2022 Entrepreneurship Week Presents:
Skeens New Venture Plan Competition
See your fellow ENT students compete in EIU's Shark Tank!
Thursday, April 14, 2022 | 5:00 PM | 1120 LH
Alex Melvin: Innovation & Entrepreneurship Like Kings
Meet Alex Melvin, CEO of Rural King as he shares the inside story of innovation & entrepreneurship in a multi-billion dollar retail company based here in Central Illinois.
Brock Ashley Vice President of Business Development will also be sharing his unique role that requires constant entrepreneurial activity.
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 | 6:00 PM | Roberson Auditorium, LH 2030
Networking Meet Up Featuring Guest Speaker: Evan Kubicek
Meet and collaborate with other dynamic business people.
Monday, April 11, 2022 | 6:00 PM | 700 Broadway AVE. E. Mattoon
Illinois Innovation Network- Social Innovation Workshop
Learn from leaders in the social innovation space and identify collaboration opportunities.
Monday, April 11, 2022 | 1:00 - 3:00 PM | Hosted on Zoom
Denise Head
It's about the Journey as much as the Destination
Monday, October 21, 2019 | 7:00 pm | Roberson Auditorium, LH 2030
Co-owner of Corky's BBQ (Brentwood, TN), Chagos Cantina (Nashville, TN), and Grover T's BBQ (Milton, FL), and Consultant/owner of R&D Hospitality, LLC.
Ms. Head is a 30+ year Marketing Professional. She graduated from EIU in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in Business degree. Her career covers a wide range of marketing functions such as; strategic planning, brand positioning, developing/analyzing marketing plans (national & regional), website development, public relations, promotional spin, menu development & design, marketing research, television, radio, print creative and social media.
Entrepreneurship Week Presents
2017 Presentations:
November 7th at 7pm in the Lumpkin Hall Auditorium:
Randy Bailey
Chairman of First Healthcare Advisory Firm
November 7th at 7pm in the Lumpkin Hall Auditorium:
Aaron Stortzum
Co-Founder of Old Mac's Drive Thru in Dieterich, IL
Entrepreneurship Club
Spring semester, the SEED Center and the Entrepreneurship Club invited two amazing local entrepreneurs to share their story to a student packed auditorium in Lumpkin Hall!
Donna Coonce and Julia Miller are co-owners of Five Feline Farm, a small sustainable farm in Charleston. They sell hand-crafted products at local farmer’s markets and festivals. Donna is part of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences faculty at EIU. Julia is a social worker and an online blogger for Mother Earth News. They have been keeping honeybees for four years and are members of the Illinois Beekeeper’s Association and Crossroad Beekeepers. (Beeks is the nickname for beekeepers!) Check out their website at www.fivefelinefarm.com
“Making History: An Eastern Entrepreneur’s Story”
Mark A. Tarner
In the fall of 2016, Mark Tarner was the captivating keynote speaker for Entrepreneurship Week! He shared with the students his successes and challenges of starting and owning a business and he even shared some chocolate!
Mark a native Hoosier from South Bend, Indiana received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Eastern Illinois University.
In 1993 he became the President of The South Bend Chocolate Company, and in 1997 he became the President of South Bend Chocolate Company Development Corporation.
At the Great Pumpkin Patch on October 7th, 2015
Entrepreneurship Week 2015 Featured:
On Wednesday, April 6th, 2016, the SEED Center, Family and Consumer Sciences department, and Entrepreneurship Club will be hosting the Itty Bitty Fashion Truck on campus to celebrate Entrepreneurship. There will jazz music and food for purchase provided by the Klehm Café.
The event is intended for students to learn about entrepreneurship in the real world. Students will be able to see how these three sisters were able to take something they were passionate about and turn it into a business. After the event, we will continue to Buzzard Auditorium for a Q&A session with the entrepreneurs from 2pm-3:15pm
As a mobile boutique, the Itty Bitty Fashion Truck allows them to travel in and around Springfield, Illinois to different fairs, festivals, and various street side locations with ease.
Visit their website for more information on their fashion truck:
Entrepreneurship Students Collect Textbooks
for University in Nigeria
We collected 1259 BOOKS TOTAL - THANK YOU TO ALL DONORS!
The Entrepreneurship Club and EIU teamed up with Books Building Business and Loyola University of Chicago to donate textbooks to St. Augustine University in Ilara Epe, Nigeria. Thanks to overwhelming support by the EIU campus community, 1259 textbooks were collected and shipped to Nigeria on April 28, 2014.
Spring 2013: E2 Student Group Trip
E2 Group members visited American Obstacle in Kinmundy, Illinois. They also went to the Excel Bottling Company and Bretz Wildlife Lodge and Winery. Pictured above are advisors Dr. Marko Grünhagen (far left) and Jeff Oetting with the E2Group at American Obstacle.
Dr. Grünhagen Co-Chairs Franchise Conference in China
Dr. Marko Grünhagen, Lumpkin Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship in the School of Business at EIU, just returned from China where he co-chaired the 27th Annual International Society of Franchising (ISoF) Conference at Beijing Normal University's Zhuhai Campus from March 13-16, 2013.
(Dr. Grünhagen is 7th from the right in the group photo of the conference attendees).
The conference is the premier annual meeting of academics focusing on research in franchising from around the globe.
Fall 2012: EIU-SCORE Shadows
Fall 2012 EIU-SCORE Shadows receiving their certificates.
From right, Dr. Marko Grünhagen, Courtney Owen, Jessica Johnson, and Ted Ostrem (SCORE Chair).
Spring 2012: E2 Student Group Trip
E2 Group members toured Landshire's production facility in Caseyville, IL
and their corporate office located in St. Louis, Mo.
and their corporate office located in St. Louis, Mo.
E2 Faculty Advisors Dr. Marko Grünhagen (right) and Jeff Oetting (left) pictured with Joseph Trover, CEO of Landshire (center).
Spring 2011: E2 Student Group Trip
E2 group members with Mr. Bill Skeens (2nd from left), Founder & President of Prairie City Bakery and EIU Alumnus
