The Louisville Rotary Club recently heard from Jeffrey Rupp, Mississippi State University’s College of Business Outreach Director, who outlined the success of the program.
According to Rupp, MSU student entrepreneurs are thriving in Starkville, and university and city leaders are identifying new and expanded opportunities to support business startups as they grow into mature companies.
Rupp extolled the success of Vibe a company run by MSU alumnus Hagan along with his partner Anna Barker, an MSU international business and Spanish major. The company produces a product Glo, which safely lights and flavors beverages. The company has seen sales grow over the last three years and has made their headquarters in downtown Starkville.
MSU students are launching about 80 new businesses a year with the help of the Outreach program. A new state-of-the-art CEO space on campus features 12,000 square feet of innovative design including glass “idea walls” in McCool Hall, home to the university’s College of Business.
More than $6 million in endowments and private gifts help spur success, and faculty advisers from across disciplines coach students on everything from technology issues to finances.
Rupp also outlined the success of the Idea Shop, a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation.
The Idea Shop is a 2,000-square-foot Main Street facility in Starkville that includes the Turner A. Wingo Maker Studio and the MSU Retail Product Accelerator.
The Idea Shop was made possible through private support, as well as the USDA Rural Business Development Program. It is part of the MSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach and operated by the College of Business and School of Human Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
The Idea Shop can be used by any members of the community. It is open to the public Wednesday through Friday, 1-9 p.m., and from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The Turner A. Wingo Maker Studio provides a comprehensive assortment of design workstations, 3-D printers, electronics workbenches and advanced woodworking tools not commonly available – all to help people build anything imaginable. Membership is available to the general public, and various workshops are regularly hosted for newcomers to the “maker movement.”
For more on the MSU Idea Shop, visit www.ecenter.msstate.edu/programs/the-idea-shop/.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
