Working as a program manager at Honeywell seems like a sweet enough gig, but imagine expanding your technical skills and knowledge base while in that position. Scott Branham chose that path when he enrolled in WVU Online’s Business Data Analytics program. Read more about Branham’s journey here.
First Pitch
Supported by Silicon Valley CEO Ray Zinn, the first ZinnStarter Pitch Competition, hosted by the LaunchLab, gave aspiring collegiate entrepreneurs an opportunity to win cash to build their ideas into the next groundbreaking product or business. Winners included: First place ($2,500): Emma Adams, WVU animal and nutritional sciences major, and her business idea PetRecord, which provides universal medical records for pets in emergency situations; second place ($1,500): Cameron Keefe, global supply chain management major, and her idea ThermoRoller, which combines physical massage with temperature control to relieve sore muscle pain; and third place ($1,000) to the team of Austin Davis, Anne Byer and Emily Thomas, from the University of Charleston, and their idea Second Chance, a program that helps give active control back to people with quadriplegia and paraplegia.
Roll Call
Four Chambers College alumni who trailblazed their way to success in the business world joined the 2020 Roll of Distinguished Alumni class. They include Tina Bigalke, chief diversity officer of PepsiCo; Glenn Carell, managing director of Global Trading Systems Designated Market Making Operations; Dan D’Arrigo, former executive vice president and chief financial officer of MGM Resorts; and Albert Lewis, owner and chairman of Glass Inc.
Front of the House
Frank DeMarco, teaching associate professor of hospitality and tourism, recently received the Excellence in Tourism Education Award from the West Virginia Hospitality & Travel Association.
Business Butterfly Effect
What happens to small businesses when big retailers shut down?
Big Data, Bigger Wins
The year 2023 was a significant one for Data Driven WV. One of the Chambers College’s research and outreach centers, Data Driven WV works to improve living and working conditions statewide through data-centric and technological solutions, with clients ranging from small businesses to large corporations.