Earlier this month Cathy Villars Harms ’85, visiting instructor in Economics and Management, was on the hunt for Gustavus alumni-owned businesses with an interest in having Gustavus students complete a marketing project for them as a part of her class. Harms harnessed the power of Gustavus alumni and class officers through Facebook posts and messages. The message went viral, with Class Officers and alumni sharing the request with their respective Gustavus cohorts. Within five days, Harms had received over 25 business proposals from businesses owned by Gustavus alumni. Businesses ranged from those as local as Saint Peter to one as far away as Ireland!
This will be a win-win opportunity for both students (getting marketing and business experience) as well as the alumni-owned businesses (having a project completed for them). Harms piloted this assignment in the fall of 2016, when students collaborated with 12 different Gustavus alumni-owned companies. This spring there will be 17 company projects completed!
Thank you to all of the Gustavus Class Officers for being the connection between Gustavus in Saint Peter to the greater Gustavus community. You truly make a difference!
A sampling of the Gustavus alumni-owned business participants from fall 2016:
Submitted by Cathy Villars Harms ’85