Annual Report
2021/2022 August - June
University of Dayton School of Business Administration
CONTENTS 04
ABOUT US
06
LETTER FROM THE STAFF
08
THE HUB POWERED BY PNC BANK
10
GREATER WEST DAYTON INCUBATOR
14
DIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLAN
16
ENTREPRENEURSHIP STUDIES
20
FLYER PITCH COMPETITION
28
FLYER CONSULTING
30
FLYER ENTERPRISES
32
STITT SCHOLARS
34
IMPACT
36
PARTNERS
ABOUT US At the University of Dayton (UD), innovating for the common good is part of our mission. We harness our community's entrepreneurial spirit to solve the world's most pressing problems. The L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership provides a distinctive approach to entrepreneurship education. Through the multidisciplinary entrepreneurship major, students have the opportunity to start actual micro-businesses, gain exposure to rapid growth companies, and engage in regular contact with successful entrepreneurs. In alignment with UD's commitment to the common good, we pursue entrepreneurship for the common good.
Students learn to create profitable ventures, but more importantly, they learn how to leverage those skills to build community and create positive change. This is the hope and vision of the Crotty Center’s two major strategic initiatives - The Hub Powered by PNC Bank and The Greater West Dayton Incubator. Both of these initiatives position the Crotty Center to contribute as a catalyst in the startup ecosystem. Working side by side with Dayton's Entrepreneurs’ Center, the Crotty Center is helping to execute a collective approach in the creation of new resources for local entrepreneurs and social ventures while providing new experiential learning opportunities for UD students.
A LETTER FROM THE TEAM Our previous academic year, 2020-2021, was a time that was shaped by challenges from a global pandemic that forced the Crotty Center team to be creative in keeping major initiatives moving forward. Last year marked the beginning of an evolution of our center for entrepreneurship.
Vincent Lewis,
Associate VP of Entrepreneurial Initiates Executive Director, Crotty Center President, The Hub
Although the prior year marked the beginning of that evolution, the 2021-2022 academic year marks a time that we have really begun to see the fruits of our labor. We saw the continued growth and development of existing programs, and the creation and launch of some very exciting new chapters in the life of our center.
This past year we have welcomed three new members to our team: Whitney Barkley as Director of our Greater West Dayton Incubator (GWDI), Kat Cordier as Associate Director of the Crotty Center and Ty Corbitt as Associate Director of the GWDI.
Whitney Barkley,
Director, The Greater West Dayton Incubator
We heralded the grand opening of the GWDI’s temporary location at 1105 W Third St, launched the Cultural Capital microloan fund, developed and created a new experiential internship program known as the Stitt Scholars with the inaugural Director, Dr. Philip Appiah-Kubi.
OUR LETTER CONTINUED... Our student-run business, Flyer Enterprises, exceeded $2 million in revenues for the 1st time in its history and Flyer Pitch welcomed a record number of applications of innovative startups and social ventures. Stephanie Peters
Senior Administrative Secretary
Much of the success of our students and major initiatives you can read about in this report. None of it would be possible without all of the incredible support we have gotten from our key partners.
PNC Bank has been instrumental at The Hub, and helping to grow and expand Flyer Pitch.
Connie Neace
Senior Administrative Secretary
Dayton’s Entrepreneurs’ Center, our joint-venture partner in The Hub powered by PNC, continues to play a key role in helping us execute key initiatives like The Hub and The GWDI.
Kat Cordier,
Associate Director, Crotty Center
Although we have accomplished much over the past year, we still have much to do: the continued expansion of The Hub, finding a permanent location for the GWDI, launching myriad new programs that grow
our
students’
experiential
learning
Ty Corbitt,
Associate Director, Greater West Dayton Incubator
opportunities, supporting student, faculty, staff and community
led
startups,
and
supporting
our
partners in the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. Over the next year our center will continue to expand and grow, as will the Crotty Center team. We feel we are truly blessed to have these opportunities to be engaged in the evolution of our program, along with the support we need from our partners and colleagues to see them through.
Phillip Appiah Kubi,
Director, Stitt Scholars Program
THE HUB POWERED BY PNC BANK The Hub Powered by PNC Bank celebrated its one year anniversary since its grand opening in March 2021! The 100,000 square foot innovation space, operating in a partnership between the Entrepreneurs’ Center and The University of Dayton, is now home to more than 130 member companies representing a diverse array of industries and entrepreneurs and includes over 1,000 members. The Hub also houses the staff of the Crotty Center, the staff of the Entrepreneurs’
Center,
classrooms
for
entrepreneurship classes, art + design classes, and a social innovation space known as the GEM, operated by UD’s Institute of Applied Creativity for Transformation. The Hub offers coordinated and centralized resources for the region's entrepreneurs, innovators, builders, creators, inventors, students & teachers. In the 2021-2022 academic year, The Hub had 55 classes throughout the academic year in various disciplines including art & design, education, public administration, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. Students taking classes at The Hub, are experiencing an atmosphere that includes the university but isn’t just an academic environment. Students are getting opportunities to interact with entrepreneurs and local community leaders while in the space.
THE HUB POWERED BY PNC BANK The Hub is a transformative environment that brings together a diverse community to foster creativity, growth, and entrepreneurship. The Hub's Vision is to have a sustainable impact and inspire others to do the same.
THE HUB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Andy Horner, Board Chair UD's Business and Administrative Services Trevor Collier UD's School of Business Administration Nancy McHugh UD's Fitz Center for Leadership Scott Koorndyk Entrepreneurs' Center Margie Pinnell UD's Ryan C. Harris Learning Teaching Center
Pedro Fernandes & Juliana Silva Shawn Garcia's parents
David Schoeff Entrepreneurs' Center Stacy Thompson Speare-Hardy Keybank Corp.
Startup Grounds
HUB BENEFITS FOR OUR STUDENTS The Hub is a quintessential transdisciplinary space that provides opportunities for networking, internships, and rich learning. We have no doubt it will continue to be a significant aspect of our students' education in entrepreneurship. It is a community-engaged, experiential learning platform like no other.
Managed By Flyer Enterprises and Operated by Rich Taste Catering
The Greater West Dayton Incubator (GWDI) is an organization powered by the University of Dayton and the Entrepreneurs' Center that is designed to accelerate the growth and success of entrepreneurial ventures founded and operated by underrepresented entrepreneurs. The incubator is strategically located inside of the L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and is the first tangible outcome of the UD-Greater West Dayton dialogues between Greater West Dayton community leaders and University of Dayton leadership. The Greater West Dayton Incubator proudly celebrated local entrepreneurs and its official grand opening on December 7, 2021 at 1105 W. Third Street. Nearly 100 people from the community showed up to celebrate entrepreneurship and the GWDI's mission to create new business and learning opportunities for business owners and students to grow - right in the West side's very own backyard. At the grand opening, visitors witnessed the induction of nine entrepreneurs on the Wall of Entrepreneurial Excellence in industries ranging from emotional wellness to hair care products. The official GWDI video was debuted and visitors heard encouraging remarks from President Eric Spina, Dean Trevor Collier, Associate Vice President of Entrepreneurial Initiatives Vincent Lewis, Key Bank VP of Community Partnerships Stacy Thompson, and Pastor Rick Burkes. Mayor Jeffery Mims, attended and provided an official proclamation of "GWDI Day" on behalf of the City of Dayton.
Programs
2021-2022 INITIATIVES
Resources
Mentoring
Education
Space
Funding
Events
Business Blitz The Business Blitz is a three-week bootcamp that helps new and existing entrepreneurs learn how to legitimize, digitize, and capitalize in business. GWDI Startup Fellowship The Greater West Dayton Incubator Fellowship is a 12-month initiative designed to help underrepresented entrepreneurs access space and education at The Hub Powered by PNC Bank. Entrepreneurs receive space at a deeply discounted rate and are enrolled in the Urban Elevation Accelerator program. Urban Elevation Accelerator The Urban Elevation Accelerator (UEA) is modeled after the Urban Poverty and Business Initiative (UPBI) at the University of Notre Dame. This 11-month accelerator includes a six week boot camp called the Elevation Academy, six months of mentorship, and a connection to student consultants for business projects. This program will begin July 16, 2022. Flyer Pitch Competition The Greater West Dayton Incubator hosted the Social Venture Track inside of the annual Flyer Pitch Competition. Through the competition, social venture finalists refined their pitch, developed a business plan, and met with GWDI staff and mentors to earn cash and in-kind prizes to grow their businesses. Cultural Capital Microlending Program The Greater West Dayton Incubator is a partner of the Cultural Capital Microlending Program with Flyer Consulting and Citywide Development. Through this program, underrepresented and under-resourced entrepreneurs apply for loan funding that go towards working capital, equipment, marketing, etc. at a low interest rate. Strong Is He: Power Hour The Strong Is He: Power Hour is a support group for male underrepresented entrepreneurs and highlights special topics such as mental health, generational wealth, education, and professionalism. Participants dialogue in an open roundtable to discuss topics that strengthen their mental fortitude for being an entrepreneur and leader in the community.
GREATER WEST DAYTON INCUBATOR
HIGHLIGHTS & ACHIEVEMENTS 2021-2022
2022 recipient of the AACSB International’s “Innovations That Inspire” Award. Launch of the Cultural Capital microloan lending program to offer up to $15K in funding for entrepreneurs in October 2021. Funded six microloan applications totaling $50,000 to underrepresented entrepreneurs as of April 2022. Awarded more than $85,000 in grants to Black company founders through the University of Dayton’s Flyer Pitch Competition. Launched Startup Grounds, a coffee shop located in The Hub powered by PNC that features underrepresented food entrepreneurs from West Dayton. Facilitated nearly $300,000 in contracts for local Black-owned businesses at The Hub Powered by PNC and Dayton Arcade. Attracted more than 100 applications for the Business Blitz Bootcamp; facilitated first mini accelerator in February 2022 for 50 entrepreneurs and 25 entrepreneurs in March. Funded and helped file 16 limited liability corporations with the Ohio Secretary of State for Business Blitz participants. Welcomed 13 new West Dayton entrepreneurs to the Hub Powered By PNC Bank through the GWDI Startup Fellowship. Accepted as one of 15 partner institutions for the University of Notre Dame’s Urban Poverty and Business Initiative to offer an accelerator for underrepresented entrepreneurs. Provided more than 2000 supervised student consulting hours to underrepresented businesses.
GREATER WEST DAYTON INCUBATOR
ADVISORY COUNCIL 2021-2022 Director, GWDI Associate Director, GWDI Community Development Banker
Whitney Barkley Tywan Corbitt Stacy M. Thompson Speare-Hardy *Advisory Council Chair
Dayton Chamber of Commerce Leidos Innovation Center
Belinda Mathews Stenson Scott Murphy
Equitable Entrepreneurship Ecosystem-Builder
KeAnna Daniels
Equitable Entrepreneurship Ecosystem-Builder
LeKeisha Grant
Greater West Dayton Entrepreneur
Cherrelle Gardner
Greater West Dayton Entrepreneur
Christina Mendez
Greater West Dayton Entrepreneur
Clarece Richardson
Greater West Dayton Entrepreneur
Deirreon Durant
Greater West Dayton Entrepreneur
Tae Winston
Montgomery County Business Services
Marvene Mitchell Cook
Entrepreneurs' Center
Scott Koorndyk
Entrepreneurs' Center
Kim Frazier
UD's Flyer Consulting
Elizabeth Anderson
UD's Flyer Consulting
Bryan Johnson
UD's Flyer Development UD's Flyer Enterprises
David Rueth Carolyn Haney
UD-Greater West Dayton Conversations
Brandord Brown
UD's Crotty Center
Vincent C. Lewis
UD's Crotty Center
Kat Cordier
UD's Procurement and Payable Services
Sara Harrison
DIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLAN In spring 2020, the University of Dayton launched The Flyers' Plan for Community Excellence driven by our Catholic and Marianist mission and aligned with the University's commitment to be a University for the Common
Good.
To
achieve
inclusive
excellence
throughout
the
University, each unit and department was charged with developing a diversity strategic plan specific for their area. In the Crotty Center, we strongly believe the entrepreneurial process can be leveraged for the common good. Creating opportunities for all entrepreneurs to start, grow, and sustain their ventures is key. We strive to create a space where students and community entrepreneurs feel empowered to be their whole selves. We identified ways to use our resources to mitigate practices and systems that have intentionally and unintentionally
harmed
historically
marginalized
entrepreneurs.
In
partnership with our local partners, we are working to create a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive startup ecosystem.
In alignment with UD's Common Good, we have been working toward achieving the goals below. In addition to our goals we have provided initiatives to meet the goals.
01
Create and sustain a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment for all students to fully engage in Crotty Center academic programs and sponsored student experiential learning opportunities to develop entreprenuerial skills.
The GWDI and Flyer Consulting team have launched the Cultural Capital Microloan Program for underserved and under-resourced entrepreneurs and small businesses in Greater West Dayton. The Capstone class has provided consulting support to locally owned businesses in market research, feasibility testing, and other various analysis.
02
Advance the University's institutional learning goal of diversity by exposing all entrepreneurship students to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusionand its relevance to the field of entrepreneurship.
Flyer Consulting and Flyer Enterprise now participate in Cultural Competency trainings for their team to learn best practices with working with diverse teams, clients, and suppliers. The Sophomore ENT classes are exposed to local and diverse entrepreneurs during their class time and the Entrepreneurs At The Table breakfasts.
03
All faculty and staff engaging with the Crotty Center, as well as the physical Crotty Center spaces, provide an inclusive environment for discussion of personal and academic topics related to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability/ability, nationality, and other areas of diversity. PAGE 12
The Hub encourages diverse representation of businesses and members in our space and have created a fellowship for minority owned businesses in need of office space. Flyer Consulting and Flyer Enterprises are developing strategic plans and progressive metrics with the Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement Center to create and sustain an inclusive organizational climate.
04
Dayton entrepreneurs, businesses, and organization have equitable access to Crotty Center resources, programs, events, and services.
The GWDI has launched several programs to educate and create equitable access for the West Dayton community such as the Business Blitz, Strong Is He Power Hours, the Urban Elevation Accelerator Program, and others. The Crotty Center and GWDI have build partnerships around the Dayton Entrepreneurship ecosystem and City of Dayton such as Parallax, Launch Dayton, Chamber of Commerce, and the Dowtown Dayton Partnership. 52.9% of the Hub memberships are made up of Minority Owned, Women Owned and Veteran Owned entrepreneurs.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP STUDIES Micro-Companies The 2021-2022 academic year was an opportunity for our micro-companies to integrate some lessons learned through the pandemic, and take advantage of the new opportunities presented to UD students through The Hub. The Micro-Company Course, or Sophomore Experience, is a course where students launch, operate and exit a micro-company over the academic year. We start the year with each student presenting their ideas to the class in a sixty-second elevator pitch. The classes evaluate the concepts and choose the ones they would like to pursue. The person that pitched the idea becomes the team founder. We then host a recruiting day in class, where team founders recruit other students in the class to their team.
For the past 16 years, UD's entrepreneurship program has been consistently ranked as one of the top 50 entrepreneurship programs in the United States.
Once their team is together, the Crotty Center provides $5,000 in startup capital, and the businesses move toward launch. At the end of the academic year, the companies repay their loans, and divide the profits between a local charity, an experiential learning program for UD students, and divide the remaining profit among their team. This year’s teams really took advantage of shifts in customer behavior through the use of social media and the desire for consumer’s to have multiple ways to source products. Teams set-up tables on campus and at The Dayton Arcade’s Holly Days event, they went door-to-door, they took orders on Instagram, and sold products from webstores. This year’s micro-companies were truly omni-channel businesses. Of this year’s twelve teams, nine were profitable. These teams generated more than $40,000 in revenue, almost $10,000 in profit, and donated $3,000 to charity. Products ranged from clothing to a custom card game to an app that helps you find lost items. This year’s teams leveraged their own creativity and technology to race to success.
Fly Apparel UD Apparel Company
Neighborhood Watch UD Card Case and Jibbitz
Table Tats UD Decals and Stickers
937 Headcovers UD Golf Headcovers
Flyer Fannys UD Fanny Pack Company
Flyer Fits UD Apparel Company
Orion Protein Supplement Company
Found It! QR Stickers for Lost Items
Dayton After Hours UD Card Against Humanity
1850 Wristbands UD Leather Wristbands
Flyps Repurposing Company
Almost Saturday UD Apparel Company
Although managing their startup is the primary focus of students in the Micro-Company Course, we layer in lessons in entrepreneurship. Throughout the year, students learn fundamental pieces of creating a business. They perform business planning using The Lean Startup method, discuss raising capital for a venture, identify opportunities, and apply the entrepreneurial mindset. We accomplish this using the Harvard Business School case study method, simulations, and guest speakers. One of the highlights of each term is the Entrepreneurs-At-The-Table (EATT) events. The program started as a result of a generous donation from Jim and Esther Eiting. The event brings entrepreneurs together with our students four times per year to discuss current issues and challenges business owners face. This year’s EATT events were the first at The Hub Powered by PNC Bank. More than 40 local entrepreneurs met with students over the course of the year to discuss business ethics, current challenges and raising capital. The Micro-Company Course continues to be one of the most memorable and challenging of a UD Entrepreneurship student’s classroom experiences. The course, which features many lessons in entrepreneurship and connections to successful entrepreneurs, is a hallmark feature of UD’s Entrepreneurship program.
ENT Capstone
The Capstone Seminar in Entrepreneurship is the culminating curricular experience for UD Entrepreneurship students. The course involves a semester-long consulting assignment with a local startup venture or social enterprise. Students collaborate with their client and their assigned mentor to develop project objectives and a Letter of Engagement. Leveraging market research through customer surveys, focus groups, and oneon-one conversations, the students develop actions the client can implement to achieve their objectives. Students present the recommendations with estimated implementation costs and timelines. Student teams can put in more than 200 supervised consulting hours during the semester, and the projects are all done pro-bono for the clients.
Silver LininGS Ca nopy Ga rdens
GEM CITY SALADS
This past year we worked with 12 diverse clients in our Capstone Course with a wide range of project types. These projects have included business plan development, brand development, business strategy, social media planning, and expansion opportunities. The clients include an array of for-profit and mission-based ventures ranging from brick and mortar retail to a commercial kitchen 16 incubator to non-profits. All in all, our 12 capstone teams,PAGE along with their mentors, delivered more than 2,000 consulting hours to clients at no charge. Special thanks to our clients and our mentors. Without each of them, the Capstone Seminar would not be possible. 2020-2021 ENT Capstone Mentors Dawn Brown Aaron Delidow Betsy Westhafer Chrysa Theodore
FLYER
2021 2022
PITCH
COMPETITION
In addition to supporting start-ups, the annual Flyer Pitch Competition inaugurated a new era by launching a new track to support local social ventures. Put on in partnership with the Greater West Dayton Incubator, this year's competition awarded $158,300 in cash prizes and support services. Setting a precedent with one of the most sizable prize packages in the competition's 16-year history, the 2021-2022 Flyer Pitch was sponsored by PNC Bank, Dayton's Entrepreneurs' Center, the GWDI, and Bandila Studios. The competition's legacy includes more than 80 new ventures that have completed the experience and have collectively raised over $24 million in follow-up capital. This year we had 118 submissions, more than we have had in years past. We had 22 teams compete in the cameo round virtually due to the global pandemic and safety reasons and 11 teams in the live final round held in The Tank inspired by CenterPoint Energy at the Dayton Arcade. The competition provides participants with the opportunity to enhance their entrepreneurial skills and strengthen their ventures through training, mentorship, and feedback from expert judges. The initial rounds leading up to the final round not only help teams prepare for the 30-minute live pitch to judges, but the competition ultimately provides entrepreneurs with the hands-on support to successfully launch their new venture. The Flyer Pitch Competition is open to all University of Dayton students and Dayton community members.
This year's competition made strides in establishing pathways to funding for underrepresented and under-resourced entrepreneurs. Through the efforts of the GWDI and the support of community partners, $42,900 in unrestricted grant funding went to Greater West Dayton entrepreneurs. Further, eight out of the eleven finalist teams were minority-owned firms, 63.6% of total submissions were minority-owned, and 54.5% of total competition submissions were from community members.
FLYER PITCH TESTIMONIAL
By Michael Ragsdale, Bailout Systems
"Thank you Flyer Pitch for making such a huge impact on Dayton’s start up community! It is this type of commitment that makes innovation possible, impacting small companies that need these funds to bring the next big thing to market!"
Startup Venture Track The Start-Up Venture Track offered an opportunity for participants to put entrepreneurship principles into practice by expanding or starting a business venture and getting the support needed to make it successful.
Startup Track Finalists Lunnie Founder: Sarah Kallile Lunnie reinvented the nursing bra to empower moms in their postpartum: It’s chic, comfortable, and leakproof. Thanks to the large community of Lunnie Hive moms, this data-driven bra is momtested and approved. "Participating in the competition over the past seven months has been an invaluable experience. I’m grateful to the university, organizers, judges, and fellow entrepreneurs for this opportunity to grow my business and make lifelong connections." - Sarah $25,000 IN CASH + $25,000 ENTREPRENEUR SERVICE PROGRAM FUNDS
AIMM Founder: Dr. Luis Estevez AIMM is a company that believes access to clean water is a human right and is developing a pointof-use water filter system to turn contaminated water into clean safe water–all powered by gravity. $35,000 IN CASH
Bailout Systems Founder: Michael Ragsdale Bailout Systems is the world's first hands-free rappelling device for emergency responders. $17,500 IN CASH
OrthoRev Founder: Ben Zawacki OrthoRev is a company that has created The Ortho Sock, a strong elastic fabricated sock with a pocket underneath the arch of the foot for a custom 3D printed orthotic insert. $15,000 IN CASH + $1,400 BANDILA STUDIOS MARKING PACKAGE
Open Bay Autos Founder: Kameron Seabrook Open Bay Autos is a DIY community enthusiast and novice drivers alike. $10,000 IN CASH
for
car
GWDI Social Venture Track The GWDI Social Venture track advanced social justice and equity in Greater West Dayton by starting or scaling a nonprofit, social enterprise, and/or community initiatives.
GWDI Social Venture Track Finalists Unemotional Founder: Jordyn Calhoun Unemotional is a Social Emotional Learning curriculum with an emphasis on cultural responsiveness. - $10,000 IN CASH-
Fail Me Not Tutoring Founder: Michel'le Currington Fail Me Not Tutoring provides interactive and engaging tutoring sessions to help K-8 students build confidence, comfort, and clarity in reading and math. - $10,000 IN CASH -
SoLoved Founder: Ashley Browning So Loved is a project based, 501c3 organization in the Dayton community. SoLoved is committed to assisting different populations through community outreach by doing quarterly initiatives via the love bug. - $5,000 IN CASH -
West Dayton Strong Camp Founder: Tiffany Brown West Dayton Strong Camp offers traumainformed, culturally responsiveness and healing centered programs for youth ages 3-12 living in West Dayton. - $5,000 IN CASH -
Montgomery County Community Band Founder: Virgil Goodwine Montgomery County Community Band offers musical instruction for grades 4-12 that reside in Montgomery County. Students will have the opportunity to perform as a marching band, concert band, and jazz ensemble. $1,400 BANDILA STUDIOS MARKING PACKAGE
League Bound Prevention Institute Founder: John Terrell League Bound provides support and encouragement to individuals and families through extracurricular programming and academic enrichment aimed at meeting the youths’ social emotional needs on their pathway to success. - $500 IN CASH -
Startup Venture Track Semi Finalists
Curafied Miles Ahead Enery LLC Mailcure Kilele Health LLC Poopsicle Better Water Vizors LLC
Startup Venture Track Judges Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Aaron Delidow Tom Vogel Kim Woodbury David Marshall
Aaron Delidow Tom Vogel Katie Hill Jordan Roe Betsy Westhafer Troy Lindo
Aaron Delidow Dave Melin Scott Koorndyk David Marshall Betsy Westhafer LeKeisha Grant Troy Lindo
Betsy Westhafer
Jordan Roe Troy Lindo
Startup Venture Track Finalist Mentors Jeff Banker (Bailout Systems) Matt Willenbrink (AIMM) Nancy Hayes (Lunnie) Jordan Roe (Open Bay Autos) Tom Vogel (The Ortho Sock)
Greater West Dayton Social Venture Track Semi Finalists
Dayton Demo Designs Sweena's Sweets Head Over Heels: Model Academy Made By Missy
Greater West Dayton Social Venture Track Judges Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Michael Kroeger Tae Winston Kenya Baker LeKeisha Grant Peter Benkendorf KeAnna Daniels Dwight Dewberry
Michael Kroeger Tae Winston Kenya Baker LeKeisha Grant Peter Benkendorf Dwight Dewberry
Tae Winston Kenya Baker Emerald Sparks Peter Benkendorf KeAnna Daniels Dwight Dewberry
GWDI Social Venture Track Finalist Mentors Jordyn Calhoun (Unemotional) Sharon Goins (Fail Me Not Tutoring) Shannon Isom (SoLoved) Emerald Sparks (West Dayton Strong Camp) Sierra Leone (Montgomery County Community Band) Tywan Corbitt (League Bound Prevention Institute)
Flyer Consulting is a student-run organization housed within the Crotty Center at the University of Dayton. We provide complimentary consulting services to nonprofit organizations and small business while promoting economic growth locally and internationally through two microlending programs. The amazing students that comprise Flyer Consulting made this year one that will leave a lasting impact on the growth and success of the organization’s future. During the Fall 2021 semester, Flyer Consulting worked with 6 nonprofit organizations These clients included New Beginnings for You, I Love West Dayton, Safe Haven Heritage, Mission of Mary, Developing Butterflies and Purposed Parish. In the Spring, we worked with 5 nonprofit organizations. These clients included the Black Power Initiative, Brooklyn Center for the Arts, Green Environmental Outreach, Youth Communication Inc., and the Westwood Right Project. With these projects ranging from business development to website creation and strategic marketing strategies, Flyer Consulting was able to create meaningful impact in our community. We also had the opportunity to work with our first small business client in the Spring semester. This project with Rosie’s Vending marks the official launch of our third vertical, which is designed to bridge the gap between our current nonprofit consulting and microlending programs. A key component of this project was the implementation of QuickBooks, a new solution offered by Flyer Consulting. Regarding the microlending side of Flyer Consulting, our organization operates two programs. Locally, we officially launched the Cultural Capital Microlending Program in October. After several semesters of foundational work, our team was excited to begin collecting and reviewing applications. Our partnerships with the Greater West Dayton Incubator and CityWide Development have been instrumental to the growth of the program. Since the launch of the program, we have approved $51,343 of loans for 6 local businesses. Regarding the International Microlending Program, we have continued our partnership with the IMANI Marianists in Nairobi, Kenya to provide entrepreneurs with microlending. Since the programs launch in October of 2019, we have lent over $30,000 and helped create 60+ new jobs in Nairobi. In 2021 alone, our team accepted 12 new borrowers into the program and disbursed over $10,000.
In addition to client projects and microlending, Flyer Consulting also achieved several internal initiatives. Expanding on work from the 2020-2021 school year, we established structured Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals and created a strategic plan to hold ourselves accountable as we continuously grow as an organization. This plan is designed to help reshape the inclusivity and skillset of our organization, establish a diverse client acquisition pipeline, and provide metrics to track our progress. Flyer Consulting also had the opportunity to participate in Flyer Funder, a program offered though the university of Dayton that provides student organizations a fundraising platform. Our campaign raised $7,675 for our organization that will be used to expand our services and enable us to better serve the community. Lastly, we hosted our first official alumni weekend where we were able to connect and engage with fellow alumni and provide updates on the current state of Flyer Consulting. The 2021-2022 school year was filled with lasting memories, successes and growth areas. Flyer Consulting was able to successfully serve our nonprofit clients, our first small business client, and expand both of our microlending programs. In these efforts, we have served organizations whose missions support 10 of the 17 sustainable development goals. Internally, our organization has grown to a record number of 67 students and 22 majors. We welcomed 25 interns to our organization from a wide range of academic units at the University of Dayton. Looking forward to next year, we are excited to continue bettering our clients and community through our services. The 2021-2022 school year was filled with lasting memories, successes and growth areas.
Flyer Enterprises is a completely student-run business that is a part of the Crotty Center. Our company is the 6th largest student-run business in the nation with over 200 employees, $2.1 million generated in revenue, and eight physical divisions across the University of Dayton’s campus, one division in the Hub Powered by PNC and three service divisions. In 2020, the pandemic completely halted all of our operations and did not allow for many divisions to open at all. Coming from a year of uncertainty and long-term closure, Flyer Enterprises had a great opportunity to reopen all on-campus divisions in the Fall of 2021. Though reopening came with many lingering effects of the pandemic, each employee, manager, and executive saw this as an opportunity to rebuild and grow. With the rebranding of the Galley to Fly By, the newly developed meal plan agreement and the opening of Startup Grounds on the horizon, Flyer Enterprises was ready to hit the ground running. Since 2015, the “Galley,” as located in the Hangar in Kennedy Union, sold mostly ice cream and milkshakes along with some late-night snack options. The Galley was one of the few divisions that was briefly open during the pandemic, and management teams worked hard during this time to try to understand what students would want to see served from this division. After collaboration with Dining Services, it was decided that the space could be used in a different fashion, which led to the ultimate creation of Fly By. The name “Fly By” was chosen to pay homage to the first division of Flyer Enterprises, “Rudy’s Fly Buy”. Now, Fly By is a bagel and deli shop that sells bagels, bagel sandwiches, donuts and F’real milkshakes. This change has led to an influx of students entering the space and has seen a 160% increase in overall revenue compared to FY20. The idea for First Class Flyers was born unintentionally, within a conversation about the general staffing issues that were impacting many companies at the time. The words “men’s basketball games” piqued the interest of all the FE students in the room, and a new FE service division was created! First Class Flyers is a unique opportunity for our employees to take on extra hours by working as servers and bartenders at the UD Men’s basketball games. The Dining Services Catering department provides service to the Flight Deck and suite areas of the UD arena. Because Flyer Enterprises is able to help staff these games, the business model for the division mirrors a typical staffing agency. FE and Dining Services have agreed upon an hourly fee that covers FE’s payroll cost to staff the games with our students. The students have the ability to make minimum wage plus tips, which makes this opportunity attractive for those who are 21+, value the networking aspect, and love the spirited environment of the basketball games.
In a similar conversation about staffing issues, the idea of Flyer Enterprises taking over the operations of Brown Street Bistro on the Fifth Floor of Fitz Hall was brought to our attention. After many conversations, it was decided that FE would create a joint venture with Dining Services to staff and control the operations of the Bistro as of January 2022. The new management teams developed a simpler “create your own” sandwich and salad menu with many grab and go options that was sustained through the rest of the school year. They were able to create many relationships within all of the departments of Fitz Hall to gain a better understanding of what customers wanted to see in the Brown Street Bistro. This summer, the management team plans on changing the menu to appeal to the feedback that was given. FE is excited to grow and develop this division in the future. Over the past few years, many leadership teams have worked on plans to develop what is now Startup Grounds. Located in the downtown Dayton area, Startup Grounds is proud to operate in partnership with the Hub Powered by PNC, Rich Taste Catering, and Flyer Enterprises. The Hub has graciously provided a beautiful space that includes seating areas and a state of the art kitchen to prepare food and beverages. Rich Taste Catering, a local Dayton catering company, has provided the management experience to keep our division operating throughout the calendar year. Flyer Enterprises has been able to provide backend support at Startup Grounds, taking responsibility for the marketing and accounting work. The coffee shop has chosen to support local vendors, showcasing their products and helping to bring their missions to life. Within the first year of operations, Startup Grounds has expanded their product selection to serve more breakfast and lunch options, added online ordering to reach a wider market, and has offered a wide variety of grab and go options. In addition, this year marks a huge milestone in FE history for everyone that has been involved in Flyer Enterprises. The celebration of twenty years of operation has allowed for everyone to recognize the growth, innovation, and learning that Flyer Enterprises has provided to both current students and alumni. This year’s leadership team has worked hard to implement initiatives that highlight these long-lived merits. Flyer Side Chats is FE’s newly created podcast that has been designed to host previous Flyer Enterprises alumni. This year, the podcast was mostly hosted by Sam McKenzie, Vice President of Operations, where he was able to hear specific success stories and memories from each of the guests. The podcast is available for listening on Spotify, and we hope to grow this series in the future. This year, Flyer Enterprises experienced a record revenue year with over 2.1 million dollars in sales. This was all due to continued collaborations and innovation that this year’s leadership team worked to sustain throughout the hardships of the pandemic. There have been so many exciting changes that have occurred this year, and we hope to continue that growth. FE is so excited to move into the next year focusing on our current operations and looking to further impact the community with all of our divisions.
Stitt Scholars Program (SSP)
The Stitt Scholars Program (SSP) was started with a generous donation from Jim '71 (chairman of Cutco Corporation and Chairman of Olean Business Development Corporation) and Carol Stitt to enable engineering and business students to collaborate. It is, therefore, a collaborative program between the School of Engineering (SoE) and the School of Business Administration (SBA). It provides students with experiential learning opportunities (paid internship) through deep collaboration with startup companies at the HUB (powered by the PNC Bank and the Greater West Dayton Incubator). Students gain and enhance their problem-solving skills concerning innovation and entrepreneurship through this program. The program collaborates with the L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Entrepreneurs Center at the HUB to provide impactful experiential learning opportunities for the students. The inaugural cohort of 10 students (five each from SBA and SoE) started in the fall of 2021. The students worked in multidisciplinary teams of two to four students and completed eight client-based projects with startup companies and community partners at the HUB. The deliverables from one of the projects were used to secure $15,000 from PNC Bank to support minority-owned businesses in Greater West Dayton. The program’s success in Fall 2021 also enabled the advancement office to secure an additional $100,000 from the donor to grow the program. In the spring of 2022, the cohort completed seven projects. In one of the projects, a multidisciplinary team of business and engineering students worked with an entrepreneur (Sarah Kallile) to conduct market research and social media analytics and designed, performed, and analyzed an experiment at the Innovation Center to test and compare the absorbency of a new product with competitors’. The client used the results when she participated and won first place in the Flyer Pitch program. It also enabled her to distinguish the product empirically.
The 2020/21 cohort participated in the University of Dayton’s Stander Symposium and presented informational sessions on their projects, It was also a pleasure to have lunch with the Golden Flyers afterward. In June this year, one of the students (Grace Silverberg) will be delivering a poster presentation at the American Society for Engineering Educators (ASEE) conference in Minneapolis. The program director will also be presenting at two conferences this summer, where he will also interact with UD alumni and share with them about experiential learning opportunities at UD. The program has been an excellent experience for the students, instructors, and community partners. In a client survey, all of the clients indicated that the students met or exceeded their expectations. In an anonymous survey, the students also stated that they enhanced their communication and collaborative skills by participating in this program. The second cohort of 14 students, including a student from the College of Arts and Sciences, will start at the beginning of the 2022/23 academic year. We are looking forward to creating more value for startup companies and entrepreneurs in the Dayton area while providing students with invaluable experiential learning opportunities. To learn more about the Stitt Scholars program, please visit the site below https://udayton.edu/engineering/connect/ stitt-scholars/index.php.
L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership 2021-2022 Academic Year by the Numbers
27 faculty engaged at The Hub 1,400 engaging in courses/programs
35 graduated seniors 40 incoming sophomores
12 micro-companies
$3,000 donated to a local charity $40,000+ micro-company sales
12 capstone clients
118 Flyer Pitch submissions
$61,353 worth of microloans
$2,100,000 Flyer Enterprise revenue
2,000+ total consulting hours with entrepreneurs and businesses
$158,300 Flyer Pitch awards
10 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals met through support to entrepreneurs and organizations
CROTTY CENTER PARTNERS CROTTY CENTER PARTNERS
CROTTY CENTER ADVISORY COUNCIL Whitney Barkley - Greater West Dayton Incubator Rebecca Blust - UD's Innovation Center Dawn Brown - InSource Consulting, Inc Ty Corbitt - Greater West Dayton Incubator Kat Cordier - UD's Crotty Center Jim Danis - G/C Contracting Group Aaron Delidow - Provost Properties, Inc Russ Gottesman - Commuter Advertising Michael B. Green - MV Residential Group Steve Harlamert - Harlow-HRK Sales & Marketing, Inc. Stephen Hayes - SKH Quest Centers Tom Homan - Allied Supply Company Jay Janney - UD's Management and Marketing Dept. Donald W. Jennett - Fifth Third Bank Jeff Klank - Canal Holdings Patricia Kukulka - Slone Gear Scott Koorndyk - Entrepreneurs' Center Ann Kyne - Fifth Third Bank Vince Lewis - UD's Crotty Center Nicole Dalichau - Aileron David Marshall - UD's Management & Marketing Dept. Mike McQuiston - The Connor Group Scott Murphy - Leidos Innovation Center Jack Murray - Fix Media Connie Neace - UD's Crotty Center Michelle Parker - MI Consulting & Research LLC Stephanie Peters - UD's Crotty Center Stuart Seltman - Crescent Paper Tube Company Diane Sullivan - UD's Management & Marketing Dept. Liz Todia - Mutual Capital Partners Craig Voss - Voss Auto Network Alex Waibel - Waibel Energy Systems Bill Winger - Hyde Park Electronics Corp.
CROTTY CENTER VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR Dawn Brown - 2020 Stacy Thompson - 2021
CONTACT US 31 S MAIN ST. DAYTON, OH 45402
ENT@UDAYTON.EDU @UDAYTONENT