By Will Hoogendyk IV, Reporter
Edited by Anna Wade, Editor
MOUNT BERRY, Ga – The Berry Entrepreneur Program, or BEP, hosts a variety of events for students to participate in that encourage opportunities for students to grow their business while at Berry College.
The BEP found its roots in 2002 as a division of the Center for Student Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Development, also known as C-SEED. When a business student named Jason Winters wrote a business plan for a gas station in Summerville, Georgia, he discovered that he lacked firsthand experience that could help him achieve this goal. This led to the start of BEP. Today C-SEED is a program that encourages students of all majors to embrace innovation, imagination, and creativity while building their knowledge and business acumen.
C-SEED oversees both the BEP and Berry Student Enterprises, which seeks to support students as they manage all aspects of a business from daily operations to distribution here on campus.
While the BEP has been active for over 20 years, Bobby Smith, the Director of C-SEED at Berry College believes that its values have been a part of the institution for much longer.
“The entrepreneurial spirit of Berry started with Martha Berry who obviously was an entrepreneur, an education entrepreneur in her own right in the early 1900s,” Smith said.
The BEP strives to carry on the legacy of Martha Berry’s “head, heart, and hands” mantra by providing a way for students to actively engage in entrepreneurship. This includes annually hosting the Pitch, the Social Impact Program, and the Gadget Project, all of which provide students with opportunities to receive guidance from experienced entrepreneurs and Berry faculty. In addition, they compete for cash prizes from funds set up by alumni and other donors.
The Pitch is a competition where Berry students present their business ideas and compete for prizes adding up to $35,000. Students can work individually or with a team through the three phases of the competition, earning different awards such as Audience Choice or Best Overall.
Cecilia Kolbash, the overall winner of the 2023 Pitch competition, remembers her experience fondly.
“It was so fun,” Kolbash said. “It was challenging because it was something I had never done before, but I love public speaking and I was able to talk about my passion.”
Regardless of what competition students choose to take part in, they all share the common traits of determination, perseverance, time management, dedication, and curiosity. Smith explains the invaluable skills that students develop while working with these programs.
“You learn how to manage a business and proper management skills and time management skills, overall executive functioning,” Smith said.
There are entrepreneurship classes that students can enroll in to help them gain more knowledge about running a business, but the C-SEED is a resource for all students on campus. Paula Englis, Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship believes this is what sets Berry apart from other colleges.
“The C-SEED is available to students no matter what their major is, no matter if they’ve ever taken an entrepreneurship class,” Englis said. “Entrepreneurship is to help people do whatever their passion is.”
Students who participated in these events in the past have drawn on these experiences and knowledge to keep their businesses running even outside of college, often becoming successful and carrying on the legacy of Martha Berry over a century later.