The Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy and the local Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization chapter are sponsoring an Entrepreneur Speaker Series through the College of Business Administration.
The Entrepreneur Speaker Series began last year, but is completely student-run and organized by COBA majors this year.
“This year is the first year CEO has been student-run and we’re the ones who actually organize to get the entrepreneurs to come speak to us,” said Weston Johnson, senior marketing major from Houston and president of the CEO. “Last year they had the series, but it wasn’t as big.”
The Entrepreneur Speaker Series is not just limited to COBA Students. Students from all majors are encouraged to attend.
“Anybody is welcomed in; we are trying to target different audiences, anybody who wants to start their own business, or has ideas about possibly running an organization later on in life. It would be a great opportunity for them,” Johnson said.
Speakers in the Entrepreneur Speaker Series expand outside of ACU alumni for students to receive a well-rounded perspective of entrepreneurship.
“We try to split the speakers half and half, half ACU alum and half just entrepreneurs we know offhand or someone that is a successful entrepreneur student that goes here,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that some of the speakers that are a part of the Entrepreneur Speaker Series are Jayson Johnson, an entrepreneur from Houston and owner of Thigpen Energy, chairman of Plains State Bank and CEO of McKay’s Automotive.
Another entrepreneur featured in the series is Stuart Crum, former CEO of Jiffy Lube, and now the president of Bridgestone International Retailors. Chad Hutchins, the entrepreneur in housing here at ACU, will also be speaking.
“We’re more than happy to welcome any guest entrepreneurs or any entrepreneurs within the student body,” said Johnson.
Emmanuel Rindiro, sophomore accounting major from Kigali, Rwanda, is an advocate of the series.
“The Entrepreneur Speakers Series is definitely something I think I would enjoy attending,” Rindiro said. “I think it is something I can learn a lot from as an accounting major if I wanted to start my own business. I will be able to learn a lot from the experiences of the speakers and I think it could help me out in the future.”
The Entrepreneur Speaker Series takes place in the COBA building, Room 301, at 5 p.m. every other Monday. The series will continue until the end of next semester.
