By Sue McMurray, Carson College of Business
PULLMAN, Wash. – Aiming to fortify students’ skills needed to succeed in the annual Business Plan Competition and offer support to the local business and entrepreneurial community, the Washington State University Center for Entrepreneurial Studies will kick off a Resource Nights Speaker Series, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1.
Open to the public, Resource Nights is a yearly program offered by the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (CES) to prepare students across all WSU colleges and programs of study for the Business Plan Competition, April 20. The competition gives students the opportunity to create cross-disciplinary teams, pursue entrepreneurship in a real-world setting, and network with university faculty, community entrepreneurs and industry professionals.
Competition registration deadlines and details are available on the Carson College website, or email Allison Sellers, CES student venture manager, allison.sellers@wsu.edu.
The CES encourages members of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem and business community to participate in the Resource Night Speaker Series.
“Resource nights are a fantastic opportunity for local entrepreneurs to take advantage of university support services and to interface with innovative students and faculty,” said Marie Mayes, CES director.
During resource nights, industry experts come to campus to offer guidance to students and the community on developing strong business plans, building and managing a startup team, business financials, creating a dynamic pitch presentation, and more. The Resource Night Speaker Series occurs 6-8 p.m. Thursdays in the Marriott Hospitality Teaching Center in Todd Addition 268. Light refreshments will be served by the School of Hospitality Business Management.
Resource Nights are held 6-8 p.m. on Thursdays, (except on Thursday, Feb. 15), and will include:
- Feb. 1: Keys to Success, Diane Fraiman, partner, Voyager Capital.
- Feb. 8: Building and Managing a Team, Kristine Kuhn, WSU human resources faculty.
- Feb. 15: Business Formation and IP Legal Strategies, Dan Wadkins, partner, Lee & Hayes. (*4-6 p.m.)
- Feb. 22: Digital Marketing and Technical PR, Paul Warner, digital marketing & analytics, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
- March 1: Venture Finance, Dale Miller, senior vice president, Morgan Stanley.
- March 8: Art of the Pitch, Andy Barrett, executive director of Berg Companies; co-founder of Toolbox.
Contacts:
- Allison Sellers, Carson College of Business student venture manager, 509-335-7876, Allison.sellers@wsu.edu
- Sue McMurray, Carson College of Business assistant director of communications, 509-335-7578, sue.mcmurray@wsu.edu
