WKU News

The Gordon Ford College of Business was well-represented at the Small Business Institute’s (SBI) 44^th annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 27-29. The SBI is the premier organization engaging business, education, and community. The 2020 Conference invovled academics, students, and small business development specialists collaborating and learning from one another.

Drs. Whitney Peake and Mariah Yates, along with coauthors Dennis Barber III (East Carolina University) and Amy McMillan (East Carolina University) received The Distinguished Paper Award at the Conference for their paper titled, “Do Entrepreneurs Do Good Deeds to Maximize Wins or Avoid Losses? A Regulatory Focus Perspective.”

WKU alumni Alyssa Buchner, Drew Coppage, Lesley Downs, and Allie McCreery placed third in the Undergraduate Comprehensive Category in the Experiential Learning Project of the Year Competition for their work with Bluegrass Beams Custom Home Accents. Lesley Downs and Allie McCreery attended the conference and presented a poster on behalf of the group.

Peake and Dr. Angie Kovarik from Bemidji State University placed first in the Innovative Pedagogy Competition for their presentation: Virtual teams in applied learning environment: Innovative processes to help faculty facilitate virtual teams and lessen the drama load.

Peake and Dr. LeAnne Coder, along with coauthors Barber III, McMillan and Dr. Dawn Bolton received the Matt Sonfield award for best publication in the Small Business Institute Journals for 2019.

SBI outgoing president Timothy Dunne passed the gavel to Peake, officially declaring her president of the Small Business Institute, while Coder officially took on the role of Vice President of Programs for the organization.