“The Power of Family in Entrepreneurship: The Story of Avanti Ristorante” is a thesis project with a dual purpose: to preserve family history, and to explore and learn from the entrepreneurial journey of the DiMarzio and Mancini families. After emigrating from Italy to the United States, these two families opened Avanti, and Italian restaurant in Cheyenne, WY. Through decades of hard work, they made immeasurable impact on their community. Their story told through the medium of an 18-minute documentary film. The film features in-depth interviews with Marisa DiMarzio, Gino DiMarzio, Roberto Mancini, and Lucia Manici, supported by photos and artifacts from their thirty year tenure as restaurateurs. Viewers of the film will glean valuable lessons about the importance of a dedication to service as the driving force behind successful entrepreneurship. The documentary can be viewed via the link in the PDF, or on the Center for Entrepreneurship YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfQhW4j8hReH6Lgeuy5hmdQ

This creative project explores the variety of necessary tasks that one must undergo in order to start a clothing brand. As part this project, the athleisure, unisex clothing brand de Roos was created, which explores what it means to leave a legacy as the last descendant of the de Roos family. Through a rollercoaster of trials and tribulations, these final reflection videos explore what it has taken to bring this venture to life in an ever-competitive fashion industry.

This Thesis Project was completed to gain experience in how to create a viable business concept pitch as part of the start-up venture process. During the course of the project the company name–“Vibes Clothing”–and business proposition–“To provide fashion-minded athletic individuals with stylish, versatile, and fully functional luminescent clothing.”–were conceived. However, to further develop the company idea into a viable business concept, market analysis, and customer research were conducted. The identified market conditions and customer desires were then utilized to refine Vibes Clothing's logo, brand, and product. These business and design considerations were then strategically implemented in a men’s-model luminescent clothing prototype. As a further part of ‘the creation of a business concept pitch’–typical of one given at a pitch competition or to a group of investors–a business executive summary and funding pitch presentation were also created. Ultimately, this Thesis Project successfully culminated as a formal business concept pitch; wherein a functional display prototype, business executive summary, and funding pitch presentation were all developed.

Braille Retail is a student-led effort to promote awareness and inclusivity for visually impaired and blind individuals through legible braille designs on fabric. Our mission is to bring awareness to the visually impaired and blind community and increase braille literacy. We plan to reach our mission by placing legible braille and its translation on our sweatshirts. Furthermore, we want to support the visually impaired and blind community by donating 5% of our profits to local blind charities.