Jun
03
Athlete/Entrepreneur’s Big Win
Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship Blog / Oregon MBA Blog / Warsaw Sports Marketing Center Blog Posted by UO Business
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“Who is this guy?” was the question on everyone’s lips when first-year pro triathlete Jesse Thomas came out of nowhere to win this year’s prestigious Avia Wildflower Triathlon with a time of 4:04:45. Folks at the Lundquist College of Business knew Thomas as a 2009 graduate of the school’s MBA program in the sports marketing track with a secondary concentration in entrepreneurship. After graduating, Thomas put off his job search to follow his dream of becoming a professional athlete. Still, Thomas kept at least one foot in the business world by starting Leap Day Consulting, which offers small-business and product development consulting. When two-time U.S. 5K champion Lauren Fleshman–who also happens to be married to Thomas–started a line of dairy- and gluten-free energy bars, Thomas became a cofounder and the company’s CEO. Needless to say, with so much going on the athlete/entrepreneur has found some unique strategies for maintaining work-life balance. Find out how he does it in the video below.
Written by UO Business
Oct
04
October is here and I feel like I’ve been in Eugene for months. In reality I think it’s only been about 3+ weeks and this was just the first week of class. I don’t say that it’s felt long because I’m not enjoying myself, it’s actually just because we’ve aready been so busy. Prologue, classes, syllabi, readings, trips to the rec center, homework, football games…it’s all becoming a big blur. A couple things do stand out:
(1) All of the opportunities on campus. Each center has weekly guest speakers and get-togethers, the MBAA has a calendar full of events, and there are plenty of trips planned. Of course, I’m most excited about the events we just talked about in our Sports Business Seminar…trips to SF, NYC, DC, Vancouver, Portland (Blazers game?), and Asia; not to mention, visits from execs from the 49ers, Under Armour, and Athletes First (and that’s just October).
(2) The strength of the class of 2009. Thursday we had an all-MBA happy hour and then a bowling party with 1st yr Warsaw students vs. 2nd yrs. They cleaned our clocks, but the best part was the free beer. Just kidding. The best part was getting a chance to meet the 2nd yrs. They’re a very social, close-knit bunch with amazing work experiences – and they’re all very eager to help us. It’s not just Warsaw either. I’ve met some of the other 2nd yrs and they’re the same way.
Next weekend’s alumni weekend (and a night game against UCLA) and I hope/expect all the alumni are as high quality as the students currently on campus. Time for me to hit the books…
Written by UO Business
