Category: Uncategorized

In the Words of Reed Barrett

Reed Barrett, Co-Founder at CampusOptics, started the first Entrepreneurship Club at the UM Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Barrett was a sophomore, business major at Ole Miss in 2004 when the two-story Alpha Tau Omega house burned down on Friday, August 27. “I was asleep in the house that night, along with 26 of my […]

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Family Business Symposium Attendee Spotlight – Amy Walker

Highlighting another of our family business owners registered for the upcoming “It’s All Relative” 2022 Ole Miss Family Business Symposium hosted by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, we spoke with Amy Walker, a third-generation family member and board of director at Ergon, Inc. Founded in 1954 by Walker’s grandfather Leslie Lampton, Ergon, Inc. has […]

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Family Business Symposium Attendee Spotlight – Bryan Hawkins

Highlighting another of our family business owners registered for the upcoming “It’s All Relative” 2022 Ole Miss Family Business Symposium hosted by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, we spoke with Bryan Hawkins, the founder and president of Hawkeye Industries, Inc. in Tupelo, Miss. Established in 1995, Hawkeye Industries is a high-tech OEM contract manufacturer […]

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Family Business Symposium Attendee Spotlight – Emily Payne

Highlighting some of our family business owners registered for the upcoming “It’s All Relative” 2022 Ole Miss Family Business Symposium hosted by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, we begin with Emily Payne, a fourth-generation member of the Fordice Construction Company. Headquartered in Vicksburg, Miss. with a second office in St. Francisville, La., the company […]

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Application Deadline for Fall CIE Competitions Arrives

OXFORD, Miss. – The final day to register for each of the Ole Miss Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship fall competitions has arrived, as Monday October 17, 2022 is the application deadline for both the “Servin’ the South” Business Model Competition and the Landshark Tank Pitch Competition. Each event can be applied to with a […]

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Current Professor and Former CIE Resident Blake Dubinski’s Company Earns Spot in Inc.com Top 5,000 Businesses

OXFORD, Miss. – Current adjunct professor in management in the Ole Miss Business School and former entrepreneur in resident for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Blake Dubinski was recently recognized by Inc.com in their list of the top 5,000 fastest growing companies in America, with his company GenTeal coming in at No. 1,417, and […]

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Rooming App Take First Prize in Gillespie Business Plan Competition

By Ali Mae Walsh OXFORD, Miss. – When Brea Givens transferred to the University of Mississippi as a junior in 2019, she had a difficult time finding a compatible roommate, so she began developing her own app to streamline the process and deliver better results. That led to Froomie, which provides roommate and housing solutions for college […]

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Housing App for College Students Wins Mid-South Business Model Competition

OXFORD, Miss. – A housing app developed by a University of Mississippi senior majoring in managerial finance has won first place in the 2020 Mid-South Business Model Competition. Froomie allows future and current students to find a place to live and match up with a roommate or roommates who meet their requirements. It was developed by Brea Givens, […]

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CIE Student Wins 11th Annual Mississippi New Venture Pitch Challenge

The 2019 Mississippi New Venture Challenge Pitch Competition, hosted by Innovate Mississippi, had over 30 startup companies pitching to entrepreneurs and investors looking to help fund Mississippi’s entrepreneurs. The pitches were given in rapid succession, with 10 minutes per pitch, 2 minutes Q&A, and 1 minute for set up for the next pitch. There were […]

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Liza Cirlot Looser Named Incoming Chair of Ole Miss Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Advisory Board

OXFORD, Miss. (Sept. 17, 2019) — Liza Cirlot Looser, founder and CEO of The Cirlot Agency, was recently appointed incoming Chair of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Advisory Board at The University of Mississippi. Hosted by the Ole Miss School of Business, the influential program was founded to inspire students at The University […]

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