Summer Business Program – Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society Blog

July 10, 2012

This is Summer Business Program: Grand Finale

Sorry for the delay! Here is the final installment of Frank DeLeo’s ’14 guest blogger series. We are so excited to here how it all ended!

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Game day: Friday, June 22. The big day had finally arrived. Four weeks of preparation and hard work has lead up to a mere 30 minute presentation. We practiced for hours upon hours. Execution was the final step, and my team was determined to knock ‘em dead.

That morning I woke up at 6:30 to meet Mr. Corria and the team at 7 before the first presentation started. Although our presentation wasn’t until 10, Mr. Correia couldn’t speak with us once the competition began at 8. We ran through our presentation once more, and Mr. Correia gave us a pregame speech that calmed our nerves (for the time being). He told us that we knew the information, and how he was more than confident in our ability.

The team decided to take an hour to go back to Carlin, get dressed, and get in the zone. We met up at 9:15 outside the Science Library. Dressed to impress, the team decided to run through the presentation one final time. As 10 a.m. kept getting closer and closer, nerves surfaced. At any moment we would be called in…

Personally, I believe that our presentation went off without a major hitch. We all remembered our transitions; however, each of us fumbled over a couple lines, but recovered nicely. We were all nervous, but then again who wasn’t? I think we got our point across and articulated ourselves clearly. The professionalism that a corporate presentation should have was unmatched by any team. Business cards, transitions, dress, and mannerisms were all perfectly executed. I couldn’t have been happier with our performance.

After the presentations, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Walking back to Carlin, I couldn’t believe four weeks flew by that quickly. I got changed into casual clothes for lunch and sat in the AC of the science building until it was time to hear the results.

Unfortunately, my team didn’t come away with a win in either the elevator pitch or the Home Depot presentation. Despite this fact, Mr. Correia told us how proud he was of us during his reflection on working with us as a team. Hearing him talk so highly of us was uplifting and motivating. Although we all wanted the win, the SBP was about the experience.

The Summer Business Program was a phenomenal opportunity that taught me so much about the world of business. After participating in the ELW, the in depth business exposure I was looking for was fulfilled, especially in marketing and advertising. There were so many aspects of business I had no clue about. From finance to global expansion and everything in-between, I have pages of notes on every subject.

One of the greatest aspects of the program, in my opinion, was meeting distinguished Holy Cross alumni. Every person that spoke volunteered to educate the next generation of crusaders. Through numerous conversations, the business world isn’t as mysterious as I once thought. I am optimistic about becoming successful in the business world despite being a psychology major. Through my time in the program, I have gained a newfound interest in pursuing a career in business (if law doesn’t work out). Interning is definitely my next step.

Aside from the speakers, the mentors deserve a special thanks and separate category as a reason someone should do the SBP. The six mentors took 4 or 5 individuals under their wing to guide them through the project and teach them everything they could about business.

For my team, Mr. Correia was always excited about working and educating us with his expertise. He was constantly there for help and to ask questions because of the immense amount of information we needed to absorb. In addition, my team learned about professionalism and presentation skills, not only business. One quote that will never leave me is, “Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em, tell ‘em, tell ‘em what you told ‘em.”

Overall, the SBP yielded valuable information and honed my presentation and leadership skills. Much of what I learned is applicable now and in the future: making ethical decisions, public speaking, organizing a presentation, and networking just to name a few.

When I signed up for the SBP I thought I’d never like business because it was only about numbers. Through the program, I came to the realization that the business field is so much more than finance. I now have an open-mind to a potential career in business down the road.

After graduating from the Summer Business Program, I’m ready. Are you?

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Thanks, Frank!

Teams 3 & 4 took home the prizes, but all of our students deserve a huge congratulations for their hard work and dedication. SBP was a huge success and COES can’t wait until next year! Check our our facebook page for pictures and updates on SBP!

As always, don’t forget to “Like” us on FACEBOOK and look for our WIB, SBP and ELW groups on LinkedIN!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor

June 25, 2012

This is Summer Business Program: Part 4

Here’s another one from Frank DeLeo ’14!

Week four began our quest to obtain a victory on Friday after all the trials and tribulations of the Summer Business Program. The stress and anxiety set in early when trying to perfect our presentation. Every bullet, every sentence, and every movement had to be rehearsed and scripted. The PowerPoint needed to be clear and concise to get our ideas across. Most importantly we needed to look and sound our best in order to be the epitome of a real business presentation: professional.

The week began with a session on career planning. Taught by Pam Ahearn and Amy Murphy, we learned the nuisances of navigating the Holy Cross website and LinkedIn to find alumni not only for internships and jobs, but also for informational interviews.

The Holy Cross network is a phenomenal resource that I will continue to tap into during my last two years at HC, and even after graduation. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life after college, but I have a strategy to piece together my varying interests. By taking advantage of everything Holy Cross has to offer: the academic internship program, study abroad, ELW, SBP, etc, I can gain a better understanding of my likes and dislikes.

During my journey, I know that the network is always there for me to ask questions. The most important take away from the session was that alumni want to help, so I should never hesitate to contact them. After Monday, my two primary summer priorities became networking and setting up my LinkedIn profile.

As the week went on we were taught how to use Microsoft Office tools such as PowerPoint and Excel. Wednesday’s session on PowerPoint and presentation skills with Jessica Blau’08 and Roger Lobo ‘04 provided pertinent information to incorporate into the pitch.

During the session, we learned about tips and tricks for PowerPoint, verbal delivery, and slide content. My team took this new knowledge and touched up our presentation before we asked Ms. Blau to film our first dry run. I always hate watching myself on film, but the team and I discovered a lot from watching ourselves. We were able to see areas in which we could improve and mistakes that needed to be corrected by Friday. Thursday was the day to make those corrections.

When Mr. Correia told us that Thursday meant perfection, he wasn’t kidding. The team had no idea what to expect at 10 a.m. for the start of our meeting in Smith 155. We began with sharing all of the new information we had learned in our sessions, in addition to our perfected PowerPoint. From there, we jumped right into the dry runs. Every movement and sentence was scrutinized. People forgot lines, swayed in place, stepped forward wrong etc. Each time we made a mistake Mr. Correia would say, “Do it again.”

After a few tries, we got the hang of it. All that remained was being able to control our nerves the next morning and remember the transitions. We were confident in the content of our presentation and our ability to pitch the information. We simply needed to execute.

At 2 p.m., Mr. Correia had to go talk to the parents at Gateways. His wife couldn’t make it, so he needed someone from the team to go with him. I volunteered to talk to the parents with the mentality that I’d be sitting on a panel answering questions. Oh how wrong I was. It turned out that I had to speak in front of an almost full ballroom of parents with no preparation. I was terrified, but it was a great public speaking experience. I told my story and explained how the parents should let their children grow up, but still be involved in their lives for support and advice.

After my near heart attack, the team reconvened and decided to go practice separately for tomorrow. We had rehearsed so much that we needed a break to get our heads on straight. Mr. Correia left us to work by our own accord, and trusted us to be ready for game time, 10 a.m. Friday morning.

We were as ready as we’d ever be.

I can’t wait to find out how they did! Thanks again, Frank!

As always, don’t forget to “Like” us on FACEBOOK and look for our WIB, SBP and ELW groups on LinkedIN!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor

June 21, 2012

This is Summer Business Program: Part 3

Frank DeLeo ’14 is on a role! Here is a recap of week 3.

The end of week three meant that there is only one week of the program to go. With the team project looming, I was in desperate need of an energy boost to get motivated. My prayers were answered when Tom Patton ’86 and Carolyn Rizzoli ’86 led Thursday’s session. Personally, it was the most exciting day of the program, hands down. When 4 o’clock rolled around I didn’t want it to end.

During the session, we learned about marketing and business ethics. In the morning, we played the marketing game. We weren’t given any rules other than what type of product we were selling. Our objective was to make the most profit during the allotted time by selling exclusively to or in combination with the three types of stores: a high end boutique, a department store, or a big retail chain.

Chaos and role-playing ensued with time being of the essence. My team, Karma, ended up winning with over 12,000 dollars in profit in 3 hours. The game taught me how to manage time, think about possible curveballs, and communicate with the different parts of a supply chain: the banks, the customers, and the manufacturers.

After lunch, we resumed on the topic of business ethics. Mr. Patton role-played as we worked through different, difficult ethical dilemmas. The answers were not black and white due to the varying circumstances and legal consequences. Through acting out the scenarios, he turned a provocative subject into a good time. The best part was that all of the situations were real life examples, and we learned how he personally dealt with them.

What I took away from our discussion was that we need to make many moral decisions during our lifetime; we have to take a step back, think rationally and logically, and rely on our values to make the right decision.

The project being a week away meant buckling down on the presentation over the weekend. On Friday and Saturday, my team structured and created the first draft of our PowerPoint. Since we had a meeting with Mr. Correia at his house on Sunday, we needed to bring something to get feedback on.

When we arrived at the Correia household, we had a phenomenal Father’s Day bbq. Mr. Correia having us over on a day set aside for relaxation and spending time with family was an incredibly nice gesture. I took advantage of the opportunity because I was in dire need of solid food. Rice and take out just wasn’t cutting it. After dinner, we got down to business. The PowerPoint definitely needed touching up; in particular, the content and word choice. I had already cut down majority of our wordy slides; however, it was simply not enough. In the end, we had a productive evening, which resulted in plenty of work that needs to be completed as we move forward.

As the weekend comes to a close, the start of week four is upon us. Week four is crunch time. The Excel and PowerPoint sessions this week will provide pertinent information to add to our presentation. A lot of long days are ahead. Between practicing, preparing, and touching up our presentation in order to get it just right, my team has the mentality of knowing our facts cold. Every word, sentence, and gesture will be scrutinized to uncover its relevance to the overall message we want to convey. We don’t care how much work it takes. We want to be number one.

Thanks, Frank! Two more posts to go for SBP… will Frank’s team take home the win? Keep reading to find out!

As always, don’t forget to “Like” us on FACEBOOK and look for our WIB, SBP and ELW groups on LinkedIN!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor

June 6, 2012

The “New” Summer Business Program: Students become Consultants

This year, the Summer Business Program has a new look! Based on feedback from students and executives, we’ve decided to raise the stakes. This summer, unlike programs in the past, our students are functioning as actual consulting teams.

Summer Business Program is a 4-week immersion into business practices. The program consists of day-long workshops that fall under 4 modules: understanding business, business skills, leadership, and entrepreneurship. These workshops are taught by Holy Cross alumni who currently work in the business world and are teaching from real life experiences.

In addition to the workshops, SBP students are partaking in a competition. In the past, 6 teams of 4 students were lead by an alum executive who provided them with a project. This project was a hypothetical (but intensive) approach to creating a business plan or solving a particular business problem.

Due to the hardwork and success of the last few programs, we have had to devise a way to make the competition more challenging. We gathered feedback from past executives and presenters and found a clear theme: the students are doing real world quality work. So, we decided to give them a real world project.

Our office (the Ciocca Office of Entrepreneuiral Studies) presented an offer to the members of the Holy Cross Entrepreneurs Group in the Boston area: Give us a project and we’ll give you 6 competing consulting teams to provide a solution/service/plan – for free!

Needless to say, we had more than one interested company, but after serious deliberation, we have partnered with Mats, Inc. to help create a marketing plan and pitch for a new venture they are introducing. In turn, Mats, Inc. will use the winning team’s plan to launch this project and our students will have gained real consulting experience.

The teams will still have an executive to act as mentor and advisor. Also, a team from Mats, Inc will be holding status meetings to check on progress. But, make no mistake, the students are running the show. The teams are competing for a cash prize, bragging rights, and the chance to add successful marketing consultant to their resumes!

We hope this is the first of many real life ventures the Summer Business Program attempts. Good luck to all and may the best team win!

As always, don’t forget to “Like” us on FACEBOOK and look for our WIB, SBP and ELW groups on LinkedIN!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor

June 14, 2011

Summer Business Program: Week 3

Quinn is back with another SBP post!

Quinn Korzeniecki is a senior English major with a Pre-Business concentration. She is editor-in-chief of The Advocate, a progressive online publication at Holy Cross, and works as an assistant in the Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs Office. As a participant in the Summer Business Program, she hopes to learn more about marketing and advertising aspects of business. Quinn aspires to enter into publishing either in the editorial, marketing, or advertising departments.

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Wow, how quickly time passes when you’re learning about the different aspects of business!

As I said at the end of my last post, on Wednesday we learned about what it means to work in the financial sect of the business world as a venture capitalist and how to choose the best way to fund a new business. We learned about Warren Buffett’s amazing work as one of the most successful venture capitalists in his company, Berkshire Hathaway. As a member of a venture firm, one must value companies based on their profitability, growth, and risk. I learned a term I never heard of before: EBITDA, which means “earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization.” Tom Flynn instructed us to throw that term into a financial interview to clinch the position. In the end of the session we were sent off into our groups and assigned the task of picking which company we would buy stock in, either Facebook or Google. Although I am obsessed with social networking, my group ultimately picked Google because a new social networking site will probably enter the spotlight within the next year or so and make Facebook obsolete.

Two former football playing Holy Cross alumni came in on Thursday to speak about marketing and sales. Peter George, the CEO of Fidelis Security Systems, spoke about the qualities of a successful salesperson. He filled us in on SPIN, or the science of selling, which is a four step way to assure that you are maximizing your potential as a salesperson. Since I am competitive, smart, hard-working, and a team player, I could definitely see myself going into this field of business! Terry Waters, the CEO of the Yankee Group, taught us about B2B (Business to Business) marketing, through which companies sell products and services to other businesses that in turn sell them to the consumer. The best marketing departments have board commitment, knowledge of the target market, and have a clear, quantified, focused, realistic, and resourced marketing plan. All companies want to have a combination of vision and ability to execute, and those that fall short either run out of money and need to ask for more debt or equity or fail. It’s survival of the fittest in America these days!

On Friday, Ian Dowe, another football alumnus came to Smith Labs 155 to speak with us about advertising. This workshop was completely different from the previous ones: we were asked to bring in magazines and links to advertisements on Youtube and used these ads to learn what runs through the minds of those working in an advertising firm when they are creating one of these promotions. After analyzing a nail polish ad in which a woman’s fingernails matched the eyes of a tiger and wore a large diamond ring, I realized that advertisements do indeed play into our wants and desires: we all want to be more desirable, and advertisers play into this to get you to buy their product. We broke into our groups with the task of advertising a product: my group created a new product, the “Shrup,” or shrinkable and portable cup. It was interesting to learn about the thought that goes into advertisements and it was even more beneficial to advertise for a product ourselves.

After a weekend of relaxation, shopping in Providence, and more relaxation, we got back to the grind. Monday morning we received a brief introduction to microeconomics with Professor Cahill. We learned about making decisions based on weighing opportunity costs. In our teams, we competed against each other making deals that served as examples of imperfect competition: a lot of friendships were broken by cheating team members, but they made amends in the next round when we made bids on bonds. Some ended up winning by a large margin to keep the peace (but I don’t think that’s how it would work in the real world). In the afternoon we learned about business organizations ranging from sole proprietorships to corporations. All in all, the past four days were a great success, and I look forward to learning how to use Microsoft Excel in the business world.

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Thanks, Quinn! If you have any questions about SBP, please email us at prebusiness@holycross.edu. Don’t forget to find us on facebook!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor

June 8, 2011

Summer Business Program: Week 2 part 1

Our guest blogger, Quinn, is back with more from SBP. I’ve asked her to share a brief bio this week as well. ENJOY!

On Friday, we learned about something for which my dad would be very proud of me if I could only accomplish it: personal finance, investments, and mutual funds. Professor Anderton taught us all about the similarities and differences between stocks and bonds. He stressed the importance of setting up a financial plan to control spending after graduation. Also, we discussed how profitable long-term investments can be especially if we start at our young age. Because of this workshop, I plan on saving the first significant amount of spare cash that I earn, investing it in stocks, and praying that in 50 years it will amount to 5 million dollars like it did for Susan Smith in the example. Hey, a girl can dream.

Along the same lines of personal finance, Professor Chu lead Monday’s workshop on accounting. We learned more about the individual shareholder’s piece of profit from stocks in the company. In the afternoon we learned about the terminology needed to understand the business world in general: one of the most interesting things I learned was that companies are obliged to report risk factors to the Security Exchange Commission. Therefore, when we had to list the cons of investing in the insulin pump company Insulet we realized that a natural disaster like the tornadoes that recently tore through Massachusetts could demolish the company’s only storage warehouse. Yet, sometimes the future benefits outweigh the present risks, and my group ultimately decided that we would invest in Insulet.

Monday night we enjoyed a banquet-style dinner and discussion with Peter Mondani, VP of Human Resources for General Electric, who taught us about business models, personal branding, and careers. We learned that it is best to “influence without authority” by changing the opinions and viewpoints of others although you’re not in an authority position. Exude confidence but admit to making mistakes and learn from them. Also, apparently we women get red necks during interviews when we get nervous. I guess I’m “investing” in a scarf for my quickly approaching job interviews!

Tuesday afternoon focused on the job/internship search and networking. I found this particularly helpful since I’m entering my senior year and feel helpless in planning for the real world. I learned the best way to reach out to alumni and maintain informal and beneficial relationships. All in all, I’ve learned how to balance my personal finances, invest in stocks and bonds, and plan for attaining my first full-time job.

Wednesday we learn about what it means to work in finance: don’t let the English major fool you, I also enjoy math!

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Keep an eye out for Quinn’s posts throughout the month!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor

June 3, 2011

Summer Business Program: Week 1

Quinn Korzeniecki ’12, is our SBP guest blogger. She’ll be giving you an insider’s view of what SBP is all about!

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“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”-Pope John XXIII

Hi, I’m Quinn Korzeniecki and I am a participant as well as a program assistant for the 2011 Summer Business Program. For the next four weeks, I will be blogging about the fun and interesting goings-on of the program that occur in workshops and among participants during free time.

I didn’t know what to expect upon arrival to Holy Cross, and was shocked to see that the campus was deserted (of course, this was the day after all the seniors graduated, packed, and moved out). I was nervous and excited for the program to start: what would I learn? could I build connections with the speakers? would anyone be able to help me down my career path? will I do well with the tasks assigned to me?

I was more than relieved when we kicked off the program Tuesday night with a brief overview of the next month by Professor Chu, followed by a delicious meal in Hogan. Here we had our first encounter with the two speakers for Wednesday’s kick-off workshop on leadership, Moira Garvey ’78 and Mary Ann Rettig-Zucchi ’76 of the Jupiter Consulting Group. We “broke the ice” by playing games of bingo and making conversation with the help of question cards.

On Wednesday, I learned more about myself and my leadership traits than I ever knew possible. Moira and Mary Ann defined the word leader and explained the best characteristics of a leader, then used our 5 Dynamics personality test to identify the leadership strengths in each of us: I learned that I am effortless in communicating and forming groups as well as executing and carrying out plans. They placed us in groups according to our strengths (I was with the communicating “Excite” group) and gave us a stack of index cards and paper clips, then introduced the competition to see which group could build the tallest free-standing structure. It was really helpful to learn about myself through my interaction with others since a leader must have a keen self-awareness as well as an ability to communicate ideas with other people. It also helped that my group tied with another and won Peanut M&M’s!

We jumped back into action early Thursday morning with a workshop on Faith, Values, and Ethics taught by William Messenger, Executive Editor of the Theology of Work Project, Inc.. Here we learned about our own personal values and how they fit in within the world of business. We acted out some scenarios in which people were trapped in moral dilemmas in the workplace and we brainstormed the best ways to avoid making unethical decisions simply to please others or keep your job (and most times being ethical leads to increases in trustworthiness).

Tomorrow is another day, and I’m looking forward to the next few weeks!

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Keep an eye out for Quinn’s posts throughout the month!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor

March 31, 2011

An Update of Updates

Just a few things we really want to point your attention to this week.

First, one of our Executive Leadership Workshop participants is also a Blogger! Ted Cullinane ’14 wrote a fantastic post about his ELW experience over Spring Break. Be sure to check out Ted’s Post to get a participant’s view of the program.

Tonight, Holy Cross alumni, Ryan Leonard ’09 and Alesandra LaPointe ’09 from Nielsen Company are hosting an event to discuss working in a financial rotational program. From the Classroom to the Boardroom: Applying What you Learn at Holy Cross in the Real World will be held in Hogan from 6-8 Tonight, 3/31. You don’t want to miss it.

Here’s another even you can’t miss: The Power of Possibility Sheila Cavanaugh ’81, a Senior Vice President at Fidelity Investments, wraps up our Dinner Speaker Series this semester. Ms. Cavanaugh always draws a crowd when she comes to campus and is a favorite among the Women in Business conference panelists. This event is open to a limited number of people so email Prebusiness if you would like to attend. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5.

Hope to see you at any and all of these events!

Just a quick reminder that we are accepting Summer Business Program applications. The deadline is Friday, April 15.

Be sure to find us on FACEBOOK!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor

March 24, 2011

Summer Business Program – 4 weeks to pave the way for the next 40 years of your life

We had a great turn out at Monday night’s Summer Business Program Info Session, but if you missed it here’s what you should know.

What you can expect to gain from SBP – Our Mission:

• Leadership development and team building – skills you NEED on your resume

• Moral values and ethical business practices – how Holy Cross students stand out

• Functional and personal business skills – your foot in the door to Wall Street and finance

• Starting and managing a business – business plans, marketing, & growing your business

• Team project – practically applying what you are learning during the program

• Visit to local business – seeing business in action in central, MA

Program Logistics:

• Open to approximately 30 students

• Housing in either Alumni or Carlin residence halls

• Taught by alumni and some faculty – real world teachers who work in the business everyday

• Daily interactive classes in the new science building, 9-12, 1-4 PM

• Weekends free

• Work on team project outside of class – your teams will meet in your free time

Team Project break down:

• 6 teams @ 5 per team – less or more depending on our applicant pool

• 1 executive mentor per team – a business executive to guide your project

• Team Exec decides project/role of team – working to real expectations and deadlines set by Exec

• 1 meeting per week with your Team Executive (face-to-face or phone)

• Dry run June 23

• Team presentations June 24 – CASH PRIZE to winners

The Benefits of participating in SBP:

• Comprehensive business education – a business background with your Liberal Arts degree

• Skill sets: leadership, team, presentation

• Networking – meet successful HC alum throughout the business world

• Differentiation – stand out from your peers at HC with this on your resume

What’s this going to cost you:

• $1,600—room and course materials

• $1,400—commuter discount

• Scholarships available

• We DO NOT provide meals —Cool Beans, Crossroads, off-campus eateries, supermarkets

• Cars allowed on campus – summer permits provided

How to apply:

• Deadline: Friday, April 15, 11:59 p.m.

• Online application, attach cover letter, resume, transcript

• One recommendation letter

• Interview

Let us know if you have any questions. The Summer Business Program is a chance for you to stand-out in your interviews and prepare yourself for a fulfilling career in business.

We’ll see you there!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor

March 15, 2011

ELW Winners!

Congratulations to the members of Team 4!

This winning team presented a business plan for a company they named “PoolA Palooza.”

This service would allow inground pool owners to utilize the area of their pool during the fall, winter and spring months by installing a safe and effective covering system. Their cheery slogan “Take back your backyard” concluded a very professional presentation.

Our panel of distinguished alum declared them the winners, with a 3-way tie for second place. They announced that all of the teams presented very innovative, creative, and organized proposals.

The week wrapped up nicely with a closing banquet, where students could relax and interact with our panel of mock “venture capitalists,” and murmurs of applying to the Summer Business Program passed throughout the room.

The only questions left is: How do you want to return from your Spring Break next year – Sunburnt or Successful?

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor