 Bruce Welch (left), graduate student assistant in the Pino Center, at Entrepreneurship Week USA Fair |
When Entrepreneurship Week USA took place across the country from February 24-March 3, 2007, the Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center in the College of Business Administration was a lively participant. Sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation—a grant from whom made possible the creation of the Pino Center in 2003—the week included activities for people in K-12, in college, and in graduate school. The activities drew people’s attention to entrepreneurship—which crosses age groups as well as professions.
Banners celebrate the cross-disciplinary nature of entrepreneurship and the college’s talented alumni.
 Awareness Campaign at Cielo, Coconut Grove, during Entrepreneurship Week USA Fair: The unveiling of banners featuring alumni who have become successful entrepreneurs, many of whom are well known in South Florida |
The Pino Center kicked off its participation in Entrepreneurship Week USA by hosting an “Entrepreneurship Fair.” An array of 25 banners celebrating alumni entrepreneurs occupied the first floor of Green Library on February 26th and 27th.
“The banners showed alumni from history, engineering, the arts, education, and many other arenas, all of whom are successful entrepreneurs,” said Colleen Post (MBA ’03, BFA ’00), the Pino Center’s associate director and adjunct professor in entrepreneurship, management, and international business.
As part of the event, staff members were on hand throughout the two days to provide information about the many opportunities the center offers for those with an entrepreneurial bent.
 Awareness Campaign at Cielo, Coconut grove, during Entrepreneurship Week USA Fair |
“We probably had 1,000 students each day,” she said. “They were very curious, and many didn’t know about our offerings—such as an entrepreneurship track for business majors, an entrepreneurship minor for non-business majors, and an entrepreneurship certificate. We also told them about our graduate entrepreneurship track for business students, our graduate entrepreneurship certificate, various courses, and our annual business plan competition, the New Venture Challenge.”
Happy Hour and permanent display continue the festivities.
“Part of Entrepreneurship Week USA’s goal was to encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs,” said Alan L. Carsrud, executive director, Pino Center, and clinical professor of management. “We gave our students and young alumni the opportunity to network with our successful alumni entrepreneurs at a special happy hour we hosted together with the university’s Young Alumni Professionals Group.”
Held at the Cielo Garden & Supper Club in Coconut Grove on March 2, 2007, the event drew about 150 people for a lively get-together at which the banners were on display.
“The guests read all the banners, took photos, and saw for themselves how entrepreneurship crosses all disciplines,” Post said. “There was a lot of warmth displayed, and alumni were touched by the recognition.”
The week of March 12, 2007, the banners were installed in the college from which the alumnus or alumna graduated.
The Ryder Building is now home to banners for attorney Ed Arista (BS ’95); inventor Alexis Nogueras (MBA ’06); and marketer Monique Hamaty-Simmonds (BBA ’96). In addition, the banner of current BBA student Carole Bernstein (MA ’73), who has her graduate degree in educational administration, is located in the College of Education.
“Having the banners on display in so many of the university’s buildings is tangible evidence supporting our strongly held conviction that entrepreneurship is truly cross-disciplinary,” Carsrud said.
