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Students Bring Home National Entrepreneurship Awards

UNO's Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization chapter won four awards, including first place for fundraising, at the 2016 CEO national conference.

CEO nationals

OMAHA – Every fall, hundreds of college students congregate at the Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization (CEO) national conference to network, share innovative ideas, and hear from inspiring speakers.

Held in Tampa, Florida, Oct. 27-29, 2016, the event also gives chapters from across the country the chance to compete for national recognition — and the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s CEO chapter has been no stranger to success.

This year was no different, as UNO students brought home four awards:

  • First place: Outstanding Chapter Fundraising Initiative
  • Runner up: Outstanding Entrepreneurial Networking Initiative
  • Runner up: Outstanding Chapter Business
  • Runner up: Outstanding CEO Chapter Advisor

Dr. Dale Eesley has served as UNO CEO’s chapter advisor since it was founded in 2007 and has seen the group grow to its current state of over 80 members. The student who nominated Eesley had this to say about him: "He consistently goes above and beyond in his duties as an advisor by cultivating the entrepreneurial curiosity, knowledge, and abilities of all CEO members and the entire UNO student body."

Thanks to several sponsorships, UNO's CEO chapter was able to send over 20 students to nationals this year. The students who attended found it to be a meaningful experience.

This was the second national conference for CEO Vice President Vaughn Perez, who appreciated the opportunity to strengthen bonds with his fellow Mavericks.

"My most memorable part about both conferences that I have attended is the bonds that we make with other CEO members in our own UNO chapter,” he said.

Erin Dabbs, who won the 2016 BigIdea! Pitch Contest, had the opportunity to pitch her team's business idea at the national level. She noted CBA's impact on her performance.

"CBA prepared me immensely for the conference,” she said. “Many teachers helped me with my pitch, and my experience networking at UNO made it really easy to reach out to other students I admired at nationals."

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Students of any academic background are invited to attend meetings. The chapter meets in Mammel Hall 122 every Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Interested students can also contact Dr. Dale Eesley at deesley@unomaha.edu.

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