{"id":10885,"date":"2023-03-10T09:25:45","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T15:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/?p=10885"},"modified":"2023-03-31T17:05:33","modified_gmt":"2023-03-31T22:05:33","slug":"mwsu-alum-opens-businesses-in-new-kci","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/2023\/03\/10\/mwsu-alum-opens-businesses-in-new-kci\/","title":{"rendered":"MWSU alum opens businesses in new KCI"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"two

Stephanie Tripp ’12 (left) and Pam Klaus ’03 at Auntie Anne’s on opening day for the new Kansas City International Airport Terminal, Feb. 28, 2023<\/p><\/div>\n

March 10, 2023–Just a few years ago, Missouri Western State University alum Stephanie Tripp was a classroom teacher who had no idea that entrepreneurship was for her. After entering the world of business ownership through the Craig School of Business Applied Business Ownership class, she operates six franchise locations, including an Auntie Anne\u2019s Pretzels and a Cinnabon at the newly opened terminal at <\/span>Kansas City International Airport<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being a part of the new $1.5 billion terminal was a lesson in persistence. Tripp said she started trying to secure a location in the airport soon after Kansas City voters approved the project in 2017.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI cold-called, emailed, visited and met with many different people who were a part of the development of the airport,\u201d she said. \u201cEven though some were more than doubtful, even suggesting I save my efforts, I persisted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2020, she joined the bid of Vantage Airport Group, which was selected to provide the airport\u2019s concessions. On Feb. 28, when the new terminal opened, Tripp\u2019s Auntie Anne\u2019s and Cinnabon were among the food offerings available to travelers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing at the new airport on opening day with her was an amazing experience,\u201d said Pam Klaus ’03, director of the <\/span>Center for Franchise Development<\/span><\/a> in the Craig School of Business. \u201cAs Missouri Western employees, we like to say \u2018I help Griffons succeed,\u2019 and watching our graduates\u2019 entrepreneurial journeys really embodies that!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Applied Business Ownership class gives senior-level students and alumni the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship and compete for the chance to own and operate their own franchise business. Throughout the semester, students prepare a business plan for a franchise store. At the end of the semester, they <\/span>present their plans to an interview panel made up of Steve Craig, benefactor of the Craig School of Business; Missouri Western graduates who won franchises in previous years; Missouri Western faculty members; other business leaders; and representatives of franchise companies. The panel then selects a winner or winners.<\/span><\/p>\n

The program provides initial capital for the stores, which the alumni pay back over five 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\u2019s proceeds back to the University.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tripp graduated from Missouri Western in 2012 with an education degree, and taught in the St. Joseph School District for four years. But she also was helping to run a family-owned lawn-care business, and wanted to learn more, so she enrolled in the class in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSeven years ago, I had no idea about business,\u201d she said. \u201cI was a classroom teacher. Before attending the Craig School of Business, I had no idea entrepreneurship was for me. I had no idea the fulfillment I would get out of the entrepreneurship lifestyle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"workers

Pam Klaus with the crew at Cinnabon in KCI on Feb. 28, 2023<\/p><\/div>\n

Tripp was awarded the opportunity to open a new Auntie Anne’s in St. Joseph\u2019s East Hills Shopping Center. Her portfolio quickly expanded to include locations in Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas; Branson, Missouri; and now, two franchises at KCI. The support she receives from the Craig School of Business and her fellow alumni is invaluable, and she talks to them daily.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProfessional help and other resources are pricey for beginning and even veteran operators, so within our CSB group, we help each other with lease assignments\/negotiations, employment retention, tax questions, marketing, payroll services\u2026 the list goes on and on,\u201d Tripp said. \u201cThe relationships the CSB created are unmatched. I can honestly say, I wouldn\u2019t be here today if it weren\u2019t for Steven Craig\u2019s Craig School of Business and the CSB alumni.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Tripp\u2019s entrepreneurial journey has been quite a career change, she has no regrets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a teacher, I was making a big impact in my community,\u201d she said. \u201cAs an entrepreneur, I am making a big impact in our region.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Missouri Western State University is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. 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 <\/span><\/i>missouriwestern.edu<\/span><\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

March 10, 2023–Just a few years ago, Missouri Western State University alum Stephanie Tripp was a classroom teacher who had no idea that entrepreneurship was for her. After entering the world of business ownership through the Craig School of Business Applied Business Ownership class, she operates six franchise locations, including an Auntie Anne\u2019s Pretzels and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":10979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10885"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10885"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10891,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10885\/revisions\/10891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}