Three alumni of the Craig School of Business at Missouri Western State University have been awarded the opportunity to own and operate a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory or Aspen Leaf Yogurt store. The winners are Erica Ricker ’09, Erik Garcia ’11 and Cassandra Schuster ’07.
The three alumni returned to campus to take a senior-level applied entrepreneurship course this fall. Five finalists from the class created business plans for their store and presented their plans to an interview panel made up of representatives of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory,including Frank Crail, the company’sfounder; Steve Craig, founder and president of Craig Realty Group and benefactor of the Craig School of Business; three Missouri Western graduates who previously won franchises; Missouri Western faculty members; and other business leaders.
Tyson Minnick and Erica Ricker ’09
Ricker is from St. Joseph, the daughter of Janice Mosier. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Missouri Western in 2009. She was a Heartland Foundation communications associate from 2008 to 2012. Ricker and business partner Tyson Minnick of St. Joseph will own an Aspen Leaf store in Gilbert, Ariz.
Garcia is from Independence, Mo., the son of Steven and Cathy Garcia. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Missouri Western in December 2011 and has owned two businesses of his own since then. He and his wife Vanessa Garcia will own an Aspen Leaf store in Farmington, N.M.
Schuster is from Chokio, Minn., the daughter of Tom and Tamie Schuster. She currently lives in Kansas City, Mo. Schuster earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Missouri Western in May 2007. Since 2009 she has been assistant controller at Burd & Fletcher Company in Independence, Mo. She will own a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store in Laughlin, Nev.
The program to present Missouri Western graduates with this unique opportunity was founded in 2009 by Craig, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Missouri Western. The goal is to speed up the training and development of entrepreneurs at the university.
Earlier this fall, the program partners announced a significant expansion. Previously, the class and competition was only offered in the spring to graduating seniors in the Craig School of Business. Now, the program is offered in both the fall and spring semesters, and is open to any alumni of the Craig School of Business, no matter when they graduated. This is the first class to include alumni.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory will provide initial capital for the stores, which the alumni pay back over five years. The young entrepreneurs receive ongoing support from faculty members, the Craig School of Business Advisory Council and Craig. They are expected to donate a portion of their store’s proceeds back to the school.
The latest winners join nine other Missouri Western alumni operating stores in seven states. The first winner, Seth Lyons and his wife Kelsey, made the final payment on their loan earlier this year, less than three years after their store in Silverthorne, Colo., opened. Two other winners won Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s “Rookie of the Year” awards in 2010 and 2011.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.