On Thursday, April 12 from 1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. the Breech School of Business will host a Student Entrepreneur Panel in Breech room 204.

The panel will include two Drury students who own businesses, Eden Garett and Cameron Maes. Garrett owns Eden’s Flower Truck, and Maes owns Maes Gelateria. Drury communications professor Charles DeBerry will be the event’s moderator.

“The main idea,” said DeBerry, “is to bring successful new entrepreneurs to a venue where they can tell their stories of how they got started and what they have learned. This provides a great opportunity for students to learn firsthand information about what it takes to be an entrepreneur.”

At the event, students will be able to engage with their peers.

“The panelists will be introduced and will be asked some specific and general questions by [me].  The audience will then have a chance to ask questions,” said DeBerry.

Eden’s Flower Truck

Eden’s Flower Truck. Photo by Eden Garrett.

Eden’s business is a mobile flower truck that is normally parked in Farmer’s Park. However, Garrett hopes that soon she will be able to park her truck somewhere around Drury’s campus.

Most college students aren’t quite certain what they want. Many Drury students have switched majors once or twice. While some students might be finicky about their field of study, others have dreamed of doing one thing since they were young. Garrett falls into the latter group.

“I started my business,” Garrett said, “because ever since I was 10-years-old, when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said I wanted to be a business owner. I just didn’t know what business yet. Once I came up with the flower truck idea, I knew this is what my future would be.”

Garrett encourages anyone interested in an internship at Eden’s Flower Truck to contact her.

Maes Gelateria

Maes Gelateria. Photo by Cameron Maes.

Maes Gelateria is a gelato shop located in downtown Springfield on Jefferson and Walnut. They have recently opened a new location on Glenstone. They sell gelato, sorbet, coffee, and Dolce Waffles.

Some students might see the task of running a business as daunting, but for Maes the choice seemed natural.

“I was an entrepreneurship major and have always known that I want to own my own business in whatever field it is, so I decided that the best way to see if this was really the future I wanted to pursue would be to jump in and do it,” Maes said.

Starting a business though, warns Maes, is not for the foolhardy. He believes that running a successful business requires 100 percent commitment because it will take up most, if not all, of one’s time and energy.

For students who are interested, Maes Gelateria is looking for team members to be involved in day to day operations at their shop. They are also looking for a new marketing manager.

Article written by Johan Englen.