Visiting Entrepreneurs Increases Student Engagement

This academic year, the Institute welcomed two new entrepreneurs in residence, Kent Bruggeman and Emily Gottschalk ’82 to hold appointments along with returning entrepreneur, Nick Bayer ‘00. Kent is on the Pillsbury Institute Advisory Board and is the Executive Vice President for Winegarder & Hammons, Inc. (WHI). He began his over 30 year career in the hospitality industry following graduation from college. He has been with WHI since 1990 and WHI has won countless awards under his direction. Emily is a graduate of the School of Hotel Adminstration and began her marketing career in the hospitality industry at Marriott Hotels and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, eventually moving into the retail environment. Since that time, Emily has founded several companies including The Garr Group and ZinGarr, LLC. Emily has won multiple awards in the recent years and currently serves on Walmart’s Women-Owned Business Advisory Council along with several others.

Entrepreneurs are on campus at least twice a semester and students can sign up to meet one-on-one through the Institute office. This fall semester saw a fifty percent increase in student engagement with the entrepreneurs compared to last fall. Visit our website if you are interested in becoming an entrepreneur in residence or learning more about this program.