Entrepreneur gives invention to Southeast business class

~ The group of students with the best marketing plan will be offered a first right of refusal in taking the product and running with it as a business.

Aspiring inventors and business leaders at Southeast Missouri State University have been given an opportunity to learn what it's like to be a part of the competitive world of marketing.

And it's all thanks to one man and his creation -- a creation that might take the fuss and muss out of Christmas tree lights.

Doug Greene, an entrepreneur and longtime Southeast supporter, hopes the challenge he's provided students and faculty at Southeast will boost the university's reputation as a business school and bring in some extra income for the Harrison College of Business.

"I found an entrepreneurial spirit over there," Greene said.

During a visit to the campus during Homecoming 2005, Greene handed over the rights to his product and 109 finished remotes in hopes of watching Southeast turn it into something profitable for the Entrepreneurial Studies Program.

The product, the Christmas Tree Remote Control, is made so that owners can turn their Christmas tree lights on and off with the click of a Santa-shaped remote. Dr. Jack Sterrett and his class of six MBA students are now in charge of taking over Greene's invention and turning it into a small business.

"The technology is simple; it's been around forever," Sterrett said. "It's just what you do with it."

Team approaches

The students will be divided into two teams. Each will develop ideas for a business and marketing plan. At the end of the semester, a panel of judges, which will include Greene, will watch a formal presentation put on by each team. The winning team will be offered a first right of refusal in taking the product and running with it as a business -- which, Sterrett said, would have a financial risk involved.

"It's a make-it-or-break-it kind of thing," he said.

With the help of the Southeast Innovation Center, Sterrett and Greene feel they are in good hands. The SIC is funded by the state and helps small businesses get on their feet. In this case, the SIC will provide funding and a place to help launch business. It will also provide office space and basic infrastructure support.

With such a simple technology in the business college's hands, the School of Polytechnic Studies has also become involved, trying to create spin-offs of the product that can be sold to wider markets rather than just seasonal catalogs.

"There are so many alternatives for this kind of product," said Bill Holland, director of corporate relations and development for the Southeast Missouri State Foundation. "We're hoping this can be a poster child for making things happen. And that's what entrepreneurship is about, making things happen."

Student organizations have sold 100 Christmas tree remotes through various fund-raisers. The product is planned to be available in holiday catalogs by the end of this year.

"I feel very moved by the support of the university at all levels. I believe they will be quite successful," Greene said.

Southeast faculty are pleased with the different approach to entrepreneurial studies and hope this kind of learning will prepare students for the real world where business can be a difficult, but rewarding experience.

And Greene, who has had an admiration for the campus and its hard-working students for years, knows the importance of turning ideas into a reality and hopes the university will be able to do just that.

"Someone who has a good idea should take it and run with it," Greene said. "They should move forward."

sdereign@semissourian.com