Dallas-Hamilton Newsletter

Greetings from the Dallas-Hamilton Center (DHC) for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Bowling Green State University! We are pleased to bring you our inaugural newsletter highlighting our recent accomplishments.

During 2014, the Dallas-Hamilton Center achieved tremendous growth. We completed the second year of the Hatch™, a unique student start-up program that transforms a student’s business idea into a presentation for investment from “Falcon” alumni investors at a live-televised event in front of 1,200 cheering spectators.

We achieved a national ranking from “Bloomberg Businessweek” as the 51st best entrepreneurial program in the country.

In October, Dr. Gene Poor, and I received international notoriety by presenting “How to reinvigorate a dormant entrepreneurship center” to our peers at the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers symposium in London, England.

We are excited to continue our success with several innovative initiatives that we will be sharing with you in upcoming newsletters.

I encourage you to stay engaged as we continue moving the DHC forward! Please attend our events, share your success with us and come back to campus and speak to our students. There are many opportunities to get involved and help us educate the next group of entrepreneurs.

We invite you to join us as we continue going beyond business as usual here in the Dallas-Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Regards,
Kirk D. Kern
Director, Dallas-Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership

ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK APRIL 6-10

Once again, the entrepreneurial spirit comes alive at Bowling Green State University as we celebrate innovation in business during our annual Entrepreneurship Week (E-Week) with a host of interactive events and activities.

The week kicks off with a breakfast with guest speaker, Bob Battalia, our Entrepreneur in Residence for the week. Each day will include a lunch and learn with a guest speaker focusing on various topics regarding entrepreneurship.

The Hatch, similar in format to Shark Tank, will be held on April 8, 6 – 8 p.m., in The Stroh Center and we anticipate more than 3,000 cheering fans supporting our nine Hatchlings as they present their business ideas to Alumni Investors in hopes of receiving start-up funds for their businesses.

HATCHLINGS SELECTED FOR HATCH 2015

Eighty student applications were narrowed to nine of the best business ideas to compete for investor funding in The Hatch™ 2015. The Dallas-Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership announced the nine Hatchlings at the Global Entrepreneurship Week event on November 20.

With a format similar to the popular television show “Shark Tank,” these selected student entrepreneurs will present their business ideas on April 8 to a group of alumni investors vying for funds to launch their business.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP FACULTY PRESENT AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

One of the world’s largest conferences of university-based entrepreneurship centers was held in London and two BGSU business faculty presented the success story of the Dallas-Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Kirk D. Kern, Director of the Dallas-Hamilton Center and BGSU professor, Dr. Gene Poor, Hamilton Professor of Entrepreneurship, presented an engaging case study called “Resurrecting a Dormant Entrepreneurial Center.”

The two faculty members held a 60-minute interactive breakout session to a room full of conference attendees. They described how a change in culture through engagement and co-curricular activities within the College of Business turned the dormant center into a vibrant hub for students and alumni in just two years.

HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM

We are creating a second generation High School Entrepreneurship program to inspire and guide students to reach their full potential! During this five-day curriculum, based on Ohio’s standards for high school entrepreneurship programs, students will learn what entrepreneurs are, how to recognize new opportunities when they see them, the steps to starting their own business.

INNOVATION CELEBRATED DURING GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK

One of the world’s largest conferences of university-based entrepreneurship centers was held in London and two BGSU business faculty presented the success story of the Dallas-Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Kirk D. Kern, Director of the Dallas-Hamilton Center and BGSU professor, Dr. Gene Poor, Hamilton Professor of Entrepreneurship, presented an engaging case study called “Resurrecting a Dormant Entrepreneurial Center.”

The two faculty members held a 60-minute interactive breakout session to a room full of conference attendees. They described how a change in culture through engagement and co-curricular activities within the College of Business turned the dormant center into a vibrant hub for students and alumni in just two years.

2014 ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK RECAP

The 2014 E-Week was packed with events to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship. New entrepreneurs, seasoned entrepreneurs, and rising entrepreneurs were part of this celebration. The week kicked off with a breakfast featuring one of the 2013 Hatchlings who received funding for her start-up, Cribs on Campus. This was followed by daily lunch and learns featuring panels discussing topics ranging from legal to financial considerations when considering a startup.

Four world-class innovators were honored for their successful achievements - Earle Malm ’71, Valerie Newell ’75, Lori Steele-Contorer ’86, and Kermit Stroh ’02 (Hon.). These alumni were inducted into the Dallas-Hamilton Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame, joining 30 prior inductees.