BVU Students Reflect on Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute Success

Four Buena Vista University students participated in an advanced study of entrepreneurship at the Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute. The five-day event is filled with seminars, networking, and mentoring.

Four Buena Vista University (BVU) students participated in the annual Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute (OEI) late this summer at the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory on West Lake Okoboji.

Students participating included: KayLynne Bechen, a senior from Moville; Peyton Schultz, a junior from Kiron; Logan Mueller, a senior from Columbus, Neb.; and Mitchell Countryman, a sophomore from Moville.

The Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute is an advanced study of entrepreneurship featuring entrepreneurial simulation, seminars with business and community leaders, and networking and mentoring to enhance understanding of entrepreneurship opportunities across Iowa. OEI is a cooperative effort of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, the Iowa Board of Regents, Iowa Department of Economic Development, and the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers serving the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa. Participating students came from BVU, Iowa Lakes Community College, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa.

“Not only did I learn more about my business skills and work ethic, but I also learned more about who I want to be and how I can get there.”

KayLynne Bechen

“In those short five days this summer, I was able to build and operate a business with three complete strangers (from other universities),” says Schultz, a junior accounting and business major. “The business simulation taught me all aspects of running a business, along with the importance of teamwork. We had to pitch our business to venture capitalists and negotiate the investments we sought from them.”

Schultz had the fortune of being a member of the winning team. 

“As the only accounting major, I used my financial knowledge to help set prices for the bikes we sold,” she says. “We invested profits in system improvements and CDs and kept our eyes on cash flow to make sure we always had money for the next quarter.”

“It was a great opportunity to meet other entrepreneurially minded students and learn about the business they wanted to create,” says Countryman, who majors in business, specifically marketing, management, and finance.

“Not only did I learn more about my business skills and work ethic, but I also learned more about who I want to be and how I can get there,” says Bechen, who majors in management and marketing.

“We were able to meet and listen to some of the most successful people in the Iowa Great Lakes,” says Mueller, an ag business and ag finance double-major. “It amazed me the way in which many business leaders talked about their next business venture. They repeatedly said, ‘Right now, I want to focus on philanthropy in and around Okoboji and Iowa.’ These people care about their communities and want to give back.”

Students were accompanied to the OEI by Gary Sterling, BVU Instructor of Management and Director of the Donald F. and Charlene K. Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. “The Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute fosters growth among students across Iowa by allowing them to employ their classroom knowledge while collaborating to get an entrepreneurial effort off the ground,” Sterling says. “It is so rewarding to see how this experience transforms our students, helping them to lead other like-minded students as they hone their skills at BVU, becoming the next generation of business builders and problem solvers across the region.”

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