Goblueridge.net's Brian Miller recently posted an article about a group of 8th graders from Blowing Rock School who recently completed a course on entrepreneurship co-led by Appalachian State University MBA alumnus Zak Ammar.
Ammar is a Blowing Rock Chamber Board Member and owner of Vixster Waste Services. He earned his MBA with a concentration in supply chain management from Appalachian's Walker College of Business in 2016. While in school, Ammar earned the top spot in the semi-annual Pitch Your Idea Contest for his business idea, Vixster.
Related: Sustainable Business Spotlight: Vixster
The course is an initiative of the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, aimed at helping students develop a business plan, budget and marketing strategy for the chance to earn real funding to launch a business. Alongside Blowing Rock faculty, Ammar worked with Transtportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship Director Erich Schlenker to develop the course and mentor the students.
About Entrepreneurship at Appalachian
Entrepreneurship is a crucial tool for economic development, especially in Western North Carolina, where many traditional industries have declined in recent years. The future economic development of Western North Carolina is critically related to the region's ability to grow from within. As a reflection, student interest in entrepreneurship is growing at Appalachian, and the Walker College of Business is committed to fostering students' entrepreneurial energy and ambition. With support from the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial-minded students create and launch businesses through an accelerator program in Peacock Hall and receive hands-on advice and experience through co-curricular and outreach programs. Learn more, entrepreneurship.appstate.edu.
MBA alum spearheads entrepreneurship course at local K-8 school
AppState MBA alumnus Zak Ammar, fourth from right