--Business is 1 of 3 Started from Entrepreneurial Course--
Media contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579
April 26, 2011 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Transpo Trolley riders on the SWEEP route between Saint Mary’s College and the University of Notre Dame will receive a special “pick me up” when they’re picked up tomorrow. They’ll get a free ticket to Sunday’s Silver Hawks game. The tickets are courtesy of BTG Advertising, a new advertising company started by four Saint Mary's College students enrolled in the New Venture business course, a class on entrepreneurship. BTG is sponsoring the night out for trolley riders to celebrate the launch of their new business and partnership with Transpo.
BTG stands for Bridging the Gap since the company’s goal is to bridge the gap between South Bend-area businesses and Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame students. Since college students are the audience on the SWEEP route, BTG’s advertising is tailored towards their interests. BTG’s advertising “vehicle” is a 22” TV monitor the student entrepreneurs had installed at the front of the trolley. Current advertising clients include the Silver Hawks, AAA Storage, Chile’s (Mishawaka), Papa Vino’s (Mishawaka), the Saint Mary's College Student Activities Board, and Clover Ridge and Clover Village Apartments.
BTG Advertising founders, from left to right: Amanda
Gajor '11, Melissa Jackson '12, Marianne Jones '11 and
Amanda Lester '12.
In response to how the students came up with the concept, the CEO of BTG Advertising, Amanda Lester ‘12 said, “We recognized the need and saw the difficulty for local businesses to reach the college student market. We help our clients reach their targeted audience about special promotions, sales, or events. We are very excited about the opportunity to assist in the success of local businesses here in the South Bend area.”
BTG Advertising is a direct result of a New Venture course being offered at Saint Mary’s College, where students learn how to take a business concept and develop it into a viable entity in the local marketplace. Melissa Jackson ‘12, one of the founders of BTG Advertising said, “The class has provided me with all the essentials needed to run a business. It has also given me the opportunity to meet and work with local business professionals.” Another founder, Marianne Jones ’11, added, “Given the current economic recession, students find it increasingly difficult to find employment, let alone find jobs they are passionate about. Learning to start our own company may be a solution as to what to do after graduation.”
More on New Venture Course: BTG Advertising is one of three companies started by students in the New Venture courses, an entrepreneurial business class for Saint Mary's students. The course lasts two semesters. In the fall semester the class was divided into three teams and each team started and marketed their own company. Another student venture is Twist O’Luck Soda, which is now sold at Saint Mary's College and the University of Notre Dame. The third student team is starting a company called ditchthebooks.com, a calendar of things for area college students to do. The website is under construction and will launch in the fall. The New Venture class is taught by marketing professor Robert Williams and business professor Susan Vance, senior project director of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI).
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” in the U.S. News & World Report 2011 College Guide. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.