Washington State University Vancouver’s Carson College of Business celebrated the seventh anniversary of its Business Growth Mentor and Analysis Program (MAP) last week. The school also announced a matching challenge and the establishment of an endowment to ensure the program continues.
Created in 2011, the Business Growth Mentor and Analysis student consultancy program is a free service to small businesses. Student teams of four or five help with needs businesses identify, including startup, growth, marketing and accounting. Volunteer mentors from the business community meet with student teams weekly during the semester-long project to offer advice and feedback. Faculty members oversee each project.
On Wednesday, two student teams were recognized for their work this year:
The team of Remington Augustine, Eduard Bagnyuk, Xing Xiu Chen and Heather Huyette was recognized for “Outstanding Growth Assessment Project,” based on their work with Déjà Vu Consignment, a brand name resale clothing boutique. The team focused on marketplace analysis and inventory optimization, and created custom templates and step-by-step instructions to implement each solution.
The team of Chris Finnie, Michael Lusk, Robert Moehnke and Casey Sawyer was recognized for “Outstanding Marketing Project,” based on their work with Ethereal Meads, a Battle Ground-based producer of locally sourced mead. The team focused on branding, marketing and product recommendations. They suggested market expansion through location and product mix, and created an updated label for the company’s products.
In addition to recognizing students, Jane Cote, academic director for the Carson College of Business, announced that an anonymous donor has issued a match challenge to establish an endowment for the business growth program to ensure its continued prosperity.
Business Growth MAP is looking to raise $12,500 by Sept. 1. Those interested in supporting the program are asked to contact Lisa Abrahamsson at 360.546.9501 or labrahamsson@wsu.edu.
To apply for Business Growth MAP services, call 360.546.9533 or visit business.vancouver.wsu.edu/bgmap. New projects begin in late August.
This story will be updated
