With the financial support of an anonymous donor, Concordia College’s Offutt School of Business recently launched a new Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, aiming to bring people and ideas together to build connections, community, and entrepreneurial culture.
“The CEL will be a shared community space for Concordia students, faculty, and staff as well as the surrounding Fargo-Moorhead community,” said Chris Mason, dean of the Offutt School of Business and associate professor of finance. “It will provide students with a comfortable study space between classes, a meeting space for student club meetings, and a connecting space for entrepreneurial and musical events.”
The interactive, vibrant, and entrepreneurial space will also be available to community clients for hosting workshops and training sessions — and it will serve as the new home for the Cobber Collective, where Concordia student-entrepreneurs can set up storefronts to sell their own products.
The renovation of Grant Center 220 will help fulfill the vision of the Offutt School of Business: to create global, ethical, and entrepreneurial leaders.
Renovations for the space occurred earlier this year, forming a suite of rooms that includes a café-like environment with booth and table seating, and a meeting room, both specifically designed to be multipurpose and flexible, suitable for informal and professional gatherings.
Featured initiatives in the newly renovated space include:
- The Cobber Collective: A student-run retail space for student-created products.
- Cobbertunity Fund: A grant program offering up to $3,000 for student ventures.
- Entrepreneur-in-Residence: One-on-one mentorship with a seasoned entrepreneur. Jon McTaggart, entrepreneur-in-residence, will provide dedicated support and mentorship to student entrepreneurs, including Cobbertunity participants.
- The Study: A multipurpose learning, library, and collaboration space.
- Entrepreneurship Day: An annual event drawing regional high school students.
- Retreat for High School Girls: A five-day immersive experience in entrepreneurship and leadership development.
“The world has changed in ways that require all members of society to be entrepreneurial. It’s our responsibility to determine how our own interests, skills, and abilities can create value by solving problems for other people and contributing to society,” said Bree Langemo, who was recently named executive director of the CEL, adding to her work as associate professor of law and entrepreneurship at Concordia. “Not all students who study entrepreneurship will become entrepreneurs, but all students will need to be entrepreneurial.”
To round out the academic and practical entrepreneurial knowledge at the Offutt School of Business, Heather McDougall ’06 has transitioned into Langemo’s former position as director of entrepreneurship and assistant professor of entrepreneurship.
She teaches entrepreneurship courses and serves as advisor to the Entrepreneurship Club, supports student entrepreneurs through the Cobbertunity Fund, and oversees entrepreneurial activities with area high schools.
McDougall, a 2006 Concordia grad, is an investor, storyteller, and impact entrepreneur. She co-founded a sustainable products company, serving as CEO for 10 years and leading it to international mass market and then a strategic exit in early 2022. She then joined the investment committee and general partner of 701 Fund, a venture capital fund out of Grand Forks, North Dakota.
McDougall received her Juris Doctor with honors from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in 2009 and has since lived around the world from Europe to the Middle East, using her passion for entrepreneurship as a vehicle for change. She is a frequent keynote speaker and executive consultant on leadership, global sustainability, entrepreneurship, and well-being for organizations. She mentors for accelerators gener8tor and ILT Academy, and loves singing, yoga, nature, sunshine, her husband, and her new baby boy.
Concordia offers an all-inclusive approach to entrepreneurship, while providing a dedicated support system to those who do decide to create a startup. This support includes the CEL, Cobbertunity Fund, entrepreneur-in-residence, Entrepreneurship Club, Cobbers in Business PEAK, and the entrepreneurship minor.
The CEL has meeting, workshop, and event space for up to 30 people. The space is available for use by the campus or the Fargo-Moorhead community. Questions may be sent to thecel@cord.edu.
Open Hours and Reservations
The CEL is usually open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for walk-in use unless it is reserved for a meeting or an event. Reservations are also available in the evening and on weekends. Please note that The Study in Grant 220C will remain open if the CEL’s main area is occupied.
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- The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
- The Offutt School of Business
- Entrepreneurship at Concordia
