A team of Rider University graduates has secured third place in the national Small Business Institute Consulting Project of the Year competition. The Small Business Institute (SBI) was established in 1976 to provide college students with hands-on learning experiences by directly interacting with clients and conducting analysis. Since Rider University started participating in the competition in 1998, they have achieved a total of 40 top 10 finishes in both the undergraduate and graduate divisions.
Dr. Ron Cook, professor of entrepreneurial studies and director of Rider’s SBI program, expressed his delight at the students’ hard work being acknowledged and praised the university’s consistent success in the competition. He emphasized the excellent results achieved when exceptional students collaborate to create practical solutions for clients.
The team that secured third place consisted of Kaitlyn Kurfuss ’23, Lindsey Mulrooney ’23, Doris Martin ’23, and Ryan Dougherty ’23. They were tasked with developing a consulting report for Wolf Tree Wilderness Therapy in Ithaca, New York as part of Cook’s fall 2022 consulting class. Wolf Tree specializes in Wilderness Therapy programs and Mindful Outdoor Experiences in the psychotherapy and wilderness therapy fields. The students’ report proposed innovative strategies to enhance and optimize Wolf Tree’s brand presence in the wilderness therapy sector to attract more clients and increase revenue.
Kurfuss shared her insights on working with Wolf Tree Wilderness Therapy, emphasizing the practical experience gained by collaborating with a real business to help achieve their goals. She mentioned that managing a business, focusing on marketing, finances, and legalities are valuable lessons that cannot be learned from a textbook. David Molnar ’76, Rider’s entrepreneur in residence and former vice president of sales at Heraeus Sensor Technology, also played a significant role as a mentor to the team by sharing his industry knowledge in weekly meetings.
Overall, this year’s SBI project was an excellent opportunity for Rider University students to apply their knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems for businesses like Wolf Tree Wilderness Therapy. With their hard work and dedication, they were able to secure third place in this prestigious competition while gaining valuable experience that will benefit them throughout their careers.
Dr. Cook stated that he is proud of his students’ achievements and encouraged them to continue pursuing opportunities like these that allow them to apply what they have learned outside of the classroom.