Miller School hauls in more national awards

Dr/ Dennis Barber, III, left.

Drs. Michael Harris and Dennis Barber, III, of the Miller School of Entrepreneurship recently attended the 2020 National Small Business Institute® (SBI) Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. During the event, both picked up awards for the work coming out of the Miller School and the College of Business’ Small Business Institute.

National Best Practices Award – The winning submission, Using Internships to Increase the Impact of Small Business Institute Projects, focused on the integration of ECU’s RISE29 program with the Miller School’s Small Business Institute course. This recognition is the second national award for the RISE29 program since January of this year. RISE29 is made possible by a $1 million grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation and is operated by both the Miller School and ECU’s Division of Research, Economic Development and Engagement.

First Place, National Project of the Year Competition – Taking first place in the undergraduate comprehensive category, the project was conducted for Lil Elite Boutique in Goldsboro, North Carolina. COB students Allison Martin, Kallie Phillips, Malcolm Ellis and Jhaquez Langley created a succession plan to help the business continue into its third generation of family ownership. Barber served as advisor.

Dr. Michael Harris, left.

Second Place, National Project of the Year Competition – Taking second place in the undergraduate business plan/feasibility division, the project work was for Havens Wharf in Washington, North Carolina. The primary goal of the team was to design a personalized, conceptual consulting report for undeveloped land directly adjacent to the historic Havens Wharf Building. The final report addressed a potential mix of retail options, followed by the development of appropriate promotional tactics to help launch the retail venture. The student team included Taylor Walden, Andrew Ciaccia, Troy Demers, Barry Smith and Trey Benton. Harris served as advisor.

Distinguished Empirical Conference Paper of the Year Award — The winning submission was “Do Entrepreneurs Do Good Deeds to Maximize Wins or Avoid Losses? A Regulatory Focus Perspective.” Using regulatory focus theory as a theoretical lens, the authors examined how promotion focus versus prevention focus of the small business owner motivates social responsibility engagement targeted at society, employees and customers. Authors included Whitney Peake and Mariah Yates, both of Western Kentucky University (WKU), and Barber and COB Professor Dr. Amy McMillan.

Paper of the Year Based on a Publication in the Journal of Small Business Strategy – The winning submission was “Do Management Control Systems Stifle Innovation in Small Firms? A Mediation Approach.” The paper examined the relationship between an individual-level measure of entrepreneurial orientation and innovation level and explored the mediating role of financial and nonfinancial management control systems on that relationship. Authors included Peake, Barber, McMillan, Dawn Bolton (WKU) and Leanne Coder (WKU).

“The awards validate the work and the research coming out of the COB and the Miller School,” said Harris. “We are impacting the students and business that call eastern North Carolina home. For that, I am most proud.”

The SBI program at ECU’s College of Business has worked on consulting projects with regional business clients each year since 1974. An ECU team has placed in the Top 3 of the Project-of-the-Year Competition in 14 of the past 15 years, including seven national championships.

Along with bringing in awards, the Miller School is spreading its influence at the national level. Both Harris and Barber were recently added to the board of directors for the National SBI. Harris will serve as the vice president for development, and Barber will be the vice president for programs elect.

In other Miller School award news, the Lil Elite Boutique project, in partnership with Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation, won a Best Innovation merit award at the 2020 Annual North Carolina Main Street Conference.

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