Press Release

The Karl Eller Center and McGuire Entrepreneurship Program at the Eller College of Management name 2005 Entrepreneurial Fellows, Scholars, Mentors, and Hall of Fame inductees—in recognition of exceptional entrepreneurial business and academic leadership and achievement.

TUCSON, Ariz. – April 14, 2005 –The Karl Eller Center/McGuire Entrepreneurship Program at the Eller College of Management announces its 2005 honorees—business leaders and faculty who mentor students to advance their entrepreneurial ventures and grow the economy.

Gary Libecap, director of the entrepreneurship program, explained the critical role of business and faculty partnerships with students: "The challenge of entrepreneurship education is to equip students with the variety of skills and knowledge they need to advance entrepreneurial ventures. Given the infinite possibilities of innovation in new ventures, this can only be accomplished through the blending of core components in the classroom with industry and market-specific mentoring and knowledge on an individual venture team basis. It is through the contributions and commitment of an impressive variety of mentors and faculty that these two worlds are brought together to advance student ideas."

This year’s honorees are as follows:

2005 Eller Entrepreneurial Fellows

The Karl Eller Center annually recognizes individuals who are accomplished entrepreneurs in Arizona, awarding them the status of Karl Eller Center Entrepreneurial Fellow. As an Entrepreneurial Fellow, the Karl Eller Center honors the nominees' roles in the economic development of Arizona. This is part of the center’s efforts to increase the appreciation and understanding of the role that entrepreneurs play in the growth of the state and the nation. Two McGuire alumni join a roster of nearly 100 outstanding Arizona business leaders:

Seton Claggett, President, TriSports, Inc.
Tucson, Arizona
McGuire class of 1998
Founder and president of TriSports.com, Seton Claggett exemplifies the entrepreneurial mindset. TriSports was launched in 2000, just four years after graduating from the entrepreneurship program. The venture was launched in true garage style, out of the Claggett’s home with “a little cash and a lot of credit cards.” TriSports.com specializes in tri-specific products and now sports a 6,000-square-foot warehouse, a retail storefront, and a 100 plus page catalogue.

Steven Miner, CEO, Vision7 Software, LLC
Tucson, Arizona
McGuire class of 1992
With extensive design and management experience in the software industry, Steve Miner partnered with some high caliber colleagues and launched Vision7 Software, a national software development company focused on technology efficiency. Vision7 brings innovation to the foundation as a Venture Technology (VT) company—investing technology in the same way VCs invest money, where it can provide a competitive advantage and receive a return on investment.

Eller Technology Transfer Fellows

We are pleased to present the first Eller Technology Transfer Fellows. This fellowship category was created to honor individuals who have successfully taken new concepts, products, or services developed within The University of Arizona to the private and public sectors and thereby contributed to the growth of the Arizona economy. These Honorees serve as advisors to faculty, staff, and students who are involved in new venture creation and business planning.

Dr. Vicki L. Chandler, Regents' Professor, Department of Plant Sciences
Director, BIO5 Institute for Collaborative Research
The University of Arizona
BIO5 creates science, education and industry partnerships to disseminate knowledge and apply the knowledge gained to treat disease, feed humanity, and preserve livable environments. Heading BIO5 places Dr. Chandler in a key role to move ideas and decisions that advance the UA’s dynamic research and answers to their ultimate social and economic applications.

Don Piper, Associate Director, Professional Development
Eller MBA Program, The University of Arizona
In the interest of creating unique and innovative opportunities for UA MBA students to learn through direct involvement in moving new ideas to the marketplace, Don Piper brings together teachers, learners, inventors, and cultivators, advancing ideas and education.

Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame

The Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame was established in 1998 to formally recognize the significant achievements and contributions of alumni and associates of the Karl Eller Center and the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program. Past inductees have included CEOs, founders, presidents, and educators encompassing a wide variety of private enterprise, public service, and learning initiatives. We are pleased to honor a longstanding supporter of entrepreneurship at The University of Arizona.

Jon Underwood, President, Desert Mountain Properties
Support and personal interest in entrepreneurship education at The University of Arizona spanning three decades, Jon Underwood exemplifies the criteria for the Supporter of Entrepreneurship Award.

Technology Mentors

Technology mentors bring critical knowledge and leadership to new venture teams by working with them to evaluate potential market applications and to advance prototype development. This work complements that of business plan mentors, who work with student teams on the business aspects of new technologies. We are pleased to honor the programs first Technology Mentors, who bring impressive sets of knowledge to the benefit of Arizona entrepreneurship students.

Stephen O’Neil
Special Projects and Outreach Services
Office of Technology Transfer
The University of Arizona

Nina Ossanna
Special Projects and Senior Health Sciences Licensing Associate
Office of Technology Transfer
The University of Arizona

Communication Mentor

Effective communication of an innovative idea is anchored in an intimate and thorough understanding of the idea and its environment. The role of the communications mentor is to lead entrepreneurship students to formulate their understanding, and effectively share dynamic ideas with the world.

Diza Sauers
Business Communications Program
Eller College of Management
The University of Arizona

Mentors in Residence

The Mentor in Residence is the lighthouse, the buoy, and the anchor for entrepreneurship students on their journey to develop ideas and move them to reality. Available and in residence full-time, these mentors bring their extensive entrepreneurial experiences and innovative teaching to create an inclusive learning opportunity. Every aspect of new venture plans are approached through knowledge and experience culled through classroom and individual mentoring by these individuals.

Joann Rockwell
McGuire Entrepreneurship Program
Eller College of Management
The University of Arizona

Jim Jindrick
McGuire Entrepreneurship Program
Eller College of Management
The University of Arizona

Entrepreneurship Scholars

Teachers of entrepreneurship and supporters of entrepreneurship education, these individuals advance university entrepreneurship by bringing innovative learning to the classroom. Each teaches a unique entrepreneurship course, serving learners from across the university.

Patrick Jones, Director
The University of Arizona Office of Technology Transfer
Teaches Basic Intellectual Property Management and Business Entrepreneurship

Steven Permut, Faculty
Eller College of Management Marketing Department
Teaches Marketing of Innovation

Robert Lusch, Department Head
Eller College of Management Marketing Department
Teaches New Venture Marketing

Jim Jindrick, Faculty
Karl Eller Center
Teaches Early Stage Technology Assessment

Sandy Klasa, Faculty
Eller College of Management Finance Department
Teaches Finance for New Ventures

Presentation to Honorees:

All honorees will be recognized at the capstone event of the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program, the Business Plans Competition Finals, on Friday, April 22, 2005. The events take place at The University of Arizona, McClelland Hall, 1130 E. Helen Street, Berger Auditorium.

The schedule of events is as follows:

• 12:30 pm - Welcome, opening comments, judges and guest introductions
• 12:45 pm - Undergraduate division finalist presentations
• 2:30 pm - Graduate division finalist presentations
• 4:15 pm - Presentation of Awards - McClelland Hall Estes Atrium
• 5:00 pm - Reception for guests, students, friends

The events and activities are all open to the public. Please RSVP to entre.rsvp@eller.arizona.edu or 520.621.2576.

The McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship, established in 1984, is a pioneer in university entrepreneurship.  The capstone program, the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program, offers degree and/or associate programs to graduate and undergraduate students from all UA fields of study. The McGuire Center has been consistently ranked in the top five of all programs since its inception, including #2 by Entrepreneur / The Princeton Review and #6 globally by Financial Times.

The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona is internationally recognized for pioneering research, innovative curriculum, distinguished faculty, excellence in entrepreneurship, and social responsibility. U.S.News & World Report ranks the Eller undergraduate program #15 among public business schools and three of its programs are among the top 25 — Entrepreneurship, MIS,and Supply Chain Management/Logistics. The MPA program in the School of Public Administration and Policy ranks in the top 50. Financial Times ranks the Eller MBA full-time program #27 in the U.S. and #57 in the world, and Forbes ranks the program among the top 50 nationwide. The College leads the nation’s business schools in generating grant funds for research. In addition to a full-time MBA program, the Eller College offers an evening MBA program, and the Eller Executive MBA. The Eller College of Management supports more than 5,000 undergraduate and 600 graduate students on the UA campus in beautiful Tucson, Arizona.

Press Contact:
Liz Warren-Pederson, Eller College of Management
520.626.9547, news@eller.arizona.edu