Center for Entrepreneurship

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Record attendance at Summit

October 24, 2008

It was a cold, rainy Friday October morning in Boone, but you couldn’t tell it by the rooms in Raley Hall on the campus of Appalachian State. Classrooms were overfilled and the halls were buzzing with activity as more than 500 students, entrepreneurs and community members participated in the 7th Annual Carole Moore McLeod Entrepreneur Summit.

On October 24, business owners from all over the southeastern United States shared their stories and participated in panel discussions on adventure sports, agricultural industries, entrepreneurship opportunities in alternative energy, non-profits, family businesses, women in entrepreneurship, music industries, hospitality & tourism, the importance of customer service, start-up challenges, exit strategies, green industries, marketing strategies and resources for small businesses and start ups. Companies represented included Footsloggers, French Swiss Ski College, Canyons, Boone Take Out Express, Best Cellar, Boone Saloon, Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants, Turtle Toes Footwear, Beyond Cargo, Templeton Properties, American Emergency Vehicles, Hospitality Mints, A3 Technologies, Lyons Construction, Chetola, Split Rail Records, Global Shippers Association, Blackpaw Entertainment, JHE Production Group, Print Marketing, Waste Consultants, Keystone Products, NeboWeb, We Sell Restaurants, CentDev Properties, Transportation Insight, Sundance Power Systems, First Research, Myers and Chapman, TRS Consulting, Do it to Julia, Dwell Box Building Systems, Rixey’s Market and U-Stor-It, Stafford Tisdale Graphic Design, Blue Ridge Energy Works, Shuffle Magazine, Left Turn Music, Greystone Insurance, New South Waste, Farmers Fresh Market, W.I.N.O.’S, Haines Center for Strategic Management, NC Institute of Minority Economic Development, Milner Research Services, Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, Rockett Interactive, Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, and SCYNEXIS.

That same day the annual Pitch Your Idea in 90 Seconds contest sponsored by Mission House Creative was held. 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”.

Bryan Toney, director of Appalachian State’s Center for Entrepreneurship, said “This was by far our most successful event yet with record numbers of speakers and students participating. All 24 sessions were well attended and many were standing room only. The growing enthusiasm and support for entrepreneurship in the High Country is great to see. ASU students are increasingly eager to learn more about entrepreneurship in all of its many forms – from starting small businesses and managing fast growing firms to creating international startups and applying entrepreneurial thinking to solve social problems. With almost 300 students enrolled in entrepreneurship courses at ASU this fall, up 127% over last year, events like the Carole Moore McLeod Entrepreneur Summit help us provide a “real world” perspective on entrepreneurship, connecting the entrepreneurs of tomorrow with some of the most successful entrepreneurs throughout our region.”

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entrepreneur@appstate.edu
828-262-6196