Directors’ Welcome

As the end of the calendar year is upon us, it signals a time of reflection and a period of change, both personally and professionally. We take time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, where we may have fallen short, and, of course, what’s next in the coming year. Personally, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship.

This fall, we’ve had so many meaningful moments that truly communicated the essence of hospitality entrepreneurship.

In collaboration with others, we completed/achieved the following:

• We presented the Hospitality Hackathon with Hilton (71 student participants) and ran the Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition (24 student teams).
• We hosted a “Restaurant Entrepreneurship & Development” roundtable, bringing together over 24 entrepreneurs to discuss the current factors impacting restaurant operations, new opportunities for value creation, and plans for the future of the industry.
• We held a networking event for current and aspiring undergraduate and graduate student entrepreneurs—all of which opened up creativity, innovation, and important conversation around hospitality entrepreneurship.
• We welcomed six Entrepreneurs in Residence to campus this semester. They spent time meeting with students, offering business development advice, and sharing insights on networking and careers. They also spoke in classes, held fireside and coffee chats, met with student clubs, and judged competitions and class presentations, providing invaluable feedback to students.
• We offered the “Conversations with Entrepreneurs” class. Over the semester, students engaged with 12 entrepreneurs who shared their knowledge on everything from product development with customer input to scaling the business and raising funds from venture capital investors.
• And we kicked off the Hospitality Business Plan Competition with 27 teams (77 students) applying to compete this year. I’m excited about the diversity of business ideas submitted for the hospitality entrepreneurship space.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to welcome our new executive director in January, whose leadership will further strengthen our mission and impact.

All these moments reinforce a core value of hospitality entrepreneurship—the importance of human connection.

Cheers to an exciting year ahead!

Christy McDowell

Interim Executive and Academic Director