Alumnus Matt Melander ’09 is the President of LEVIA, a new cannabis-infused beverage company, based in Massachusetts. The company currently has three seltzers that are distributed at 38 dispensaries in Massachusetts, with roughly 40 more on the waiting list. Sales have been better than anticipated and the startup is growing quickly. Continue Reading
The UConn School of Business will launch an Online MBA program in the Fall, increasing accessibility for prospective graduate students while still providing the rigor, prestige, and benefits of an in-person UConn MBA degree.
The OMBA program, which will welcome its first 40-member cohort in late August, was endorsed by the university’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday. Applications will be accepted beginning in March.Continue Reading
Alumnus Travis Bloom’s Pawlicy Advisor, a pet-insurance marketplace, has raised an additional $6.5 million in funding, allowing the company to move on to the next stage of strategic growth.
The company analyzes top pet-insurance brands to explain coverage and price options for pet owners seeking medical insurance for their animals. Bloom, who earned his bachelor’s degree in business from UConn in 2013, is the co-founder and CTO.Continue Reading
UConn TodayUConn alumna Michelle Wax ’12 (BUS) drove her Jeep across the country in search of people who were truly happy.
She found hundreds of them, from teenagers to senior citizens. None of them were millionaires. All of them led normal lives with challenges, from the mundane to the extreme, yet their outlooks were inspirational.
In a documentary film, American Happiness, which debuts next week, Wax chronicles her journey and what she discovered from those who live joyful, energetic, and meaningful lives.Continue Reading
UConn Today – If there is one thing that alumnus Thomas John Wolff ’56 (BUS) knew well, from first-hand experience, it’s that becoming a successful entrepreneur is incredibly hard work.
Wolff, who once owned five businesses simultaneously, believed in persistence, ambition, determination and almost unstoppable drive. He also knew that a great mentor and wise advice can take a young entrepreneur a very long way.Continue Reading
UConn Today -Sales of ‘Merican Mule premium cocktail have skyrocketed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, fueling the good spirits of its UConn alumnus co-founder.
“Sales have been shot out of a cannon,’’ says Dean Mahoney ’09 (BUS). “The pandemic posed challenges to people who typically went to bars and restaurants. They wanted a quality cocktail at home, so they shifted their search to liquor stores.Continue Reading
For more than a decade, alumnus Donald Pendagast ’20 MBA, had been thinking about ways to introduce people to local, small food businesses that they might not try otherwise. In October, his idea came to fruition with the creation of Curated CT, a subscription food box featuring local delicacies, including cheese, coffee, chocolate and sometimes beer. The company is already turning a profit and donates some of its profits to a different local charity every month.Continue Reading
As brazen as it might seem in an uncertain economy, now may be the ideal time for many women to take that giant step into entrepreneurship.
That’s the advice of UConn alumna Charlene Walters ’92, who has created a blueprint for women interested in pursuing their own businesses.
Walters, an entrepreneurship coach, business and branding mentor, and author, will be the keynote speaker at the School of Business’ “xCITE: Women in Entrepreneurship Network” series for women who are, or want to become, entrepreneurs. The event, which will be virtual this year, is from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16. This is the first in a series of programs to connect women entrepreneurs.Continue Reading
Long before he became the President and CEO of Walmart, UConn alumnus Bill Simon ’81, ’88 MBA worked as a production manager in an RJR-Nabisco cigarette factory.
With a freshly minted UConn bachelors degree, and having served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, Simon was less than thrilled to be designated the factory’s third-shift supervisor. Within weeks he recognized that if he didn’t take charge of his career, he would be in the same job for 30 years.Continue Reading
As a freshman, Ryan Stone loved listening to the guest speakers invited to campus through the Business Connections Learning Community (BCLC) Stamford.
“They were super interesting,” said Stone, a junior and a Fairfield resident. “You would take away something different from each one.”
But by semester’s end, Stone was dismayed to find he couldn’t instantly recall all the speakers’ helpful tips and career insights when he was studying for an exam or prepping for a job interview.Continue Reading