The UMD Entrepreneurship Conference will be held on Tuesday, October 17 from 9 am-4 pm in the Kirby Ballroom. This event is free and open to students, staff, and faculty, but registration is required. The cost for UMD alumni is $25 and for the general public it's $40.
The Labovitz School of Business and Economics is hosting its third annual UMD Entrepreneurship Conference, which is 100% student run. Two of these students are the co-directors: Andrew Achter and Brandon Colucci (pictured above in the front row: Andrew is on the far right and Brandon is on the far left.)
Andrew Achter, is a senior studying Marketing and Graphic Design. He grew up in Menomonie, Wisconsin and chose to attend UMD because it allowed him to study what he wanted, along with being surrounded by the outdoors and partaking in all the different sports he enjoys.
Achter has been on the conference planning committee since his first year of college, which also happened to be the very first year of the conference, as well. His role used to focus on marketing and design, until he was asked to co-direct the conference this year.
“I had a lot of interest in entrepreneurship and joining the inaugural year of planning this conference seemed like the perfect way to learn from and connect with like-minded students and entrepreneurs in the community,” says Achter.
Furthermore, he discusses his passion for the student planning team. He emphasizes that no problem is too big to handle for his peers and colleagues, and they are all learning as they go, and do not give up.
He says, despite challenges that arise, “...we have still managed to put together a successful conference two years in a row. It shows that there is no better way to learn than by getting involved and tackling challenges head-on."
Brandon Colucci, a senior studying both Marketing Analytics and Marketing, is the other co-director of the conference. He is from Prior Lake, Minnesota and chose Duluth because he loves everything that it has to offer.
Colucci has been assisting with the planning process for the past three years, ever since Andrew told him about this new opportunity. He is happy to be co-director of the conference, because, “I wanted to be a part of something at UMD that I could look back at someday and be proud of starting. This was an opportunity to find value in my life, so I pursued it,” he says.
Colucci recounts the first team meeting he ever went to with Andrew. It consisted of a brainstorming session, for all the different events that they could host. At the time, he did not know what he was getting into, because in 2015, there was a vision, but no plan. He is glad that he took on this challenge and was able to help build it into what it is today.
“I have realized that there are many opportunities in the world today that can be taken advantage of. Growing my network and seeing what connections I can make outside of my educational career is a great challenge for me to push myself to become a great leader,” Colucci emphasizes.
Colucci and Achter are extremely excited for the third annual UMD Entrepreneurship Conference to take place and are confident that it will be the best one yet.
About the Conference
The UMD Entrepreneurship Conference focuses on connecting students, educators, business professionals, and members of the community with one another. Attendees will gain insight from local, regional, and national entrepreneurs. The conference includes networking opportunities, workshops, and a chance to hear from individuals who are restaurant owners, CEO's of marketing firms, and even the mayor of Two Harbors.
“Attendees can expect to hear from speakers with a wide variety of entrepreneurial experience. In addition to the five keynote presentations, there will also be a Company Culture Panel as well as two workshops where students will have the opportunity to learn from the entrepreneurs in a more intimate setting.” concludes Achter.
For more information and to register for the event, please visit the UMD Entrepreneurship Conference website.
They were involved in the first event. Now Andrew Achter and Brandon Colucci are co-directors of the UMD Entrepreneurship Conference.