(exciting rock music)
- Hi everyone, welcome to Dividends,
the show for and about your College of Business.
And we have a great program today.
We're gonna start with Scott Maynard.
He's the CEO of the
Greater Starkville Development Partnership.
And that's a lot to get on a card.
I'm really excited about the relationship
the University has with y'all.
But first, let's tell folks what the Partnership is.
- So that's a great question.
We get that all the time.
The Partnership came together 16 years ago.
It was three different groups in the city of Starkville.
It was the Oktibbeha Economic Development Council,
It was one of those.
The Chamber of Commerce,
and the Visitors and Convention Council.
All came under one roof,
under one umbrella called The Partnership.
The opportunity for them to, not only share resources,
but also share a combined vision and mission in,
really, helping make the city of Starkville a better place.
- Well, you can see the fruits of the labor,
because Starkville is booming,
and it's not just numbers.
I mean, obviously the city is growing,
it's the largest in the Golden Triangle now.
But it's getting this little vibe to it.
It's becoming a cool little college town.
- It is, and we're excited about that,
and really want to continue to see that grow and develop.
That's one of our ultimate goals is to continue to enhance
the quality of life in our community.
- Well, it really is a group effort,
and for some reason, I think you agree,
there had been some distance between, historically,
between the community and the University,
for whatever reason.
- Right. - Right.
- You're seeing that gap close.
But one area of mutual concern was what happens
to our graduates when they finish at Mississippi State.
We've got lots of folks 30 and above
that have a couple of kids,
they're out at the soccer fields.
We have tens of thousands of students,
but there's a gap between 23 to 30, that age group, right?
- There is, and that's one of the areas,
well, number one, as a state we're trying to address
brain drain of graduates leaving the state.
But even on a local level, we want to provide opportunities
for individuals to stay in our community once they graduate.
- Which leads us to what we're gonna talk about today.
The topic which is this migration of folks from our e-Center
who have started a business, have graduated,
and now they've got to make the decision,
are they going to continue the business,
and if so, where they gonna go?
Historically, they've gone somewhere else.
I mean, they've left the state.
That's an issue the state is facing.
So we put our heads together,
and came up with sort of an experiment
where you provided the space
- for these companies either no rent,
or just a greatly reduced rent.
And in return, you've got young people
doing business downtown.
- Right. - Right.
- Jeffrey you know that any time that a business
goes into an incubator environment,
they're a lot more likely to succeed.
We can provide them with, not only the space,
but through the e-Center you guys provide
wonderful mentorship for these individuals
and other resources that are there.
Because we want them to succeed,
and if they succeed, and they stay in Starkville,
then we're doubly blessed,
because we're gonna be able to watch them
launch out of our incubator space into their own space
and continue to build and grow their personnel.
And again, that's an investment back in our community.
- So we thought we'd do this experiment.
So you provided some space.
And the first student business we sent down was Glo.
And I think folks who have seen this program before
are familiar with them.
They make the little plastic cubes
that light up in the drinks.
All the sudden they had a world headquarters,
and that was right at the partnership building, right?
And while they were there is when
they were featured on Facebook and got five million hits,
which is crazy for a business in downtown Starkville,
they had their website get five million hits.
So that's where they really planted
the seed and it took root.
And it also was a good story for the city.
- Absolutely. Absolutely.
- But even better is what happened next.
So do you want to take through the next chapter with Glo,
what they've done now?
- So they did, so you know Glo was,
they reached that point where they had to decide
"okay, we are growing, we have opportunities,
"where are we going to go?"
And like a lot of other college students that age,
they began to look and see,
"we could move to this city or this city."
And we really tried to make a pitch for
"we want you to stay here.
"We want you to invest in Starkville
and grow in Starkville."
And they did.
They moved out of our incubator space into their own space.
- [Jeffrey] Which was an empty building.
- Which was an empty building.
- [Jeffrey] Fantastic.
- And interestingly enough, they moved out on a Friday.
A new tenant, CampusKnot,
- Has been pictured on this program.
- Moved in on Monday.
- So this is the model, this is the model.
We want to migrate them downtown to you.
They get on their feet, they get some cash flow,
they hire employees, they get a payroll,
and then they move out into the community.
And that really is the model that we're shooting for.
And it could not be done without you all's help.
- We appreciate that.
- I want to thank you for that.
And we think we're just getting started.
- I really think - [Scott] We do.
it's going to be a model
- I do too.
- We certainly appreciate your support
and the support of the mayor
and of course the University, as well.
Thanks for coming on and sharing that story.
- Thank you very much.
Appreciate you having me.
- We're gonna take a break.
We'll be back with more in just a moment.
Stay tuned.
(light piano music)
- There are a number student activities
that students can get involved with,
but few of them know that they can start a company
while they're in school.
We want students to consider that
when they come to school here,
they have four years to create themselves a job,
create a new venture.
And that's really what the Center should provide.
We're here to provide the resources, connections,
and programs that can help them start a company.
The background of our students is extremely diverse.
All across campus students are getting involved,
forming these companies, and people,
all sorts of different backgrounds coming together
to create these startups that are just doing amazing things.
Regardless of where you're at in the entire startup process,
whether you're coming in with a fresh idea,
already have an established company,
or just are trying to get interested in entrepreneurship.
We want to put students in a position
where they feel encouraged and supported
to pursue their passions so they can make an impact
no matter what field or industry they go into.
(cymbals ring)
- The Entrepreneurship Center exists to give innovators
here at Mississippi State an edge.
Our goal was to provide startups with the resources
and support they need to reach the marketplace
and ultimately achieve success.
(exciting rock music)
- Success for us was growing our company
from two founders to eight employees.
(exciting rock music)
- Success for me was turning my personal lifestyle
into a corporate partnership.
(exciting rock music)
- Success for us is turning academic research
into applied engineering solutions.
(exciting rock music)
- Success for me was turning my passion
into a profitable opportunity.
(exciting rock music)
- The success of our entrepreneurs is a team effort.
It takes a strong support infrastructure of people
to encourage innovation and explore new ventures.
We need business leaders to mentor
and guide these visionaries
through the practical challenges,
and do everything we can
to give them a shot at real success.
(exciting music)
- Welcome back, everyone.
Joining us now is Jana Berkery,
and she's sort of the new kid on the block, right?
She's the new Assistant Director of Development
for the College of Business.
Welcome, good to have you here.
- Thank you.
- So you're new to the College of Business,
but you're not new to Mississippi State or Starkville.
So tell us a little bit about how you got where you are.
- Well I was born and raised in Starkville,
went to school here at Mississippi State, graduated in 2005.
I moved away for a little while,
and eventually made my way back home in 2009.
But started working for Mississippi State in 2011
for the Bulldog Club.
So I was Coordinator of Annual Giving there,
and that's when I started fundraising for the University.
I was there for about two years,
and then moved over to the Foundation,
and I have been with the Foundation
for almost five years now.
- So you were the Director of Annual Giving, is that right?
- Yep, I started as Associate Director of Annual Giving,
and then I moved into the Director's position
two years after that.
- So what interested you in the College of Business
and getting involved in development with us?
- Well, the College of Business is the premier college
here at Mississippi State University.
- Good answer, good answer!
- That was very intriguing to me.
I've always been really interested
in the College of Business and what's going on here
because there's a lot going on,
and it's advancing very quickly,
and to be able to be a part of that is,
I'm thankful for this opportunity
to play a part in all that's going on.
- I've always been fascinated by development
and the fact that folks
give so much to our University.
What is their return?
When you're out talking to these donors,
what do they get back from that?
- Well, I get asked that question a lot,
and really it's satisfaction,
knowing that you were helping students,
and knowing that you're helping the College of Business
work towards its academic and advancement goals,
creating opportunities for students,
and helping recruit the best faculty here.
It's just knowing that you're making a difference
here at the University that you're most passionate about.
- Do you find that there's a bit of nostalgia in there?
They like to come back and feel they're still tethered
to Mississippi State, where arguably some of us think
some of our best days were back when we were in college
and things like that.
I've seen that in the e-Center.
We get some of our former grads who are CEOs,
and just coming back and working with the students,
they really feel like they're connected
in a special way with Mississippi State.
- Absolutely.
Yeah, still feeling connected to the University.
Mississippi State is the reason why
they are where they are today
and so, to give back and help the students
get where they want to be and be successful
helps them feel good to know that they're
helping students and making a difference in their lives
and helping them get to where they want to be.
- I know you've worked at a couple different universities.
And one of the way Mississippi State
brands itself is family.
Compared with these other places,
do you find that is more of just a marketing tagline?
Or do you really feel that sense of family
when you talk to alums--
- Yeah, absolutely.
I don't think it's just a marketing tagline.
It's just such a warm feeling.
In all areas at Mississippi State it's like a big family.
Our alumni, helping them stay connected,
that they care so much about the University.
It's just a very warm, friendly family environment for sure.
It's different than any other place I've ever worked.
It's truly a special place.
Now honestly, I was ready to move from Starkville
when I graduated, 'cause I had just been here my whole life.
But I was also really ready to get back home,
because it just meant so much to me,
and it is truly a special place.
- Well, I want to welcome you to the team.
- Thank you.
- We hope that you bring a lot of alums
through the Entrepreneurship Center
'cause we love it there,
and once we get 'em in there,
they tend not to want to leave.
I wish you much success,
and really look forward to working with you.
- Thank you so much.
- Folks, that's gonna do it for us,
we thank you for watching,
and we'll see you next time on Dividends.
(exciting rock music)
For more infomation >> Increase your Hair Growth And Thickness/ get long and strong hair - Duration: 6:59. 
For more infomation >> Hero 108 "Camel Castle" - Duration: 14:16. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét