Tag: St. Louis Business Journal



The St. Louis Business Journal recently announced its 40 Under Forty Class of 2021, a set of young leaders the publication expects to feature in the next decade. This year’s list includes Ryan Harbison, MBA ’19, a US Marine veteran who now serves as general manager and vice president of business operations at Breeze Helicopters.

Harbison was an outstanding student at Olin. He was a Charles F. Knight Scholar and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honors society. Before coming to WashU, Harbison received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History at Colgate University, where he also served as a volunteer firefighter. He then spent 10 years as a Marine pilot and flight instructor.

‘Olin bridged the knowledge gap for me’

“Olin was instrumental in preparing me for life in the ‘civilian’ business world,” Harbison said. “While the Marine Corps provided me with a set of skills that have also been beneficial, Olin bridged the knowledge gap for me between a largely liberal arts background and the hard skills I needed to feel confident entering the business world.”

Harbison is also grateful for the Olin Veterans Association, of which he served as president in 2019. “The OVA was one of the main reasons I choose Olin,” he said. “Washington University has a robust veteran network and actively engages transitioning veterans. Our cohort of students worked hard to increase the OVA’s presence in the community while also trying to bolster veteran numbers at the school.”

‘Outstanding entrepreneurship program’

Harbison also said he benefited from Olin’s “outstanding entrepreneurship program. I had the opportunity to work with several start-ups during my two years in the MBA program. Those were very enjoyable and beneficial programs, and I learned a tremendous amount from the founders of the companies that my groups partnered with.” 

The St. Louis Business Journal will host an awards ceremony for Ryan Harbison and the other 40 Under Forty nominees on Thursday, November 18, at the St. Louis Marriott Grand Hotel. Tickets are available online.




The St. Louis Business Journal is sponsoring a competition for women entrepreneurs in conjunction with its annual Women’s Conference. The deadline to enter the Catapult Competition is Oct. 9, 2015, by 5:00 p.m. Entries must be in the form of a 60 second video explaining what you want to change and why you should be catapulted to success.

Link here for entry information.

A local panel will be assembled to review and select four finalists to present at the St. Louis Business Journal Women’s Conference January 29, 2016. Each finalist will receive four months of professional coaching to prepare her business plan and refine her presentation. You may follow all four finalists and their respective coaches online and in print until the day of the Conference.

Each finalist and her coach will pitch to more than 1,000 women at the Conference who will vote to help decide the Catapult Competition winner. The winner will receive a $10,000 package of technology services from MasterCard to catapult her to success! For questions, please contact LaTonja Thomas at ltthomas@bizjournals.com or 314.421.8328.

Image: wikimedia




Four PMBA alumni have been named as members of the St. Louis Business Journal’s 30 Under 30 Class of 2015. Congratulations! Scott (who is also a new Dad), Ryan, Kathleen, and Eric! A well-deserved recognition of your accomplishments and contributions to the community.

Scott Cornish (PMBA 32) Nidec Motor Corporation
Ryan Corrigan (PMBA 33) 8760 Engineering
Kathleen Manning (PMBA 32) Monsanto
Eric Schrenker (PMBA 33) Scottrade




St. Louis Business Journal Editor Patricia Miller and KSDK’s morning host Pat McGonigle were seen tossing bags of nutty snacks around the WU Bookstore yesterday while taping a segment for the local St. Louis Today TV program. The topic for Miller’s weekly business segment was a local startup called What-a-Ya Nuts?. She reported the company discovered a niche market on college campuses thanks to some brilliant advice from Olin students. The segment airs during the Today show May 30. Read the STL Business Journal article.

When the founder the four-year-old St. Louis-based snack company spoke to an Intro to Entrepreneurship class taught by adjunct professor Andrew Sharon this past semester, the students suggested an astute marketing strategy to the nutty startup. They told Howie Sher, founder of What-a-Ya Nuts? he should sell his product on college campuses.

nuts3Sher took the advice seriously and has had great success with his four different flavored nut cluster snacks at Wash U and on other campuses.

What-a-Ya Nuts will be on sale on campus again this fall at the Paws & Go market on the South 40.

 




Two Executive MBA alumnae are among the honorees at the 2013 Most Influential Business Women event on Aug. 8, sponsored by the St. Louis Business Journal.

Jennifer Ozimkiewicz, EMBA’00

Congratulations to Mary Heger, EMBA’11 and Jennifer Ozimkiewicz, EMBA’00!

Mary Heger, EMBA’11