great way for students to build skills through real life experience.

Buddy Time Commitments

It’s recommended that buddies schedule at least one hour a week to spend time together, whether it be going to an event on campus, or just catching up over coffee. Buddies are also encouraged to invite their new friend to a variety of activities, to help them feel welcomed at OSU. Each buddy relationship is an open-ended partnership, whose terms are mostly determined by each individual buddy relationship. Many turn into lifelong friendships and can really shape the experience a student has on their travels abroad.

The College of Business is the only program on campus that gives international exchange students an opportunity to partner up with an OSU full-time student. Since international business is of great interest to many students, developing this type of understanding can assist in future international interactions.

Becoming a buddy was a great decision for me because it’s allowed me to meet many people I would not have had the opportunity to otherwise. I’ve learned a lot about the differences between our world at OSU and universities in other countries, not to mention, learning to be a good friend and helping my buddy adjust and feel welcome.

Students who want to become a buddy at OSU complete a short survey to indicate their preferences for gender, home country, and even specify if they speak another language, in order to be matched appropriately with an incoming exchange student. Most of the time, a buddy will just be for one term, but some students stay for two or more terms. Students who decide to become a buddy will often choose to apply again, because of the great experiences they had with their new international friends.

How the Buddy System Helps

Christina Knudsen, an international exchange student from Denmark, shared why the COB Buddy Program was important to her. “I decided to sign up for the buddy program because it was an opportunity to establish contact with a person that would be able to help me with whatever question I could come up with. I’m far away from home, which means that the buddy program gave me an opportunity to get in touch with someone who would be able to guide me in the right direction. It made my trip to the US a whole lot easier knowing that a person would welcome me. Being paired with a great buddy like Ashlie was just a lucky coincidence!”

Connie Caddis, the assistant international exchange coordinator and College of Business academic advisor has goals of growing the program into a student club.  Students could join to share their international experiences and plan events and outings together.  With the program growing, she envisions more events for participants to engage in creating an atmosphere in which students can intermingle and build lasting relationships. “I’d love to see more events be planned for buddies to attend to allow a comfortable place to spend time together, like a day trip to Newport Beach, or a hike and picnic outing in the local area,” Caddis said. Making the program into a club will also allow for greater funding opportunities and student involvement.

“Studying abroad opens people’s eyes to different cultures. One thing I learned from incoming exchange students is that they always perceive everyone in the States as so friendly. I’m glad they get that impression” Caddis adds, “And many are impressed by all the facilities and resources we have on campus. We’re lucky to have such a great campus where there are plenty of things going on every day.”

How to Get Involved

To get involved in the COB international exchange buddy program, students are encouraged to apply online, or contact Connie Caddis with questions or concerns. Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2017 term.  This is a great opportunity for COB students to branch out, learn something new, and change your perspective.   Visit this webpage for more information:   http://business.oregonstate.edu/advising/international-business-option/be-cob-buddy

(Pictured: Ashlie on left and her international exchange buddy, Christina)

 

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Week 5 Highlights: Leatherman Keynote & Shark Tank!

Oregon State College of Business Tim Leatherman Dean's Executive SeriesFirst of all, a big congratulations to Innovation Nation and the first-year entrepreneurs. Their Spring Company Show last week was such a success. What a great Friday that was, with the Marketplace packed with almost 70 business teams displaying their product lines, and hundreds of guests including some of our most distinguished alumni.

Don’t miss this week’s Dean’s Executive Series, which brings Oregon State alumnus Tim Leatherman (pictured) into Austin Hall. Tim is the chairman and co-founder of Leatherman Tool Group, and he will tell his story, “How a Boy Scout Knife with Pliers Transformed an Industry.” Tim combined his entrepreneurial spirit with engineering knowledge to become a major global multi-function tool manufacturer. (Who needs a Swiss army when we have Beaver ingenuity?)

Tim is the keynote speaker for the OSU Invitational Shark Tank Competition, hosted each year by the OSU Entrepreneurship Club. So, following the discussion, support our students competing against teams from the University of Oregon in a Shark Tank-style pitch competition.

The “sharks” are investors and entrepreneurs from across Oregon: Ben Rivera, president and CEO of Leatherman Tool Group; Celeste Edman, CEO of Lunar Logic; and Jon Maroney, partner of the Oregon Angel Fund. RSVP.

Shark Tank is just part of the lineup on Friday, May 5 — when Fridays in Austin features Design. Alumni and industry partners from companies including Nike, Columbia, Ziba, SmithCFI, Henderer Design and others. There are three discussion panels as well as professional development workshops, networking, and corporate tabling in the Marketplace.

As well, don’t miss the Design Showcase, which will feature the senior design capstone projects on the first floor of Austin HAll. This is your chance to see the beautiful work of our interior design, apparel design and merchandising students on display, talk to the artists (11 am -12 pm), and learn more about the design programs here at Oregon State.

The Works newsletter this week is filled with important updates from our Advising office (some important academic changes outlined here in a blog post) and all the important deadlines for spring and summer, and other events, too. Check your inbox, or look online.

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Spring Term Week 4 Highlights: Careers and Innovation

Oregon State College of BusinessWelcome to Week 4, a busy one, as usual.

We have two of our favorite themes for you this week – Careers and Innovation.

But first a quick callout of our blog post outlining all the important academic updates this week from College of Business advising. Read this post and prepare for fall scheduling.

Now back to Careers: The spring OSU career expo is this week on Wed., April 26. They’ve got hundreds of employers lined up to attend. As well there is a companion diversity career symposium, providing a full day of career building sessions for diverse students; both events are at LaSells.

Also on Wednesday, in Austin Hall we have the spring accounting job fair, from 1 to 4 pm with employers from the State of Oregon, Jones & Roth, Precision Castparts, Moss Adams, and others.

One day ahead of the university event is the health professions expo hosted by the College of Science, which welcomes student from all majors.

Fridays in Austin’s theme this week is Innovation, and we bring in industry professionals from companies including Starbucks, Nike and WiLAN Inc. We also have a jobs seminar for international students, and a professional development workshop on cover-letter writing.

Friday in Austin will also be buzzing with Innovation Nation’s Spring Company Show. The first-year entrepreneurs will be displaying and selling their products in three sessions in the Austin Marketplace and 2nd floor.

Oregon State College of BusinesssWe’d like to put this on your radar: save the date for next week’s Dean’s Executive Series Lecture featuring a keynote address from Tim Leatherman, OSU alum, chairman of the board, and co-founder of Leatherman Tools. He’ll discuss the story of Leatherman, creators of all-in-one tools. Tim’s keynote will kickoff the Shark Tank competition, hosted here by the Entrepreneurs Club and InnovationX.

There’s more, if you can believe it, and it is all in The Works. So look for that newsletter in your inbox, or read it online.

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Spring Term Week 3 Highlights: Networking and Finance

A quick thanks to all of you and to the Austin Family Business Program for making our first Fridays in Austin of the term a powerful success. Now we look forward to this week’s highlights:

With the university’s Spring 2017 Career Expo just ten days away – and more than one hundred employers attending – you have plenty more opportunities to continue to use the professional development platforms and services here in Austin Hall to get ready for that big day, too.

For starters, there’s Friday’s morning networking coffee with the finance industry leaders who will speak for Fridays in Austin events. The event also features the Oregon State Investment Group, a student-led organization that actively manages a $1.8 million equity portfolio for the OSU Foundation.

This kicks off the Finance-themed Fridays in Austin lineup, which includes discussion panels on asset management, financial institutions, student-led discussions of their internship experience, and expert tips to “network your way” to an internship.

Goldman Sachs will have an informational session covering their employment and internship opportunities, while KPMG experts will help you polish up your resume.

Not to be missed are the team-building sessions in the HWeekend. This Friday evening event will help match participants to projects in advance of the weekend’s build session.

This week’s Impact Oregon innovation workshop will be a hands-on session on conceptualization and “crummy” prototyping. Drop by the DAMLab Makerspace on Friday from 2 – 3:30 pm. All these Impact Oregon workshops will help build your concepts and ideas and prepare you for the statewide competition – but you will also learn some cool things along the way.

Also, be sure to visit the Family Business Boardroom: Making it to the C-Suite in Privately-Held Enterprises event featuring Lisa Weiglin, head of talent development for Endeavour Capital, a leading private equity investment firm with offices in Seattle, Portland, Denver and Los Angeles.

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Spring Term Week 2 Highlights: Dean’s Distinguished Lecture

Certainly, this week’s “don’t miss” event is the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture with alumnus Trey Winthrop, the chief financial officer from Bob’s Red Mill. The Milwaukie, Oregon company is an employee-owned operation that places high value on people and relationships. Winthrop will discuss how the company balances growth, strategy and processes in such an environment. RSVP and reserve your place for the Fri., April 14, 10 am event in Stirek Auditorium (Austin 183).

Oregon State College of BusinessIn conjunction with the Austin Family Business Program, Fridays in Austin events will center on the workings of successful family businesses. You can hear from Travis Boersma, president & co-founder of Dutch Bros. Coffee (and runner-up for “don’t miss” event of the week!), who started the company with his brother. RSVP for his talk here. Other events include a discussion panel of financial advisors focused on positioning family businesses to succeed for future generations. Review the Family Business Day page for more details. It’s an all-star lineup!

Also, design students, today is the last day to sign up  for the Senior Mentoring Event. This Portland event pairs seniors in apparel design, interior design, graphic design, or merchandising management with a professional in the student’s field. Apply with your resume.

We’d like to say congratulations to Steven Miller and Moriah Shay! They are among the honorees receiving the Outreach and Engagement Vice Provost Award of Excellence for their “Thinker Tinker Trailer, The College of Business Mobile Makerspace.” In addition to the accolades associated with recognition as one of 10 outstanding examples of outreach and engagement work at Oregon State, they have won $1,000.

As well, let’s congratulate Nathan Braaten, who won the InnovationX PitchFest for his work creating wearable jewelry embedded with a safety alert system.

Remember, all of our news and events information highlights are in The Works, so don’t miss it!

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Spring Term Week 1 Highlights

Welcome back, students! We hope you are rested and refreshed from your spring break adventures, and ready to get back to business. Here are a few highlights of this week’s important happenings that you don’t want to miss.

— The Career Success Center has a few more openings to join the multi-day Travel Friday road trip to Seattle. View more information here.

Don’t miss this opportunity! The Senior Mentoring Event will pair a senior in Apparel Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design, and/or Merchandising Management with a professional in the student’s field for a morning of conversation, input, and professional networking advice. Apply with your resume by April 10.

— The official application deadline for HWeekend is April 5 — but it fills up quickly (like, really quickly) so do not delay, and apply today.

— Impact Oregon, the statewide invention challenge, will have a kickoff meeting on Thurs., April 6. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn you through the process of getting an idea out of your head and into a product cycle.

— Advising has opened the spring pro-school application process. Here is the link.

— Our Fridays in Austin platform will begin its run for spring term next week.

— Our full lineup is in The Works (as usual) so don’t miss it!

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College of Business dominates Civil War Shark Tank

DiscJam founder Alex Dassise fires away with his throwable speaker.
DiscJam founder Alex Dassise fires away with his throwable speaker.

Teams of student entrepreneurs from the College of Business’ Austin Lab program closed their 2015-16 competition season by taking the top two spots at the fourth annual Civil War Shark Tank held recently at the University of Oregon.

Austin Lab is part of the college’s Austin Entrepreneurship Program, which aims to train startup-minded students in design thinking and innovation management and provide them with resources and mentorship.

Placing first in the Shark Tank were Alex Dassise and Spencer Kleweno, whose company, DiscJam, is a designer and manufacturer of flying speakers that incorporate an MP3 player and Bluetooth speaker into a throwable disc. DiscJam has begun selling a beta version of the product and is part of the summer 2016 cohort at the Advantage Accelerator, OSU’s business incubator.

Dassise, who just finished his freshman year, developed the product as a means of connecting and communicating with his younger brother, who’s autistic. Sales are under way on a beta version of the flying speakers, which are proving popular with college students. Dassise also hopes DiscJam will catch on in the autistic community, enabling autistic people and their loved ones to better engage with each other.

“Throw your favorite music” and “connect through music and motion” are two of the company’s slogans.

Coming in second were Steven Miller and Moriah Shay of Enterprising Education, which has already raised more than $30,000 to build a mobile makerspace and develop K-12 curriculum in science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship and math. Miller and Shay intend to train undergraduates to run their own socially focused microenterprises that will provide experiential learning opportunities, mentorship and college preparatory resources to students in rural and/or lower-income school districts.

DiscJam took home $1,000 for finishing first, and Enterprising Education pocketed $650.

OSU students from the Entrepreneurship Club took the top three spots in the elevator-pitch competition held in conjunction with the shark tank.

“I am very proud of all of our students and I think this has been a great way to cap off our entrepreneurship competitions for 2016,” said Dale McCauley, program manager for the College of Business’ Austin Entrepreneurship Program.

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Meet the Weatherford winners

weatherford awardRyan Hildebrand never set out to define himself as an entrepreneur, and Tim Hildebrandt doesn’t necessarily think of himself that way, either.

Labels aside, their innovative excellence has earned each of the College of Business graduates a 2015 Weatherford Award.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Hildebrand said. “I’m very humbled.”

Added Hildebrandt: ““It means a lot to me,” he said. “The past winners are so accomplished, I don’t think I’m in the same category as those guys yet. But I’m honored to be recognized, and excited.”

Hildebrand is a cofounder of Seed, an online and mobile banking service for startups headquartered in Portland and San Francisco. Prior to Seed, he was vice president of finance for Simple Finance, a similar type of company whose target clientele is 18- to 30-year-old consumers; while at Portland-based Simple he hired Hildebrandt to be the company’s controller.

Hildebrandt and Hildebrand worked together on the $117 million deal that saw the startup acquired by Spanish banking giant BBVA.

“Some people say they want to be entrepreneur, like it’s some kind of title, and it often ends up having a connotation based around ego, and that’s not what I believe in,” said Hildebrand, who left Simple to try his own startup, Seed. “Some people are not meant to start their own companies but they can be effectively innovative within their organization or doing whatever they’re doing. For me, entrepreneurship is starting something new, whatever it is — thinking through how the status quo is and trying to change it for the better.”

That mission statement also describes Hildebrandt, who now has Hildebrand’s old job at Simple.

“Tim is an excellent accountant, and what he was able to do was take those excellent skills and experiences and bring it into an innovative environment and apply it directly to something that didn’t exist,” College of Business Dean Ilene Kleinsorge said.

Hildebrandt and Hildebrand will be honored May 11 in Portland at the college’s annual Celebration of Excellence, along with the rest of the 2015 award winners as well as the retiring Kleinsorge.

The evening begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards presentation. For more information or to register, contact Elsa Frey at elsa.frey@oregonstate.edu or call 541-737-6648, or register online at http://business.oregonstate.edu/awards.

For more on the event and the honorees, follow the College of Business blog as the countdown to the celebration continues.