Entrepreneurial Management News 

Known for its entrepreneurial minds and soda bar, the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the BYU Marriott School of Business extends past the main lobby and event space. Down the building’s hallways are studio offices—rooms to support growth and progress for student-owned businesses.

The BYU Marriott School of Business honored selected faculty and staff at its April 2026 awards ceremony for their impact in exemplifying BYU Marriott's mission, vision, and values in both classroom and administrative work.

Jeff Ferrell and Benn Manning lost $110,000 worth of taco mac and cheese in a single manufacturing mishap. For these two founders of the frozen meal company Counter, this was just one of the many trials they’ve faced. But as keynote speakers of the 2026 SMB ETA Conference hosted by the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Ferrell and Manning shared that relying on God throughout their journey helps them grow both personally and professionally.

Jimmy Valverde says his younger self would be surprised he is graduating from the BYU Marriott School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurial management. Looking back on his journey, Valverde says that God has led him, step-by-step, to opportunities greater than he envisioned for himself.

Twenty-four university professors from across the United States filed into the Wilkinson Student Center Skyroom in February for a special interest group summit devoted to faith and entrepreneurship. As they admired the snow-covered mountains in their view, they heard from a panel of three Brigham Young University students who discussed how they’ve combined faith with entrepreneurship, leading to a greater purpose behind their pursuits.

In March, the BYU Marriott School of Business administration recognized one graduating student from each undergraduate program with the Bateman Award for their dedication to the BYU Marriott values, commitment to academic excellence, and profound drive to serve others.

At the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, student entrepreneurs have the opportunity to turn their big ideas into reality. These self-starters say entrepreneurship becomes more fulfilling as they work to develop themselves and build relationships.

When he was young, Ryan Zimbauer remembers his mom telling him that his future career would involve something that hadn’t been invented yet. Now, as the winner of the 2025 Big Idea Competition hosted by the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Zimbauer says the recognition for his project, MagPocket, is a result of continually seeking and taking opportunities to learn.

After witnessing his mom fight breast cancer, Peyton Jackson worked with the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology to start Indel, a company that treats breast cancer through gene therapy. For Jackson and other student entrepreneurs, their journey has required more than hard work and studying; they find support from Christlike predecessors and an entrepreneurial culture at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

What do beekeeping, management communication, and software development have in common? They’re just three of the disciplines that helped Varroa Tech, a startup that uses gas detection to warn beekeepers of dangerous parasite levels in their hives, to win $16,500 and the 2024–2025 Student Innovator of the Year competition.

Whether a student startup is inventing a collapsible asthma spacer or crafting a high-protein cheese, the Miller Grants from the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology are ready to support student innovation at Brigham Young University.

In its April 2025 awards ceremony, the BYU Marriott School of Business recognized selected faculty, staff, and administrators for exemplifying the college’s vision, mission, values, and guiding principle in both classroom and administrative work.

In March the BYU Marriott School of Business administration recognized a graduating student from each undergraduate program with the Bateman Award for their exemplary dedication to the BYU Marriott values, commitment to academic excellence, and profound drive to serve others.

According to Trent Williams, life is like a hike; instead of being a linear process, life is more of an emergent experience that we discover step by step. Williams says that remembering that God understands each unanticipated twist and turn has been key to learning from unexpected experiences as they come.

Reid Tileston, an adjunct professor at the BYU Marriott School of Business, first became a business owner at age 16 when he took over his brother’s small airport-shuttle business. The experience helped Tileston begin developing an appreciation for entrepreneurship through acquisition that has directed his career ever since.

Jose and Adela Montoya Brañez—a sibling duo studying entrepreneurial management at the BYU Marriott School of Business—are passionate about entrepreneurship and the chance it gives them to serve others.

For the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, celebrating a new office space meant music, free food, and an abundance of information for students interested in starting their own businesses. In September students at Brigham Young University were invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony to learn more about the center’s new south campus space and its services for BYU entrepreneurs.

A group of enterprising BYU students aim to significantly — if not entirely — reduce parking violations in paid parking lots, college and otherwise. And their idea, an AI detection and tracking system called Spot Parking, just got a major endorsement and $12,000 in cash by winning the 2024 BYU Student Innovator of the Year competition.

Sterling Petersen has such a passion for mountain biking, he decided to make it his day job. Since graduating from BYU Marriott’s entrepreneurship program, he’s created multiple startups focused on mountain biking products and has built a collaborative work environment in the process.

Eight professors joined the faculty at the BYU Marriott School of Business in 2023. “We are excited to welcome these new faculty members,” says Brigitte Madrian, dean of BYU Marriott. “In line with our mission to develop leaders of faith, intellect, and character, these new faculty bring insight and experience that will contribute to the educational experience BYU Marriott offers its students.”