Faculty, aspiring entrepreneurs attend conference on student-run businesses

Two Alfred University College of Business faculty accompanied five entrepreneurial-minded students to the Student Run Business Association's SURGE Expo Oct. 16-18 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The event brought together participants from institutions with top business programs such as Harvard, Columbia, and Loyola, as well as institutions, like Alfred, with growing entrepreneurship programs.

Shelly Freyn, associate professor of marketing, and Jean Ellefson, assistant professor of analytics, attended SURGE Expo 25 with business students George Fearon, junior finance major (marketing minor) from Auburn, NY; Gabrielle Hargrove, junior marketing major from New York City; Anna Koreiba, junior marketing and communication studies major from Kyiv, Ukraine; Sabrina Hryhorieva, sophomore finance and marketing major from Dnipro, Ukraine; and Jessica Matson, junior marketing major from Binghamton, NY.

SURGE Expo is sponsored by the Student Run Business Association, a non-profit founded in 2019 with a mission of building a global community of practiced leaders by advancing opportunities for students to learn by launching and leading real-world businesses.

Conference attendees connected with both new and established student-run businesses and gained valuable insights from panel sessions covering topics such as launching a business, managing operations, and developing effective leadership. The event provided valuable insight to students, all of whom have either started their own business or have plans to become entrepreneurs.

"The conference was a fantastic opportunity for young entrepreneurs to connect with like-minded peers and exchange ideas about both the opportunities and challenges of running a student business," Freyn said. "This also offered an excellent platform to build and create connections that could help them throughout their career."

Last spring, Alfred University's College of Business unveiled its Institute for Experiential Entrepreneurship (IEE), an applied learning program that provides students with real-world business experience to complement classroom instruction. Among the IEE-supported initiatives are a program in which students are provided funding the start and run their own business ventures. Three groups of students created businesses over the summer and in September gave presentations on their endeavors to alumni on the College of Business Advisory Board and business faculty. Koreiba and Hryhorieva-whose business, Albrin English, is an online English tutoring platform for international students considering attending college in the United States-were among students who gave presentations.

Students came away with tools and ideas for running specific types of business, such as a café or an e-commerce enterprise. "Various roundtables offered insights about the challenges, lessons learned and succession planning," Freyn said.

Ellefson said the Alfred students left the conference invigorated with a desire to pursue their entrepreneurial goals, knowing they possess the skills to run companies and drive improvements in business.

"Our students didn't just leave the conference inspired; they left activated. They already had the interest, but seeing peers driving real business value lit a fire with concrete ideas and time to discuss and plan together," Ellefson commented. "I'm very proud of our students and our program. They represented Alfred University well and the experience reinforced that they're learning competitive skills in marketing and business."

Matson said attending the conference "opened my eyes to the world of student run businesses. It was very interesting to get to speak with peers from other schools who are running businesses and how their operations work."

She said she and fellow Alfred University students met several students from other schools who run businesses, some of them on their respective campuses-including golf courses and restaurants, bars and cafés. "We learned about their business operations, how they deal with succession planning, management structures, customer service, marketing strategies, and many other useful insights into student run organizations."

Matson said she has been involved with two companies. One, when she was a senior at Chenango Valley High School, was named Innovision and was started through the school's Junior Achievement Program. The business sold odor absorbing charcoal pouches and tote bags with the message "mental health matters" printed on them. About $4,000 in proceeds were donated to a local mental health charity.

"This was a pivotal moment for me, showing me how I could make a difference as a student in entrepreneurship," she said.

Matson started another business with fellow students in her first-year BUSI 106 (Contemporary Business) class at Alfred, in which teams of students create a business and donate proceeds from sales of their products to local charity. Matson was CEO of her team's company, "Saxon Shield," which sold odor absorbing charcoal pouches to students-athletes.

"Student run companies are an excellent way to gain hands-on experience with business and improve your problem-solving skills," Matson commented. "Being able to manage a business as a student or just being able to work among other students who share your passions is a very valuable way to learn. With the launch of the IEE, I hope to begin another entrepreneurial venture in my future at Alfred."

"Attending the student-run business conference in Philadelphia was an inspiring experience," Hryhorieva commented. "The conference gave me a fresh perspective on how other students run businesses and sparked new ideas that I'm excited to bring to life."

Hryhorieva said she and some fellow students have plans to start up a new business. "I hope to share more details in the coming months," she said.

"The conference was an incredible experience that allowed me to gain a tone of experience from other students, gain inspiration on how to change my own business approach for the better and meet perspective students from other universities that have the same mindset and goals as me," Koreiba added.

The Alfred group discussed Alfred Market Insights (AMI), the student-run market research consultancy run under the umbrella of the IEE, and as a result, Freyn noted, AMI secured a new client. AMI provides market research services-such as through focus groups conducted at the market research studios in the College of Business's Olin Building-for small businesses in the Alfred area. The AMI website was developed by students in Freyn's students in her Strategic Marketing class.