About Center for Entrepreneurship

For many, Entrepreneurship is about starting a business. It is about idea generation, creating a business concept, feasibility testing, writing a plan, selling that plan to investors, and launching the business. Yet, it can also be about innovation and creativity in medium to large sized firms, whether they are “for profit” or “not for profit”. Entrepreneurship is a belief that things can be made better. For us at CSUF, the spirit of Entrepreneurship is contagious.

Our Purpose

The Center for Entrepreneurship is an outreach center and entrepreneurship support organization at California State University, Fullerton that assists entrepreneurs throughout Southern California.

We create and apply knowledge that enriches student lives, develops business leaders who shape the regional economy, and creates economic impact in Southern California.

We strive to provide students and entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills to create, launch and grow new ventures; additionally, our purpose is to help businesses improve their operations and increase their profits.

History

Established in 2001, The Center for Entrepreneurship is a “Center of Excellence” within the College of Business and Economics at California State University, Fullerton. The College of Business and Economics is the largest accredited business school in the State of California and the second largest accredited undergraduate business school in the country.

The College of Business and Economics at CSUF has the distinction of holding two AACSB International Accreditations – one for the College and one for the College’s accounting program. Centers of Excellence within the College of Business and Economics are supported by private donation. These Centers address a variety of needs and issues in the community, provide an array of services to local business and government sectors, and provide academic and practical learning environments for CSUF students.

The formal study of entrepreneurship as an academic concentration is now ten years old at the College, reflecting the importance of entrepreneurship to our region’s economy. However, CSUF Entrepreneurship has a thirty-year, nationally recognized track record beginning with the establishment of the Small Business Institute in 1974. SBI student consultants have served over 1,700 businesses. In 2009, this team will serve over 100 clients through its consulting services.

The Center for Entrepreneurship supports entrepreneurial education, outreach programs such as the Small Business Institute, and research. The Center serves as a focal point for student, alum, and community entrepreneurs. It is building an exciting entrepreneurial culture within the CBE. Further, through a Small Business Development Center grant funded by the U. S. Small Business Administration, the Center reaches out to thousands of small businesses each year.

The Center is a self-sustaining entity through its program fees, individual donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Awards and Honors

California State University, Fullerton's Small Business Institute® has won over 40 awards for outstanding student consulting to business owners.

It won the 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005, and 2008 National Graduate Case of the Year Award from the Small Business Institute Director's Association (SBIDA), placed second in 2006, placed second in the 1999 and 2002 in the undergraduate division, placed first in the undergraduate comprehensive division in 2000 and won 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2008 Regional honors for both graduate and undergraduate (Top five in the Nation). Members of this association represent over two hundred major colleges and universities.

Advisory Board

In 2002 the Center for Entrepreneurship created an Advisory Board to provide strategic guidance and community outreach. The Entrepreneurship Advisory Board is comprised of a select group of distinguished entrepreneurs, business and civic leaders, and alumni who help the Center fulfill its mission, set and execute its plans, and advance its overall outcomes. It strives to create an interdependent relationship between the Southern California business community and CSUF’s outreach and teaching efforts in entrepreneurship.

Functions of the Advisory Board include:

• Setting the Center’s long-term strategic plan
• Advising on policies, strategic decisions, and business and entrepreneurial trends
• Supporting initiatives that advance the Center
• Providing advice, opportunities, and networks for CSUF students and alumni

Current members of the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board include:

• Alan Mannason, SCORE
• Ken Guchereau - '74, Guchereau Company
• Kristen Llorente, Llorente SIU
• Marty Burbank, Esq., Family Business Attorney
• Dr. Michael Ames, CSUF, Chairman of the Advisory Board
• Raj Manek - '94, Vesuki, Inc.
• William C. Taormina, Clean City, Inc.

Donors

Daniel Struve ’71 and Family

Sponsors

Partnering with CSUF, the Crexendo University Program (UP) is a college program sponsored by Crexendo Business Optimization Services. Hosted by The Center for Entrepreneurship, Crexendo UP offers the annual website competition to all CSUF students.

Entrepreneurs in Residence

• Alan Mannason, OC SCORE 114
• Alex Rutledge, Entrepreneur
• Andrew Lamb, Sunwest Bank
• Ben Baumgardner, Baumgardner & Associates
• Bernie Spear, Dynamics Signals-WEST
• Bob Godlasky, OC SCORE 114
• Brian Finnegan, Independent Consultant
• Charles Simon, Big Salad Party
• Curtis Chan, Chan & Associates, Inc
• David Kinnear, Executive Leadership Coach/Vistage, Chair
• David Warner, CSUF OLLI
• Don Del Mazzio, DDM Sports Investments
• Donald R. McCrea, Ph.D., Bus-Ed Partners, Inc.
• Doug Sproal, Cobra Systems
• Glen Carnes, LPL Financial
• Henry Cohen, Retired
• J. R. Shah, Century 21 Discovery
• Janet Steiner, Thoro Packaging
• Jay Lieberman, Bolcof Plastic Materials
• Jeff Trower, Data Aire, Inc.
• Jerry Conrey, Conrey Insurance Brokers & Risk Managers
• Joe Burke, Independent Consultant
• Joe Kibbe, Joseph Kibbe & Associates
• John Brake, Desco Industries
• John Broussard, CPA, Retired
• Jose Calero, Lap Works, Inc.
• Kelly J. Anderson, T3 Motion
• Ken Guchereau, Guchereau Company
• Ken Townsend, Colortone Crafx
• Kyle Keller, Entrepreneur
• Loren Doll, LCP Tracker
• Michael Gancar, Retired
• Michael Sawitz, AIM Mail Centers
• Nancy Miller, California Bank & Trust
• Nirbhai Singh, Value Autos, LLC
• Randy LeSage, Growth Leadership
• Ron Chang, Hopkins Advisory
• Ron Stein, Principal Technical Services
• Sam Afshar, AOR Consulting
• Scott Goldfarb, Window Restoration & Repair
• Suzanne DeRossett, Empire Building Services
• Sylvan Swartz, Swartz Commercial Real Estate
• Ted Butteriss, E. J. Butteriss
• Teresa Koch, Orange County Credit Union
• Tim Welch, Brite Idea Foods
• Tom Bogan, Action Coach
• Travis Lindsay, The Perfect Draw
• Wally Hicks Sr., Affluent Living Publications
• Zack Dafaallah, Pacific Coast Reprographics