by Diego Fernandez and Aaryn Richard
The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is pleased to announce the inaugural awardees of the Simpson-Birkestrand Endowed Scholarship for Entrepreneurs. Established by Suzanne (née Simpson) (Social Science, ‘65) and Dennis Birkestrand, the scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate a deep commitment to venture creation, the principles of free-market innovation, and academic excellence.
Please join us in congratulating 2022’s Simpson-Birkestrand scholars, Pia Gandrothu, Grant Petrucci, and Arielle Smith.
Dennis and Suzanne met at The Maytag Company in Newton, Iowa, where they worked in marketing and home economics, respectively. They left Maytag in 1988 to launch their venture, Factory Direct Appliance, dedicated to serving the appliance needs of new home builders and remodelers. They grew Factory Direct Appliance from one store in Kansas to seven locations stretching across four states, including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
Dennis Birkestrand is a graduate of Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, with a double major in economics and business administration.
Suzanne, a proud Spartan, graduated from MSU in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics Education and a minor in Journalism.
“Michigan State has been pivotal for several family members as well as myself,” said Suzanne. “My mother graduated [from MSU] in 1930, my brother in 1958, and me in 1965.” Suzanne credits Michigan State with providing her the means to use her Home Economics/Journalism degree right out of college. “We went on to strike out on our own as entrepreneurs many years later and built a successful business.”
The Birkestrands are sympathetic to the rising price tag of higher education. According to Dennis, these increasing costs “make it difficult for some students, who have natural inclinations toward entrepreneurial expression, to benefit from MSU learning. Together, we wanted to establish a scholarship that affords some of the most promising, young free-market thinkers with resources to help them succeed.”
Impressed with the students pursuing their ideas at the Burgess Institute, Suzanne sees promise in those working outside the traditional boundaries of classroom work. “We feel funding this scholarship will aid students who have a great idea get the help and direction they need to bring their product or idea to market.”
Dennis said, “Working in a large corporate environment was a great education. The exposure to so many entrepreneurs was an exceptional learning experience and showed the opportunities available in a free market.”
Following their 26 years of entrepreneurial success, Suzanne and Dennis retired with the sale of their business in 2014.
With this scholarship, the Birkestrands wish to promote the free-market system and assist MSU entrepreneurs in learning best business practices and contributing to private enterprise.
Gandrothu, Petrucci, and Smith are committed to entrepreneurial pursuits and learning. They have demonstrated their passions through their extracurricular activities, research, and choice of coursework.
Pia Gandrothu (Lyman Briggs College) dreams of owning and running her own clinical practice. Through the Burgess Institute, she learned about the entrepreneurial mindset, having little to no prior knowledge of it. Pia now believes that developing this mindset will help supercharge her path in the health space as she plans to delve deeper into entrepreneurial coursework and leverage the Burgess Institute’s venture creation programs and resources.
Grant Petrucci (College of Communication Arts and Sciences) is the founder of AlterNut. After learning about his father’s intolerance to gluten, soy, and dairy, Grant wanted to create a healthy trail mix alternative that is more inclusive to those with dietary restrictions. AlterNut is a healthy trail mix that is gluten-, soy-, peanut-, and dairy-free. Grant has found success in the niche market and plans to expand beyond trail mix and into Petrucci Foods. Their motto is “Clean Food for Healthier Living.” They are determined to help people live longer, feel better, look better, and enjoy tasty foods.
Arielle Smith (College of Agriculture & Natural Resources) was fourteen when she started selling her unwanted clothing on the Poshmark App. Today she has grown her platform, Ladybug Vintage, to over 20,000 followers with plans to create her own website. Arielle saw that in the current market, options for sustainable clothing are often costly, time-consuming to source, or both. Her goal is to give consumers fashionable, ethically sourced, and reasonably priced options.
For Smith, “being a Simpson-Birkestrand Scholar means recognizing the importance of free-market perspectives of economic theory and implementing them into my business practices. I think the free market is the most important space in our economy. I want to exemplify ethical business practices as a standard procedure and lead other emerging startups to do the same.”
Smith’s coursework with the Burgess Institute supercharges this effort. Last spring, her honors project for ESHP 190, taught by the Burgess Institute’s managing director for academic programs, Ken Szymusiak, empowered her to design a business model to tackle the wasteful practices in today’s fashion industry.
“The Burgess Institute’s resources help develop my entrepreneurial mindset immensely,” Petrucci admits. “Meeting with Paul Jaques and Lori Fischer to discuss my idea and goals was a terrific start. Following their advice, I was in consultation with various interns, who helped create outstanding graphic designs and walked me through the process of website creation.”
Together with the generosities of trailblazers in the entrepreneurial space and the Burgess Institute’s programs, courses, and resources, the aim is to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and Innovators.
“I am so honored to be a Simpson-Birkestrand Scholar,” said Smith. “I have two amazing parents who work super hard to support my education. This scholarship enables me to support my education through my own entrepreneurial efforts.”
The Simpson-Birkestrand Endowed Scholarship for Entrepreneurs is a powerful addition to the academic and venture creation scholarships available to students at the Burgess Institute. The next round of applications for the scholarship will open in late spring of 2022.