2008-2009 Annual Report

Appalachian State University

CENTER for ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The mission of the Center is to provide opportunities for students all across

campus at Appalachian State University to learn about entrepreneurship

through expanded educational offerings and experiences where they can interact

with entrepreneurial organizations in the region and around the world.

Dear Friends of Appalachian State’s Center for Entrepreneurship,

The 2008-2009 academic year was another banner year for the Center for Entrepreneurship

thanks to the strong support of Appalachian State leadership, faculty and staff and an

enthusiastic group of alumni and business owners who are always there when we need them.

Existing programs continued to grow, supporting not only future business owners and social

entrepreneurs on campus, but community members throughout the region. Both the Carole

Moore McLeod Entrepreneur Summit and the Young Entrepreneurs Symposium had record

attendance. We expanded our successful Start Your Own Business workshops to Ashe and

Burke counties. 76 Appalachian State students travelled abroad as part of international

entrepreneurship courses. The Center also supported a number of new initiatives including the

Realizing Green Business Opportunities Conference, the Dale Tweedy Mentoring Program for

Entrepreneur Scholars, the Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the freshman

Appalachian Entrepreneurs Community. When combined with academic programs that served

more than 550 students, Appalachian State’s entrepreneurship initiatives directly impacted

more than 2,000 students, faculty and community members during 2008-2009!

The year also saw some personnel changes. Ged Moody served as Appalachian State’s first

Entrepreneur in Residence in the Department of Management. James Perez was hired as a full-

time summer student intern. Richard Stroupe, CEO of TRS Consulting, joined our advisory

board. We have also invited three new board members to join us for 2009-2010: Grace

Palacios Will, CEO of Publicitas Americas, Alfred Glover, Owner, Boone Ford Lincoln

Mercury and Jill Sparks, Director of the Small Business Center at AB Tech.

We could not do this without your support, particularly in these challenging economic times.

We need your ideas, your time, and most importantly your help in securing financial resources

to insure that we can continue to deliver the quality programs that are so important to our

students and the economic health of our region.

Let’s all work together to continue to support the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

Regards,

Bryan Toney

Director, Center for Entrepreneurship

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Student and Community Development

500+ attendees and 50 speakers participated in the 7th Annual Carole Moore McLeod

Entrepreneur Summit, October 24, 2008.

Record numbers of students, faculty and community members participated in the Young

Entrepreneurs Symposium (sponsored by Backyard Burgers). 350+ attendees heard from

7 young entrepreneurs on April 1, 2009.

230+ attendees and 30 vendors were present for the Realizing Green Business

Opportunities Conference on February 24, 2009. The conference was sponsored, funded

and developed by the Center for Entrepreneurship. Ged Moody was a keynote speaker.

The High Country Global Opportunities Conference (co-sponsored with AIESEC) had

200+ attendees on October 10, 2008. Julia Rowland spoke at the conference. The Center

for Entrepreneurship provided funding.

Start Your Own Business Workshops – 75 community members registered to attend three

different workshop series that were delivered in Watauga, Burke and Ashe counties by

Bryan Toney, Julia Rowland, Dr. Ben Powell and Dr. Mark Pruett.

Rural Entrepreneurship Outreach Program – We began work on Z. Smith Reynolds

Foundation supported regional outreach programs in Caldwell, Wilkes, Ashe and Mitchell

counties. The Center is partnering with Wilkes Community College, Caldwell Community

College and Technical Institute and Mayland Community College plus local chambers of

commerce and economic development officials.

Martha Guy Summer Institute for Future Business Leaders – Bryan Toney coordinated

the entrepreneurship and international business portions of this program for rising high

school seniors in July, 2008.

Small business consulting – Julia Rowland and Bryan Toney consulted frequently with

members of the regional business community.

Other regional and statewide economic development activities – Bryan Toney and Julia

Rowland worked with the NC Department of Commerce, AdvantageWest Economic Devel-

opment Group, UNC-GA, Appalachian Enterprise Center, High Country Business Network,

ARDI, Small Business and Technology Development Center, regional community colleges,

economic developers, workforce development agencies and others.

The Center for Entrepreneurship has experienced tremendous growth and success in 2008-2009.

It has achieved much recognition on campus and throughout the region for an innovative,

growing array of entrepreneurship initiatives. More than 2,000 students, faculty and

community members participated in entrepreneurship academic and co-curricular activities

supported by the Center for Entrepreneurship in 2008-2009.

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Accomplishments

The 7th Annual Carole Moore McLeod Entrepre-

neur Summit was held on Friday, October 24,

2008. More than 500 students, entrepreneurs and

community members participated in the Summit.

Business owners from all over the SE United States

shared stories and participated in panel discussions

on adventure sports, agricultural industries, alterna-

tive energy, non-profits, family businesses, women

in entrepreneurship, music industries, hospitality &

tourism, green industries, customer service, start-up

challenges, exit strategies, marketing strategies and

resources for small businesses and start ups.

Dale Tweedy Mentoring Program for Entrepreneur Scholars – 10 students were matched with

seasoned entrepreneurs for year long mentoring experiences in 2008 - 2009. Students came from a

variety of backgrounds, including appropriate technology, hospitality and tourism, finance and banking,

sustainable development, industrial design, economics, and recreation management. 17 students will

participate in 2009-2010.

Juicy Ideas Creativity Competition – The Center for

Entrepreneurship worked with AdvantageWest Economic

Development Group to organize the regional Juicy Ideas com-

petition in 2008. The competition was organized as a way to

encourage entrepreneurship and communicate a message of

environmental responsibility. A team of students from ASU

comprised of Justin Henry, Spencer Price, Ryan Klinger and

Andrew Drake won the regional and national Juicy Ideas

Contest for a bicycle they created from plastic drink bottles.

The team traveled to the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organiza-

tion Conference in Chicago with Julia Rowland, advisor for

the Association of Student Entrepreneurs, as part of the

regional award. The team later traveled to the Google Head-

quarters in California to claim the national prize.

Pitch Your Idea in 90 Seconds (sponsored by Mission House

Creative) – October 24, 2008. Four students claimed top prizes at

the Pitch Your Idea in 90 Seconds contest sponsored by Mission

House Creative on October 24. More than 200 students from all

across campus submitted ideas and 20 were selected to make 90

second presentations in front of 37 judges. 1st Place with a

$1,000 prize went to Derrick McGinnis with his business idea for

"Pops’ Bees". 2nd Place with a $500 prize went to Rob Qualheim

for his business idea for "I'm Home". 3rd place with a $250 prize

went to Jaron David Strom for his idea "Trade Your Birthday", a non-profit business. A best

presentation award with a $250 prize sponsored by CentDev Properties went to Morgan Mayer for her

idea, "Indulge Chocolate Bar Café”.

Programs

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Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award – A $2,500

scholarship was awarded April 1, 2009 to Eric Christianson

Cornwall, a sophomore majoring in management with a

concentration in entrepreneurship. The award was presented in

front of more than 350 ASU students, faculty, staff and

community members during the 2009 Young Entrepreneurs

Symposium. This competition was geared towards ASU

students who have started businesses, on-campus programming,

new clubs and organizations, and/or community service projects,

and to honor exceptional entrepreneurial achievement.

Realizing Green Business Opportunities - More than 230

community members, business owners, academics, renewable energy experts and students gathered in

the ASU Plemmons Student Union’s Blue Ridge Ballroom on February 24 for the Realizing Green

Business Opportunities information and networking event, hosted by the ASU Center for Entrepreneur-

ship. The event included presentations, networking sessions, and more than 30 booths from local

businesses, business incubators and community organizations that are part of the local green economy.

The intent of the event was to provide students and local community members with two areas of

information: A solid understanding of the technologies involved in going green, and how owners and

their businesses can position themselves to take part in this green economy, including identifying the

local resources available to assist.

Association of Student Entrepreneurs Club – Julia Rowland served as the advisor. 14 students

traveled to the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization

(C-E-O) Annual Conference in Chicago,

November 6-9, 2008. The ASE club also hosted guest

speakers at each club meeting, toured a vineyard, and

visited entrepreneurs in their workplace.

Appalachian Entrepreneurs Community – Julia

Rowland and Dr. Mark Pruett developed and managed the

inaugural entrepreneurship freshman living/learning

community. 3 of the freshman have been accepted in the

2009 - 2010 Dale Tweedy Mentoring Program for

Entrepreneur Scholars.

One-on-one student advising and consulting – Julia Rowland and Bryan Toney consulted with

numerous students and community members throughout the year.

Programs

Accomplishments

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"The Dale Tweedy Mentoring Program for Entrepreneur Scholars was one of the top two

most beneficial programs of my entire college career."

- Marshall Costner, Building Science major, „09

Accomplishments

Consortium for Small

and Medium Sized

Enterprises and Entre-

preneurship Education

(SMEEE) – Bryan Toney

continued to serve as

Campus Director for this

FIPSE grant funded

program that has sent

more than 130 ASU

students, faculty and staff

abroad to date. He hosted

16 faculty and staff

members from the five partner institutions

for a SMEEE Consortium meeting in

Boone, March 25-29, 2009.

International faculty/staff exchanges –

Center staff members coordinated relation-

ships with 5 institutions – Universite

Catholique de Louvain, University of

Alicante, University of Bamberg,

Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences,

and European University of Madrid. 6 ASU

faculty/staff traveled abroad a total of 8

times in 2008-2009 as a result of these

relationships. Bryan Toney taught a short-

course, Strategic Management of Startups,

at the Universite Catholique de Louvain in

February, 2009.

The Power of E – An introduction to entrepreneurship freshman course developed and led by Dr.

Mark Pruett and Julia Rowland.

Research support – The Center provided research support to Dr. Mark Pruett and Dr. Rachel Shinnar.

Academic program support and student recruiting – Approximately 573 students enrolled in ASU

entrepreneurship classes in 2008-2009, up from approximately 200 in 2006-2007.

Academic Programs

International Entrepreneurship

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“There are only a few choices that I have made in my life that I can look back on and say have

significantly changed my life… and one was my decision to apply for MGT 3190

International Entrepreneurship (Belgium).”

- Kathleen Watts, Health Care Management major, „10

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p

courses - 76 ASU

students participated in

international entrepre-

neurship courses that

included travel abroad

to 4 different countries

in 2008-2009. The

Center for Entrepre-

neurship helped staff 3

of those courses to

Spain, Austria and

Belgium and also coordinated visits from

overseas partners to Boone for 31 students

and faculty members from Spain and Bel-

gium. Here are the courses delivered in

2008 - 2009:

BUS 3545 - International Entrepreneurship,

Spain (Summer 2008, Dr. Joseph Cazier)

MGT 3190 - International Entrepreneur-

ship, Spain (Fall, 2008, Bryan Toney)

MGT 3190 - International Entrepreneur-

ship, Austria (Fall, 2008, Dr. Mark Pruett

and Julia Rowland)

MGT 3190 - International Entrepreneur-

ship, Belgium (Spring, 2009, Bryan Toney

and Julia Rowland)

MGT 3550 - Social Entrepreneurship in

Brazil (Spring, 2009, Dr. Jerry Fox)

Awards & Recognitions

Bryan Toney received Appalachian State’s W.H. Plemmons Leadership Medallion

at Fall Convocation on September 4, 2008.

Julia Rowland received a 2009 Outstanding Customer Service Award from the

Boone Chamber of Commerce on April 20, 2009.

Julia Rowland received the 2009 Women of Influence Award from the ASU’s

Women’s Center on April 30, 2009.

Bryan Toney appeared on Chancellor Ken Peacock’s Appalachian Perspective tele-

vision show which aired in January-March 2009.

Julia Rowland was interviewed by UNC-TV for the Juicy Ideas competition for Western North

Carolina.

Julia was also asked to speak on Roseanne Peacock’s weekly

MTN TV show to talk about the Juicy Ideas competition and

the Center for Entrepreneurship.

Julia Rowland also appeared on the High Country Mom Squads’

MTN TV show called “Mompreneurs”, which was geared toward

giving mothers advice for starting their own home-based business.

Bryan Toney Entrepreneur in Residence Search Committee

Entrepreneurship at Appalachian State Initiative Steering Committee

Intellectual Property Development Advisory Council

Advisory Council on Centers and Institutes

UNICOM

UNC Economic Transformation Council

ASU Community Web Portal Committee

Small Business and Technology Development Center Statewide Advisory Board

Small Business and Technology Development Center Regional Advisory Board

Julia Rowland Mitchell County Certified Entrepreneurial Community Leadership Team

Country Council of Governments Youth Council

High Country Council of Governments Workforce Development Board

Leadership Team for the Department of Housing and Residence Life’s Appalachian Entrepreneurs

Community

Entrepreneurship at Appalachian State Initiative Steering Committee

Service Activities

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Renewable Energy Business Incubator – proposal submitted to ASU Energy Center for

$100,000 to launch incubator in the Appalachian Enterprise Center

Entrepreneurship internship program - high unmet demand from students and regional

businesses

Expanded regional community workshops (throughout the eight county High Country

Region)

Student-run businesses – numerous ideas and discussions with colleagues across campus

Fee-based workshops and conferences – e.g. Family Business Forum scheduled for October,

2009

Outreach to regional middle and high schools and coordination with regional community

colleges

Social entrepreneurship and sustainable development initiatives - working with colleagues

across campus and throughout WNC

Possible campus-wide business plan competition

Possible Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame to recognize outstanding alumni entrepreneurs

Increased support for and integration with other campus units – e.g. Appropriate

Technology, Sustainable Development, Public Administration, Art, Music Industry Studies,

Industrial Design, Computer Science, Recreation Management, Interior Design and more

Faculty workshops – e.g. entrepreneurship, tech transfer, innovation

More off-campus marketing and promotion to encourage broader participation in

co-curricular programs, particularly from students and businesses throughout the region,

East TN and SW VA

Possible First Year Seminar course with international component

International Mentor Exchange – potential partnership with University of Arrhus, Denmark

to swap students and mentors (building on Dale Tweedy Mentoring Program for

Entrepreneur Scholars)

Future Plans and Opportunities

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Center personnel and Department of Management faculty members participated in a number of

conferences and workshops in 2008-2009:

Dr. Rachel Shinnar attended the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, Chapel Hill (Kauffman foundation

sponsored conference on researching minority and female entrepreneurship) July 7-10, 2009.

Julia Rowland and Dr. Mark Pruett attended the Social Entrepreneurship Education Consortium

(SEEC) Conference in Denmark, July 8-10, 2008.

Bryan Toney attended a meeting of the Atlantis Mobility Directors Conference (Fund for

Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education) in support of the

SMEEE Consortium in Brussels, Belgium on October 25-28, 2008.

Bryan Toney and Julia Rowland attended the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers

conference in Tucson, Arizona, Oct 2-5, 2008. Bryan Toney also participated in a panel discussion

on International Entrepreneurship at the conference.

ASU entrepreneurship faculty members authored or co-authored numerous journal publications,

proceedings and presentations in 2008-2009:

Pruett, M., Powell, B., & Toney, B. (2008). Catalyzing Regional Entrepreneurial Activity: Self-Efficacy,

Entrepreneurial Intentions, and Venture Outcomes. Paper presented at the International Council for

Small Business World Conference, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Pruett, M., & Winter, G. (2008). Entrepreneurial Share Relationships: Initial and Evolutionary

Determinants. Paper presented at the International Council for Small Business World Conference,

Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Bendoly, E., Bachrach, D., and Powell, B. C. 2008. “The role of operational interdependence and

leadership experience on the perceptions of resource planning systems.” Production and Operations

Management 17(1): 93-106.

Tang, Z., Powell, B. C., Marino, L., Tang, J., & Dickson, P. (2008). The impact of organizational goal

setting on the industrial munificence-goal attainment relationships International Journal of Business and

Management, 3(3), 107-124.

Tang, Z., Powell, B. C., Marino, L., Tang, J., & Dickson, P. (2008, January). The impact of

organizational goal setting on the industrial munificence-goal attainment relationships for SMEs, United

States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, San Antonio, Texas.

Powell, B.C. “Equity carve-outs as a technology commercialization strategy: An exploratory case study

of Thermo Electron’s strategy.” Preparing for 3rd review at Technovation.

Proceedings, Publications and Presentations

Conference and Workshop Participation

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Proceedings, Publications and Presentations

Shinnar, R.S., Cardon, M. S., Eisenman, M., Solis Zuiker, V. & Lee, M. (In Press). Immigrant and U.S.

born Mexican owned businesses: Motivations and management. Journal of Developmental

Entrepreneurship (expected publication late 2009).

Shinnar R. S., Pruett, M., & Toney, B. (2009). Entrepreneurship education: Attitudes across campus.

Journal of Education for Business, 84(3), 151-158.

Cardon, M. S., Shinnar, R. S., Eisenman, M., & Rogoff, E. (2008). Segmenting the population of entre-

preneurs: A cluster analysis study. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 13(3), 293-314.

Jones, S. A., zu Knyphausen-Aufseβ, D., Toney, B., Shinnar, R., Janssen, F., & Denslow, D. (2008).

Teaching international entrepreneurship through student exchange: Observations, obstacles and

recommendations. Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 11, 99-115.

Shinnar R. S. & Young, C. A. (2008). Hispanic immigrant entrepreneurs in the Las Vegas metropolitan

area: Motivations for entry into, and outcomes of, self-employment. Journal of Small Business

Management, 46(2), 242-262.

Shinnar, R. S., Cardon, M. S., Eisenman, M., Zuiker-Solis, V. & Lee, M.S. (2008). Mexican immigrant

and Mexican-American owned business: Motivations, management and success. Academy of

Management Meeting (Entrepreneurship track), in Anaheim, CA.

Pruett, M., Shinnar, R., Toney, B., Llopis, F., & Fox, J. (2009) Explaining Entrepreneurial Intentions of

University Students: A Cross-Cultural Study International. Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and

Research, 15(6).

O'Neal, D., & Pruett, M. (2009). Longevity, the Fundamental Mission? SMEE Review, 2(1), 8-12.

Giacomin, O., Janssen, F., Pruett, M., Shinnar, R., & Toney, B. (2008, October). Comparative Study on

entrepreneurial interest in universities: An international analysis. Paper presented at the annual meeting

of the Academy of International Business-Southeast Conference, Academy of International Business,

St. Petersburg, FL.

Dyer, J. H., Powell, B. C., Sakakibara, M., & Wang, A.J. “Determinants of success in R&D alliances.”

Under 2nd review at Strategy Management Journal.

Powell, B. C. (2008, January). The rise and fall of Thermo Electron's carve-out policy: Why it failed and

how it could work, United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, San Antonio,

Texas.

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Center Funding

Private donations, grants and grant proposal activity for the

2008-2009 academic year

The Center has continuing needs for more space and personnel based on growing student demand for all

of the Center’s initiatives. We created six new initiatives in 2008-2009 that will likely continue in years

to come, so the need is even more compelling than last year.

We are continuing to seek permanent funding. While we have been successful in getting some grant

funding and additional private donations, the Center needs permanent funding to pay for baseline

operations, ideally through a multi-million dollar donation for naming rights.

New funding commitments in 2008-2009:

Allen Family Study Abroad Scholarships - $50,000 was committed for scholarships to support

short-term study abroad experiences. It is expected that ten $1,000 scholarships will be awarded each

year for the next five years. Two young former students, Chester and Clayton Allen and one current

ASU student, Sam Allen, made this gift possible through the Shore Foundation.

Appalachian Regional Commission – $25,000 was received to support bringing the Extreme

Entrepreneur Tour to other schools in the Appalachian Region.

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation - $50,000 was received to support entrepreneurial outreach in

northwestern North Carolina.

U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education - $46,192

has been committed over a four year period to support student and faculty exchanges to universities in

Belgium, Spain and Germany.

Private giving – The Center for Entrepreneurship received $63,500 in new gifts and pledges.

Total new funding in 2008-2009: $234,692

Other proposals submitted:

Rural Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program - $1,097,556 federal appropriations request

ACT UP! - $800,000 National Science Foundation CPath proposal was submitted with the Department

of Computer Sciences in April, 2009

Business Incubation Program for Emerging Renewable and Sustainable Energy Business Activity - $100,000 proposal submitted to the ASU Energy Center

Business Incubation Program for Emerging Renewable and Sustainable Energy Business Activity – An expanded $340,000 version of the same proposal submitted to the Energy Center

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“The Appalachian Entrepreneurs Residential Learning Community and First Year Seminar has been

one of the funnest experiences I have ever had and I think this community should continue to help

freshman make a friendly base when they start college.” - Freshman RLC student, „12

Bobby Martin

Former President, First Research, Inc.

Raleigh, NC

Allen Peterson

CEO, Hospitality Mints LLC

Boone, NC

Joseph Miller

COO, Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff

Boone, NC

Bill Parrish

Regional Director, SBTDC

Hickory, NC

Randy Edwards

Dean, Walker College of Business

Appalachian State University

Boone, NC

Russ Yelton

Director, ABTech Small Business Center

and Business Incubator

Candler, NC

Richard Stroupe

President, TRS Consulting Inc

Reston, VA

Jeff Reid

Director of Entrepreneurship and Real

Estate Initiatives, McDonough School of

Business, Georgetown University

Washington, DC

Robin Gagnon

Co-owner, WeSellRestaurants.com

Marietta, GA

Steve Allen

President, A3 Technologies, Inc.

Charlotte, NC

Paul Thompson

CEO, Transportation Insight, LLC

Hickory, NC

Brian Easter

CEO, NeboWeb, LLC

Atlanta, GA

Dale Tweedy

Partner, CentDev Properties LLC

Cornelius, NC

Mark Van Arnam

CEO, American Emergency Vehicles

Jefferson, NC

Jim Roessner, President

Mission House Creative

Raleigh, NC

Carole McLeod

Former President, New South Waste

Waxhaw, NC

Mark Pruett

Assistant Professor, Department of Management

Walker College of Business

Appalachian State University

Boone, NC

Kelly Penick

President, Association of Student Entrepreneurs

Walker College of Business

Appalachian State University

Boone, NC

Bryan Toney

Director, Center for Entrepreneurship

Walker College of Business

Appalachian State University

Boone, NC

Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Board

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Staff

Bryan Toney

Director

Center for Entrepreneurship

828.262.6196

toneybc@appstate.edu

Julia Rowland

Assistant Director

Center for Entrepreneurship

828.262.8325

rowlandja@appstate.edu

Kelly Penick

Student Assistant and President, Association

of Student Entrepreneurs Club

www.aseatappstate.com

Faculty Members

Dr. Mark Pruett

Assistant Professor

Department of Management

828.262.7341

pruettmw@appstate.edu

Dr. Ben Powell

Assistant Professor

Department of Management

828.262.8332

powellbc@appstate.edu

Ged Moody

Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Department of Management

gemoody@yahoo.com

Center for Entrepreneurship

Walker College of Business

Appalachian State University

1016 Thelma C. Raley Hall

ASU Box 32089

Boone, NC 28608-2089

www.entrepreneurship.appstate.edu

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