In the spring of 2019, Cameron Suorsa and Elizabeth Higgins had one idea: to rebrand the Innovation Club at Grove City College. Upon learning about an organization called the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ the two would seek to create their own chapter to be included in the preexisting domestic and global network with the singular mission of promoting entrepreneurship.
According to Suorsa, the President of CEO, students from all backgrounds are welcomed to join any activity sponsored by the CEO. The club plans to host multi-disciplinary workshops and key speakers for the student body. Already, the group has hosted two speakers during their first semester as a group. The last attended event featuring speaker Michael Marra, an engineer turned entrepreneur, gained the highest attendance to date of fifty people. Additionally, the club intends on visiting other businesses within the vicinity of the campus, including a Pittsburgh based software company called TrueFit Solutions.
“Being innovative is something that is not just something important to start-up entrepreneurs, but it’s important within the corporate workspace if you’re going to get a job somewhere…if you can be innovative for a company, if you can be an intrapreneur, that’s going to allow you to get ahead, get promotions and stand out among your peers,” said Suorsa.
The club further hopes to attend regional and national conferences organized by the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Two initial plans are being proposed within the group to earn fundraising for these conferences. The first idea is to separate into multiple business projects (essentially mini start-ups) based on the skills and interests of current members. The other option is to combine the talents of those in the group to create a singular e-commerce business to gain revenue. Nonetheless, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization seems dedicated to equipping students with the right knowledge and application of entrepreneurship if they are interested in a flexible, peer-run collaboration.
“People find out about entrepreneurship and they find out that what they’re currently doing maybe isn’t the path for them…but joining entrepreneurship club is a great opportunity to be able to get that experience and really test the waters,” said Suorsa.
Future goals that the club hopes to pursuit include sustainability, consistency, and continued growth.
“At least for me at the end of the day it’s all about leaving behind a club that is going to continue to provide value to the students and grow and prosper along with the Entrepreneurship Center and Department here at Grove City…” said Suorsa.