QU CEO Club Places Third at National Conference
Quincy University’s CEO Club’s Haunted House placed third nationally as an Outstanding Chapter Revenue Generating Initiative at the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) Global Conference and Pitch Competition in Tampa, Florida October 31-November 2.
At the conference, the CEO recognized its chapters that generated revenues by launching a business or fundraising initiative. Selected finalists for the award presented a 5-8-minute presentation on the award topic on the first day of the conference. Three Quincy University students, seniors Ben Vonderheide and Gwen Swierk, and sophomore, Connor Pigg, represented the QU chapter.
“Going to the CEO Global Conference was a great experience. Meeting with students from across the country, getting to know them and even competing against some of them was fun,” said Swierk. “We learned a lot from our competitors and the conference activities. Entrepreneurship is for everyone and not just business-specific. I was fortunate for the chance to go, learn and compete!”
In its fifth year, the haunted house has served as a hands-on experience for QU students exposing them to the ins and outs of operating a business. As Quincy’s only haunted house experience, the community response has been tremendously positive. Proceeds from the haunted house benefit the QU CEO club, comprised of college students who seek to promote business growth and creation in the Quincy area and surrounding communities.
“Entrepreneurship is about filling a need or finding a way to improve an existing product or service,” said Vonderheide. “It doesn’t require a business degree, just determination, and confidence.”
Each year, the Global Conference and Pitch Competition, brings together nearly 1,500 young entrepreneurs, students and faculty worldwide for a three-day forum that informs, supports and inspires college students to be entrepreneurial and seek opportunity through enterprise creation. During the conference, the CEO orchestrates the largest international student pitch competition. Preliminary rounds of the competition take place each day of the conference, with the winners announced at an awards ceremony on the conference’s final day. CEO is a global network consisting of over 250 chapters and 8,000 students.
One of the highlights for the QU students was participating in the Marketplace Live Simulation Challenge. The simulation was an immersive virtual experience in which students competed in teams against one another for cash prizes. Throughout the simulation, the students were able to experiment with entrepreneurship strategies in an engaging game-like exercise. They launched a new product to the market and managed the entire product life cycle, from introduction to growth to maturity.
Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University (www.quincy.edu) is a Catholic, co-educational, residential university offering undergraduate, graduate, and adult education programs that integrate liberal arts, active learning, practical experience, and Franciscan values. Quincy University’s intercollegiate sports are members of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference for men and women. For more information, please contact the Quincy University Office of Community Relations by calling (217) 228-5275.