VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Creative Media and Digital Culture program at Washington State University Vancouver has received $10,000 from the Northwest Wine and Food Society to support program needs and student fellowships.
Four students who received $1,500 fellowships for tuition and other needs are creating a website, logo and social media promotions for the society, collaborating over the web on Zoom and Slack to complete the work by mid-June. They began the 10-week project in March, just days before the state of Washington’s “Stay Home. Stay Safe.” order went into effect, and students left the campus.
The students are Jakeob Maygra, who serves as multimedia designer; Mykell Sloan, social media promotions specialist; Elaina Sundwall, web developer; and Andrew Thompson, content developer. Maygra, Sundwall and Thompson are digital technology and culture majors. Sloan graduated this spring as a communications major with a digital technology and culture minor. Dene Grigar, director and professor in the CMDC program, is the project’s faculty mentor.
Founded in 2006, the Northwest Wine and Food Society raises funds for food and wine education, and research in Southwest Washington. It holds several high-profile events each year, such as the Robert Burns Supper, and supports WSU Vancouver’s Hospitality Program, Clark College’s Culinary Institute and the Skills Center of Clark County. Donors since 2008, NWFS was instrumental in getting the Hospitality Business Management program to WSU Vancouver through their philanthropy.
The CMDC program integrates research and teaching in an intellectually diverse, technologically innovative experience, applying inter- and transdisciplinary approaches that foster civic engagement from local-to-global contexts in the areas of digital humanities, media art, media communication, media studies and information systems.
About WSU Vancouver
As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
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VANCOUVER, Wash. – Each year, student teams in the Carson College of Business at Washington State University Vancouver work under the guidance of faculty and volunteer mentors to provide pro bono consulting to regional small businesses and nonprofit organizations to help them improve and grow. Each Business Growth Mentor & Analysis Program project takes place over the course of a 16-week semester, and each team provides about 500 hours of pro bono consulting to the businesses with whom they work.
During the 2019/20 academic year, WSU Vancouver students completed 27 pro bono Business Growth MAP student consultancy projects. Eleven MAP teams were nominated for the Best Team Project award, and three were selected to receive awards.
Team ANC Movers
Team members include: Peter Chapman, Olivia Conzatti, Mark Guthrie, AJ Maynes, Josh Pascual and Cindy Trondsen
Client: Peter Clarke
MAP Mentor: Ken Torre
ANC Movers is a certified minority-owned moving company that has served Vancouver and Portland for more than 20 years. ANC Movers offers residential and commercial moving services, in addition to specialty moving services for furniture, pianos and gun safes.
Team ANC Movers developed recommendations that will help business owner Clarke and his team secure government contracts, improve their leadership and employee training processes, and more efficiently use their storage space to increase revenue and savings. The team’s mentor Torre said, “Team ANC presented a pathway to success which will, post COVID-19, assuredly lead to significant revenue for ANC.”
Team Rezabek Vineyards
Team members include: Justin Graber, Hailey Miracle, Grace Moe, Ryan Noto, Kathryn Saba and Riley Wilson
Client: Donna and Roger Rezabek
MAP Mentor: Mike Pawlowski
Established in 2010, Rezabek Vineyards sits on 10 acres just north of the East Fork of the Lewis River in Clark County, Wash. This award-winning winery produces about 800 cases of wine per year.
Through competitive benchmarking, Team Rezabek Vineyards developed a comprehensive plan to drive retail sales by increasing wine club membership and tasting room traffic. Team mentor Pawlowski said, “The team’s analysis and attention to detail helped Rezabek pivot to a market-driven operation that is sure to drive stronger sales performance going forward. The team’s step-by-step playbook for Rezabek is a strong catalyst for successful implementation.”
Team VIP Photo Booth
Team members include: Kylie DeKoeyer, Gimi Jochim, Hailey Miracle, Grace Moe and Brandon Rotundo
Client: Ian Manheimer
MAP Mentor: Steve Sakumoto
VIP Photo Booth delivers quality entertainment and customized photo booth experiences at special events to ensure guests leave laughing, smiling and bragging about the fun they had.
Team VIP Photo Booth developed a marketing plan centered on three recommendations that will help Manheimer take his business to the next level. Team mentor Sakumoto said the team was high-functioning, presented themselves professionally and that they presented a polished and positive image of WSU Vancouver.
If you are interested in joining the Business Growth MAP as either a mentor or a client, email gmap@wsu.edu">bgmap@wsu.edu or visit business.vancouver.wsu.edu/bgmap.
About WSU Vancouver
As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
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VANCOUVER, Wash. – Washington State University Vancouver’s May Business Growth MAP Alliance forum will feature management consultants John Anderson and Patrick Locke, who will discuss how to develop an effective succession plan for your business.
The forum will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. May 20 via Zoom. The forum is open to all at no cost, but advance registration is required. Register online at business.vancouver.wsu.edu/bgmap and click the link under “Upcoming events.”
Speakers Anderson and Locke, management consultants with Be Cause Business Resources, teach succession planning for what they call a “smart exit.” They will provide insights into the steps business owners can take to develop and plan for their business with the end in mind. Anderson is president of the Oregon and Southwest Washington chapter of the Institute of Management Consultants and co-founder of Be Cause Business Resources, where Locke is a project manager.
The Business Growth MAP Alliance brings together small businesses and entrepreneurs to learn from each other, industry experts and WSU Vancouver faculty.
About WSU Vancouver
As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
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