Missouri Western State University’s Craig School of Business announced that four new entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to own and operate their own businesses. Zachary Brelsford was awarded an Aspen Leaf Yogurt in Texas; Amanda Keeling was awarded a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Oak View Mall in Omaha, Neb.; Caleb Mackey was awarded a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Silverthorne, Colo.; and Melanie Ware was awarded a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in the Chicago area. Four is the greatest number of stores awarded at one time since the program began.

“We had an outstanding class of finalists, and a very strong group,” said Steve Craig, Missouri Western benefactor. “Missouri Western faculty and staff did a great job preparing this group.”

The four winners were among the students in a senior-level applied entrepreneurship course this spring. They created business plans for a store and presented their plans today to an interview panel made up of Craig, Missouri Western graduates who won franchises in previous years; Missouri Western faculty members; other business leaders and representatives from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, including company founder Frank Crail.

The latest four winners join 15 other Missouri Western alumni operating stores in 11 states, making the total 19 owners in 13 states.

Zachary Brelsford, from St. Joseph, Mo., graduated from Missouri Western this month with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Marketing and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Management. He has worked as a sales associate at Sherwin Williams in St. Joseph since June 2013.

Amanda Keeling, from Omaha, Neb., graduated from Missouri Western in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Management. She has been the shift supervisor at Panera Bread in Omaha since May 2012.

Her business partner is Andre Cintron, also from Omaha.

Caleb Mackey, from Frisco, Colo., has been working as a business associate at Wells Fargo Bank in Colorado since March of 2013. Additionally, he has worked at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory owned by Seth ’08 and Kelsey ’08 Lyons in Silverthorne, Colo. since 2011. He will purchase that store from the Lyons.

Although Mackey is not a Missouri Western alumnus, Dr. Mike Lane, dean of the Craig School of Business, said Mackey learned of the program through Lyons and requested to take the class. A local committee reviewed his application and an interview was held, and he was allowed to participate in the program.

“Once in a while, we make an exception for candidates who want to participate, whose credentials are strong, and whose references are very positive,” Dr. Lane said.

Melanie Ware, from Union Star, Mo., graduated from Missouri Western this month with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Marketing and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Management. She has worked at the St. Joseph Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory/Aspen Leaf Yogurt stores since September 2012.

Her business partner will be A.J. Gray from Parkville, Mo.

The program to present Missouri Western graduates with this unique opportunity was founded in 2009 by Craig, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Missouri Western to offer entrepreneurship opportunities to alumni at the University.

In 2012, 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.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory provides initial capital for the stores, which the alumni pay back over five years. To date, five owners have paid off their stores, all within less than three years.

The entrepreneurs also receive ongoing support from faculty members, the Craig School of Business Advisory Council, Craig and each other. Additionally, the owners are expected to donate a portion of their store’s proceeds back to the University. This year, $27,000 was donated to the Craig School of Business.

Six Missouri Western alumni owners have been awarded Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s “Rookie of the Year” awards. At the 2013 awards ceremony, Leslie Oberg ’11 and James Burris, owners of the St. Joseph Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory/Aspen Leaf Yogurt stores, received the Customer Service Award.

The program has been very successful. In fact, every store owned by a Missouri Western graduate increased sales over the past year. Additionally, the Aspen Leaf Yogurt store in Farmington, N.M. has been the #1 ALY store in the entire country in sales every month in 2014. Two owners have opened a second franchise store near their RMCF stores.

The RMCF store in Lehi, Utah, owned by a Missouri Western alumna, was named the 2012 Small Business of the Year by the Lehi Chamber of Commerce and the RMCF store in Vicksburg, Miss. was named the 2013 Small Business of the Year by the Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce.

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.

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