�����Ƶ and the Ocean Exchange will hold a signing ceremony to commemorate forming a partnership for the new BIG Pitch Competition. The signing ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 23 at 10:30 a.m. at City Campus located at 58 East Main Street in downtown Statesboro. �����Ƶ President Brooks A. Keel, Ph.D. and Ocean Exchange CEO Millicent Pitts will be signing the partnership agreement for the event. With students from around the world competing for the $10,000 prize, the BIG Pitch Competition is already positioned to be among the largest in the southeastern United States. “Since its founding, the Ocean Exchange has done a remarkable job in supporting global entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Dominique Halaby, DPA, director of the Business Innovation Group (BIG). “�����Ƶ is excited to partner with such a well-respected and wide-reaching organization.” BIG already includes the Area Small Business Development Center, Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership, and Bureau of Business Research and Economic Development. With the recent additions of the Digital Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) and Innovation Incubator and the BIG Pitch Competition, �����Ƶ continues to elevate its entrepreneurship profile. The BIG Pitch Competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students with faculty advisors from around the world. The contest focuses on solutions in sciences, engineering and technology to help sustainability. Ocean Exchange, founded in 2010, advocates for collaboration across industries, while protecting the intellectual property of the innovator. Ocean Exchange’s worldwide network uses its influences to elevate awareness, motivate and accelerate the adoption of the solutions around the globe. This year’s theme is “Translating Sustainability into Value.” Judges will be looking for ideas that focus on energy; ocean, land, and air resources; supply chains; and technologies that support sustainability. The Ocean Exchange also partners with Gulfstream Aerospace and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) which offer $100,000 each in prize money for the competition. The Gulfstream Navigator Award is given to the solution that best fits the theme with applicability across multiple industries generating positive impact on the environment, economies or health. The WWL Orcelle Award is given to the solution that makes shipping and logistics more sustainable by advancing zero-emission, marine and/or land-based technologies that are commercially viable. Georgia Southern is now partnering with the Ocean Exchange and seeking a sponsor to name the University Innovator Award for the winners of the BIG Pitch Competition. The University Innovators Award will go to a team that shows excellence in teamwork, underlying business acumen and a possibility to have the team turned into a start-up company in the future. Finalists will be invited to present at Ocean Exchange in Savannah at the World Trade Center on Oct. 11–13, 2015. For more information on the BIG Pitch Competition, the Ocean Exchange or �����Ƶ entrepreneurship programs, please contact Millicent Pitts, CEO of Ocean Exchange at (912) 257-0209 or millicent.pitts@oceanexchange.org or Halaby at (912) 478-2733 or dhalaby@georgiasouthern.edu. The Business Innovation Group is the business outreach arm of the �����Ƶ College of Business. The focus of BIG is to provide students and entrepreneurs with the skills and training necessary to understand business principles, to experience how businesses operate and to successfully launch new business enterprises. �����Ƶ, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125-degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education.

The Georgia Southern College of Business Administration Business Innovation Group (BIG) is pleased to host Lucy Beard as part of the Entrepreneur Lecture Series on Tuesday, April 28 at 5:30 p.m. in the College of Engineering and Information Technology, Room 1004. Beard will discuss her adventures in starting Feetz, the digital cobbler for the new era. After becoming frustrated trying on several pairs of ill-fitting shoes, Beard pondered the idea of custom-fit shoes using 3D printer technology. She and her team spent a year developing the unique SizeMe technology with guidance from experts in footwear and 3D printing. Customers use the Feetz mobile app to take three pictures of each of their feet. Then, the customer designs and personalizes their Feetz shoes to fit his/her own personal style. The shoes are then 3D printed and shipped to the customer. Feetz relocated from San Diego into The TENN Master Accelerator Program at Launch Tennessee in Chattanooga. The company has since developed patent-protected algorithms and customized software that create the 3D printable shoes from models of customers’ feet. The company has also been working on novel material compositions and material designs to extend the durability and flexibility of the 3D printable materials available. Beard has also raised $1.3 million in seed funding from Khosla Ventures and The JumpFund. BIG is excited to have Lucy Beard share her story and amazing technology with the Georgia Southern community as it awaits the much anticipated construction of the digital fabrication laboratory (FabLab) slated to open at City Campus. Growth of the City Campus with the FabLab and Innovation Incubator will bring similar opportunities to entrepreneurs and innovators in the region. The Entrepreneur Lecture Series was developed by the Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership as a way to showcase the entrepreneurial spirit. This lecture series plays a great role in helping to harness and grow an innovative culture in the region. For more information or further inquiries, please email Suzanne Hallman, BIG business advisor, at shallman@georgiasouthern.edu. �����Ƶ, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125-degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. .

The �����Ƶ will participate in “Global Entrepreneurship Week,” Nov. 17-22. Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), a Kauffman Foundation initiative, is a worldwide celebration of the innovators and job creators that bring ideas to life. The week will be filled with presentations and networking events, most of which are free and open to the public. GEW is an empowerment week aimed at giving innovators important information and networking opportunities to help them be successful. To view the schedule of events visit This year’s BIG GEW will begin with an official Proclamation from Statesboro’s City Council. Expert lecturers will present on topics that business owners find most beneficial such as best accounting practices, securing a good location, business law and social marketing. such as large-scale competitions and intimate networking opportunities will be available. Business Networking International (BNI) is partnering with BIG to host motivational and educational speaker, Ron Kirby, on Wednesday, Nov. 19 from 4-5 p.m. Kirby has more than 37 years of leadership experience in the Marine Corps and corporate America. He will share his passion and experiences in leadership concerning business, personal development, innovation, and education. A mixer at Eagle Creek Brewery will follow Kirby’s presentation. Marshall Tuck, corporate small business officer for Gulfstream Aerospace, will reinstate the monthly ProBid Procurement Series on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 8:30 a.m. Tuck will lead the discussion on the types of services managed and contracted by Gulfstream. He will also provide information on policies for conducting business, certification and application requirements, and bidding processes. The week will end with the inaugural BIG Maker Day in downtown Statesboro on Saturday, Nov. 22.  Makers, those who embrace the do-it-yourself philosophy, from our region will showcase their latest inventions as well as host hands-on demonstrations. Lowe’s will host a Build and Grow hands-on workshop for kids. The BIG highlight for the day will be a Cornhole Catapult workshop and competition from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Maven Makers will provide all materials and instructions, assisting teams of two to four in constructing their very own cornhole catapult. For more information on participating or sponsoring, contact Suzanne Hallman at 912-478-5586 or shallman@georgiasouthern.edu. For a schedule of events visit e The Business Innovation Group is the business outreach arm of the �����Ƶ College of Business Administration. The BIG focus is to provide students and entrepreneurs with the skills and training necessary to understand business principles, to experience how businesses operate and to successfully launch new business enterprises.

�����Ƶ’s City Campus will host its annual Business After Hours event on Thursday, June 19 from 5 – 7 p.m.  Jointly sponsored by the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority and the College of Business Administration, the event will mark the third anniversary of City Campus. During the event, the next steps for developing downtown Statesboro will be announced. In addition, three clients of City Campus’ Virtual Business Incubator will pitch their businesses. The Incubator is a tool to support start-up companies with equipment usage, consulting services and access to banks and investors. Savannah’s Maven Makers will also be on hand to give attendees a small-scale preview of the FabLab (short for fabrication laboratory), a place for people to design, build, test and introduce new products into the marketplace, thereby generating new jobs and advancing the city’s economic development. “We’re excited to have our entrepreneurs give a pitch and have our College of Business dean drum up support for our activities at City Campus,” said Dominique Halaby, director of the Bureau of Business Research and Economic Development. Allen Muldrew, director of the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority says, “This event highlights the successful partnership between the City of Statesboro and �����Ƶ. This Business After Hours will be both entertaining and informative.” Appetizers and drinks will be served.  

Georgia Southern and the City of Statesboro have been awarded a grant of nearly $1.1 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to expand the University’s City Campus on E. Main St. to help entrepreneurs design, build and send  their products into the marketplace while creating new jobs.

“This partnership will help these entrepreneurs breathe life into their ideas,” explained University President Brooks A. Keel, Ph.D., during the Thursday afternoon announcement at City Campus in downtown Statesboro. “This is a golden opportunity to help build new businesses in our community, generate new jobs and put more people to work. City Campus can be a catalyst for economic change in our region.” The $1,097,360 investment from the EDA puts City Campus in position to become a central hub for business creation and economic development. “This is a great opportunity for Georgia Southern to continue its efforts to create an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Vice President for Research and Economic Development Charles Patterson, Ph.D. “The grant will allow Georgia Southern in cooperation and partnership with the City of Statesboro to renovate two buildings downtown where we can create an innovation incubator with full business incubation capabilities and an eventual fabrication laboratory.” The state-of-the-art facility will include office space and support for companies planned space for a fabrication lab with 3D printing capabilities.“As an emerging research university, we find that many of our faculty and students are engaged in activities of an entrepreneurial nature creating technologies, devices and inventions that a university of our size and magnitude has the ability to license, patent and protect and to spin those technologies out into companies,” said Patterson. The $1.1 million grant award could not have been possible without the City of Statesboro’s nearly $800,000 financial commitment to purchase the Yard and Haus building from Farmers and Merchants Bank and the City Campus building from the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority. “We feel the collaboration with Georgia Southern through the City Campus is important to the continued improvement of downtown Statesboro,” said Mayor Joe Brannen. “These investments in our city will undoubtedly pay off many times over as we move forward.” In addition, last June, the city council agreed to commit $50,000 annually for three years to help cover ongoing operational expenses at the facility. “While it’s important to try and attract industry and commercial business to our community, it is equally important to encourage local business growth,” said Statesboro City Councilman Phil Boyum. “This grant is yet another example of how big things can get done when we come together as a community.” In making the grant announcement, U.S. Rep. John Barrow explained how the expansion project will provide great resources for entrepreneurs who need support and guidance to turn their ideas into successful products. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the small business owners who are going to find the resources here that they need to compete and to grow,” said Barrow. “It’s going to be a huge opportunity for Georgia Southern to break out and be a leader in business development. It’s a huge opportunity for this community to show how you can come together to create the conditions to grow businesses.” The expansion, which has a projected total cost of $1.8 million, will house the Bureau for Business Research and Economic Development (BBRED), the Statesboro office of the Small Business Development Center and the University’s Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership. “This grant will go a long way in helping us foster a culture of innovation and creation in Statesboro,” said Dominique Halaby, D.P.A., director of  BBRED. “Our residents have a lot of great ideas. With this funding, they will now have the infrastructure and support to develop those ideas and take them to market.” �����Ƶ, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 125 degree programs serving more than 20,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement.  Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: .

�����Ƶ’s City Campus has been honored by the Georgia Downtown Association. City Campus, which is a partnership between the University’s College of Business Administration, the City of Statesboro and the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority, has been given the organization’s Best Commercial Redevelopment Activity Award. “Our goal for the City Campus was to form a partnership between the University and downtown Statesboro that would have meaningful, far-reaching benefits for the community,” said College of Business Administration Dean Ronald Shiffler, Ph.D. “This honor from the Georgia Downtown Association shows that this truly is an innovative project that stands to serve as a model for other communities that are home to a thriving higher educational institution.” The Best Commercial Redevelopment Activity Award honors development projects that use quality growth principles while utilizing existing structures. “City Campus brings professors and economic development specialists into the heart of downtown Statesboro,” said Downtown Statesboro Development Authority Executive Director Allen Muldrew. “This facility can be used by business owners and those who hope to open their own business in the future. It is a resource that we think will help to grow and begin many downtown Statesboro businesses in the years to come.” The City Campus houses the College of Business Administration’s Bureau of Business Research and Economic Development along with an E-Zone, which is part of the University’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Learning. The E-Zone consists of classrooms and meeting space, and also houses areas that small businesses can utilize during their initial start-up phase. A branch of the University Store is also located in the City Campus.

�����Ƶ will showcase its new City Campus in downtown Statesboro during a special event from 5 until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 9 on East Main Street next to City Hall. The City Campus is a joint-effort between �����Ƶ, the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority, and the City of Statesboro designed to boost the economic development of the city and downtown area. “The City Campus highlights the important relationship between �����Ƶ and the Statesboro/Bulloch County community,” said �����Ƶ President Brooks Keel. “The University is very fortunate to be located in a community that is so supportive of its endeavors. Georgia Southern looks forward to the opportunities the City Campus will bring to support the current and future business leaders of Statesboro and Bulloch County.” The City Campus will house the University’s Bureau of Business Research and Economic Development along with an E-Zone, which is part of the University’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Learning. The E-Zone will consist of classrooms and meeting space, but will also house areas that small businesses can utilize during their initial start-up phase. “The City Campus will be a place where people in the business community can tap into the deep well of knowledge our College of Business Administration faculty have about what it takes to be an entrepreneur and how to run a successful operation even during these trying economic times, “said Ronald Shiffler, dean of the University’s College of Business Administration. A branch of the University Store is also located in the City Campus so that University fans have another place to shop for Georgia Southern merchandise. The City Campus University Store’s summer hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. During the grand opening celebration, which will be held along with the Statesboro Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Business After Hours’ event, people will be able to tour the City Campus and learn more about what it has to offer the business community. “The addition of the City Campus shows �����Ƶ’s commitment to the people and businesses of Statesboro and Bulloch County,” said Allen Muldrew, executive director of the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority. “We are hopeful that many successful, locally owned businesses will get their start here and will continue to utilize the City Campus as they grow and prosper.”