Students visit Excel Images to help with Cardinal Corner purchases

Each semester, undergraduate entrepreneurship students manage a not-for-profit retail store located in a small corner of the basement of Toner Student Center. Led by Michael Ratajczyk, students in the Entrepreneurship class gain first-hand experience in starting a business and running the daily operations.

Aptly named the “Cardinal Corner,” students choose products to sell in the store, garner donations from around campus, and sell items for on-campus organizations as part of a course within the entrepreneurship major.

This semester, students in Entrepreneurship visited Excel Images on Sept. 3 to view the company’s products and factory to learn more about the items that they are considering for the Cardinal Corner.

Jon Gunnarson, brand architect, welcomed the c;ass into their showroom, sample room, and production floor.

“Excel Images is a great partner with our class,” Ratajczyk said. “We have visited with them each semester since I began teaching. Students are excited to feel fabrics; touch products that have had laser etched, stitched, or stamped work done; and examine different color swatches. The students were especially excited to see some of the powerful technology that Excel Images uses.”

Cardinal Corner done for semester

This team sold the most of their product at the Cardinal Corner this semester.

Each semester, undergraduate entrepreneurship students manage a not-for-profit retail store located in a small corner of the basement of Toner Student Center. Aptly named the “Cardinal Corner,” students choose products to sell in the store, garner donations from around campus, and sell items for on-campus organizations as part of a course within the entrepreneurship major.

The class is broken into management teams and sales staff.  Students apply lessons learned in many courses such as marketing, economics, and management.

The members of this semester’s class were: Alexander Bakke, David Barry, Samantha Borawski, Trevor Erickson, Courtney Euerle, Audrey Ferris, Jacob Holzer, Mackenzie Klimek, Patrick Krieger, Brandon Larsen, Christopher Malay, Jacob Merkle, Benjamin Meyer, Kevin Miley, Darcey Rice, Molly Robinette, Jocelyn Thompson, Camden Webster, Colton Wolf.

Cardinal Corner comes to a close today

Your last chance to visit the Cardinal Corner is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today!

Each semester, undergraduate entrepreneurship students manage a not-for-profit retail store located in a small corner of the basement of Toner Student Center. Aptly named the “Cardinal Corner,” the store sells products chosen by students who also sell items for on-campus organizations as part of a course within the entrepreneurship major.

The class is broken into management teams and sales staff.  Students apply lessons learned in many courses such as marketing, economics, and management.  Each team experiences product sourcing, pricing, promotion and placement.  The decisions that the students make throughout the semester are experienced first-hand and result in financial success or failure.

This semester the students chose five new products to sell at the store: a vintage sporting shirt, a fleece sweatshirt, a glass, and iPhone cases.

The members of the class chose a different beneficiary to receive the store’s profits, the American Cancer Society.

Led by Assistant Professor Michael Ratajczyk, the members of this semester’s class are: Alexander Bakke, David Barry, Samantha Borawski, Trevor Erickson, Courtney Euerle, Audrey Ferris, Jacob Holzer, Mackenzie Klimek, Patrick Krieger, Brandon Larsen, Christopher Malay, Jacob Merkle, Benjamin Meyer, Kevin Miley, Darcey Rice, Molly Robinette, Jocelyn Thompson, Camden Webster and Colton Wolf.

Thank you to all who have visited with us this semester.  We appreciate your support!

Cardinal Corner is now open

Each semester, undergraduate entrepreneurship students, supervised by Michael Ratajczyk, Business Department, manage a not-for-profit retail store located in the basement of Toner Student Center.

Aptly named the “Cardinal Corner,” students choose products to sell in the store, garner donations from around campus, and sell items for on-campus organizations as part of a course within the entrepreneurship major.

The class is broken into management teams and sales staff.  Students apply lessons learned in many courses such as marketing, economics and management. Each team experiences product sourcing, pricing, promotion and placement. The decisions that the students make throughout the semester are experienced first-hand and result in financial success or failure.

This semester the students chose four new products to sell at the store: a cannikin, fleece shirt, a vintage baseball slugger shirt, and a personal technology bag.

The students voted to give the store’s profits this year to the American Cancer Society.

Cardinal Corner completes record semester

Members of "Team Hats" describe their experiences selling stocking caps in the Cardinal Corner.

It was a real-life lesson in profit margins as well as the spending habits of target consumers … fellow college students.

On Dec. 11, students from MG315 Entrepreneurship summarized the incomes and expenditures of their semester projects. These students, broken into smaller groups, had chosen five new products to sell at the Cardinal Corner, a small not-for-profit retail shop located in the basement of the Toner Student Center. The students chose to sell a vintage-style Saint Mary’s College shirt, stress footballs, stocking hats, tote bags and cancer awareness shirts.

Their goal was simple: Make money.

This semester, the cohort not only broke even on their inventory investment of $2,000, but Michael Ratajczyk, assistant professor of business, also announced that this semester’s cohort also broke records in both revenue generated and profit margin from their products. The Cardinal Corner brought in over $2,300 in revenue and had a profit margin over 40 percent, breaking records by over $1,000 and 800 basis points of margin.

The students were assessed based upon two commonly used financial metrics within industry:  GMROI and Inventory Turns.  GMROI stands for Gross Margin Return on Inventory and is used to study cash flow performance.  It is commonly used to protect companies from spending too much cash on a particular product.  Inventory Turns is a metric that reports how many times per year a product would sell out if it was sold throughout the year.

The team that won the Inventory Turns performance was “Team Hats,” which sold a red, black, and white stocking cap. Their “turns” score was 10.4, which means that the hats would sell out 10 times per year.  Ratajczyk explains that a score of 10 is highly desired by any business because it essentially means a business is selling out of all its inventory every five weeks. Team members include: Michael Burfeind, Ron Enrooth, Jakub Koziuk, Jen Tobroxen and Jamal Arnold.

The team that won the GMROI performance was “Team Shoot Pass Cure Shirts,” which sold a stylish pink shirt that brings awareness to breast cancer. Their GMROI score was 0.43, which means that for every $1 of cash invested in inventory, the team not only earned back that dollar, but also earned an additional 43 cents. Team members include: Sarah Mills, Lucas Kubic, Otto Holzer, Cody Sprague and Tyler Krysiak.

“I am very pleased with the results of this semester and I am proud of the students.  They worked hard,” Ratajczyk said. “The students learned firsthand how difficult it can be to start a business and break even. They not only broke even, but did so by breaking sales and profit records with style.”

Jennifer Tobroxen of “Team Hats” said, “It was a great hands-on experience in learning about what types of target markets buy what kinds of products. I enjoyed the opportunities that the Cardinal Corner gave me as a business major.”

Funds from this semester will be donated to the First-Generation Initiative at Saint Mary’s.

Cardinal Corner is open!

Each semester, undergraduate entrepreneurship students manage a not-for-profit retail store located in a small corner of the basement of Toner Student Center. Aptly named the “Cardinal Corner,” students choose products to sell in the store, garner donations from around campus, and sell items for on-campus organizations as part of a course within the entrepreneurship major.

The class is broken into management teams and sales staff.  Students apply lessons learned in many courses such as marketing, economics, and management. Each team experiences product sourcing, pricing, promotion and placement. The decisions that the students make throughout the semester are experienced first-hand and result in financial success or failure.

This semester the students chose five new products to sell at the store: a vintage style college shirt, a pink cancer awareness shirt, tote bags, footballs and winter hats.

The students voted to give the store’s profits this year to the First-Generation Initiative.

Profits from previous semesters have been donated to the Winona Area Humane Society; Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin; Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance recipients; Dom Dziecka, a children’s orphanage in Poland; and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Minnesota.

Led by assistant professor of business Michael Ratajczyk, the members of this semester’s class are: Ashley  Bollig,  Chelsea  Pumper,  Cody  Sprague,  Daniel  Fino,  Jakub  Koziuk,  James  Sullivan,  Jennifer  Tobroxen,  Lucas  Kubic,  Matthew  Biagini,  Michael  Burfeind,  Nancy  Leon-Morales,  Natalie  Williams,  Otto  Holzer,  Reid  Smithe,  Ronald  Enrooth,  Samantha  Kleese,  Sarah  Mills, Timothy  Wolande, Tyler  Krysiak and Jamal Arnold.

When asked their thoughts about the Cardinal Corner thus far in the semester, the student teams had this to say.

“A school spirited store made by Cardinals for Cardinals!” – Team Totes and Footballs

“We feel that the experience at the Cardinal Corner is not only beneficial experience, but it is a positive one where we as students are able to learn how to apply business-like concepts on a day-to-day basis in a real-world environment.” – Team College Shirts

 “The Cardinal Corner is a fun way for students to raise money for charity by selling products that they designed.” – Team Pink Shirts

“The Cardinal Corner allows students to experience what it is like to make practical marketing and financial decisions in a small business environment.” – Team Pink Shirts

“The Cardinal Corner helps us experience what we should be expecting in the real world.” – Team Hats

Cardinal Corner now open

The Cardinal Corner, under the management of the Saint Mary’s entrepreneurship class, is now open. The Cardinal Corner is a non-profit retail store located in the lower level of the  Toner Student Center.

Students choose products to sell in the store, garner donations from around campus, and sell items for on-campus organizations as part of a course within the entrepreneurship major. Each semester the members of the class choose a different beneficiary to receive the store’s profits.

Cardinal Club selling water bottle in honor of Bushlack

The entrepreneurship class with Jana Craft is  selling a 17 oz. stainless steel water bottle in the Cardinal Corner  for $10 for faculty/staff or $6 for students. The water bottle promotes the “Strong is the New Beautiful” campaign for Sabrina Bushlack, and all of the proceeds will be donated to her.

SMU business students raise money for fellow student

Saint Mary’s business students and the SMU College of Business donated $525 to the medical fund established for SMU student Sabrina Bushlack-Larson, 21, of Mapleton, Minn. Sabrina was critically injured in a car accident on July 16, 2012, after the taxi she was riding in was struck by a car that police said ran a red light. A biochemistry major and three-year regular for the Cardinal volleyball team, Bushlack-Larson suffered a brain injury that initially impacted her speech, balance and mobility.

Each semester, undergraduate entrepreneurship students manage a not-for-profit retail store located in a small corner of the basement of Toner Student Center. Aptly named the “Cardinal Corner,” students choose products to sell in the store, garner donations from around campus, and sell items for on-campus organizations as part of a course within the entrepreneurship major. Each semester the members of the class choose a different beneficiary to receive the store’s profits. Students chose Bushlack-Larson’s medical fund because they felt it was important to support a fellow student.

SMU’s entrepreneurship students continue to choose charities that are near and dear to the heart of a fellow classmate, or charities that benefit the SMU community. Profits from previous semesters have been donated to the Winona Area Humane Society; Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin; Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance recipients; Dom Dziecka, a children’s orphanage in Chotomów, Poland; and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Minnesota.

Individuals who would like to donate Bushlack-Larson should contact the Goodview branch of Wells Fargo Bank. For more information on the Cardinal Corner or to present your request to the class to be considered as the charity of choice for the semester, contact Jana Craft, at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner.

Cardinal Corner now open

The Cardinal Corner is now open! All profits benefit Sabrina Larson Bushlack’s medical fund. Normal hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. New products are on order and will arrive soon.

The Cardinal Corner is a non-profit retail store located in the lower level of the Toner Student Center. Managed by the students of MG315 Entrepreneurship and supported by the Business Department, the mission of the store is to create an opportunity for entrepreneurship students to gain hands-on experience in operating a small business.

Each semester, the class donates profits from the Cardinal Corner to a charity of their choice. In addition, the store sells products for various SMU clubs, teams, departments, and organizations and returns 100 percent of the sales to benefit the SMU community.

For more information, contact Jana Craft at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner.

Cardinal Corner now open

The Cardinal Corner is now open! All profits benefit Sabrina Larson Bushlack’s medical fund. Normal hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday because of Family Weekend. New products are on order and will arrive soon.

The Cardinal Corner is a non-profit retail store located in the lower level of the Toner Student Center. Managed by the students of MG315 Entrepreneurship and supported by the Business Department, the mission of the store is to create an opportunity for entrepreneurship students to gain hands-on experience in operating a small business.

Each semester, the class donates profits from the Cardinal Corner to a charity of their choice. In addition, the store sells products for various SMU clubs, teams, departments, and organizations and returns 100 percent of the sales to benefit the SMU community.

For more information, contact Craft at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner.

Cardinal Corner raises $358 for veteran alum

Saint Mary’s business students raised $358 for veteran alumnus Josh Misiewicz, the 2012 recipient of the Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance. Misiewicz of La Grange, Ill., attended Saint Mary’s from 2006-2008. In July 2011, Lance Corporal Misiewicz lost both of his legs while serving in Afghanistan.

Each semester, undergraduate entrepreneurship students manage a not-for-profit retail store located in a small corner of the basement of Toner Student Center, aptly named the Cardinal Corner. Students choose products to sell in the store, garner donations from around campus, and sell items for on-campus organizations as part of the entrepreneurship major. Each semester the members of the class choose a different charity to which profits are donated.

SMU’s entrepreneurship students have continued to choose charities that are near and dear to the heart of a fellow classmate, or charities that benefit the SMU community. Profits from previous semesters have been donated to the Winona Area Humane Society, Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin, Dom Dziecka (a children’s orphanage in Chotomów, Poland) and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Minnesota.

For more information on the Cardinal Corner or to present your request to the class to be considered as the charity of choice for the fall semester, contact Jana Craft at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner.

Cardinal Corner proceeds to also benefit Misiewicz

The SMU spring 2012 Entrepreneurship class has unanimously chosen the Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance as their cause for the current semester. All profits from the sale of merchandise sold at the Cardinal Corner will benefit campus organizations and alumnus Josh Misiewicz.

The Cardinal Corner is a non-profit retail store located in the lower level of the Toner Student Center. Managed by the students of MG315 Entrepreneurship and supported by the College of Business, the goal of the store is to create an opportunity for entrepreneurship students to gain hands-on experience in operating a small business. Each semester, the class donates profits from the Cardinal Corner to a charity of their choice. In addition, the store sells products for various SMU clubs, teams, departments, and organizations and returns 100 percent of the sales to benefit the SMU community.

For more information, contact Jana Craft at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner .

Cardinal Corner update

Students from the MG315 Entrepreneurship class recently received a donation of “vintage” soccer uniforms. Fifty percent of profits from the sale of all soccer uniforms will be given back to the SMU soccer team. Fifty percent of profits will be donated to the Fall 2011 charity of choice, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Many items in the store are priced at $5 and under. More mittens are being ordered from Winona Knits and Mitts and a second order of Brother Stephen shirts will be placed after break.

Hours are Monday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Cardinal Corner is a non-profit retail store located in the lower level of the Toner Student Center. Managed by the students of MG315 Entrepreneurship and supported by the Business Department, the mission of the store is to create an opportunity for entrepreneurship students to gain hands-on experience in operating a small business. Each semester, the class donates profits from the Cardinal Corner to a charity of their choice. In addition, the store sells products for various SMU clubs, teams, departments, and organizations and returns 100 percent of the sales to benefit the SMU community.

For more information, contact Jana Craft at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner.

Cardinal Corner Update

The Cardinal Corner, located in the basement of the Toner Student Center, recently received “a ton” of vintage soccer uniform parts. Check out their basketball shorts, warm-up pants, zip ups, jerseys and T-shirts — available for $5, $10 or $15. The Brother Stephen shirts are coming soon!

The Cardinal Corner is open for business

The Cardinal Corner is a non-profit retail store located in the lower level of the Toner Student Center. Managed by the students of MG315 Entrepreneurship and supported by the School of Business, the mission of the store is to create an opportunity for entrepreneurship students to gain hands-on experience in operating a small business. Each semester, the class donates profits from the Cardinal Corner to a charity of their choice.

In addition, the store sells products for various SMU clubs, teams, departments, and organizations and returns 100 percent of the sales to benefit the SMU community.

This semester, all non-club related profits will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the largest health agency devoted to blood cancers. They supply funding for cancer research all around the world, and provide free information for support services. Their mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and families.

New items added this semester include:
• SMU MUTTS Frisbees and shirts
• Winona Knits and Mitts mittens
• Trendy and affordable neon sunglasses
• Cardinal Pride athletic shorts - with pockets!
• A Brother Stephen shirt - coming soon! (You’ll love the design and quote!)

For more information, contact Jana Craft at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner.

Fall 2011 hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Wednesdays.

Cardinal Corner raises $800 for campus organizations and Polish orphanage

The Cardinal Corner, under the management of the Spring 2011 Entrepreneurship class, earned over $800 in profit this semester. Sixty-percent of the total profits were earned through the sale of products from SMU clubs, teams, departments, or organizations that placed their items for sale in the store. The remaining 40 percent will be donated to Dom Dziecka, a Polish orphanage for children, the class’s charity of choice for the semester.

Dom Dziecka (house of children) is a Polish orphanage for children between the ages of 3-18 located in Chotomow, Poland. Chotomow is a small town one hour north of Warsaw with a population less than 5,000. Dom Dziecka aims to ensure home care for children who are deprived of family care on their own. The facility is based on Christian values and ran by the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate.

The Spring 2011 students honored the tradition of helping one of their own by choosing the Dom Dziecka orphanage. A fellow classmate, Ania McNamara, was adopted, along with her three sisters, from the orphanage. She has continued to help the orphanage as an SMU student by raising money each year for Christmas presents to be sent to the children. The money raised by the Cardinal Corner will be used to help buy blankets and school supplies.

The Cardinal Corner opened in Fall 2010. However, the goal of giving entrepreneurship students a hands-on experience in running a business was started with the establishment of the Movie Nest in 2003. The demand for an on-campus DVD rental diminished by 2008, prompting the business department to investigate the opportunity for building an actual store on campus. During the 2009-2010 academic year, entrepreneurship professor Jana Craft changed the focus of the project from profit-driven to non-profit, highlighting the importance of social entrepreneurship. Each semester the students chose a charity that was of special significance to a classmate.

Past beneficiaries include:
• Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance - Fall 2010
• Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin - Spring 2010
• Winona Area Humane Society - Fall 2009

On April 18, the students held an all-day blowout sale. The entire inventory of the store was moved to the Toner Lobby where the prices were slashed to help clear the way for new products in the fall. Big Red joined us and spread the news of the blowout sale throughout campus. Free popcorn was provided, thanks to the Athletic Department. Joanna Mills won the drawing for a free digital camera and an impressive amount of “RawR” bracelets were sold to commemorate the life of Millie Harrison. Proceeds from the sale of the “RawR” bracelets will be donated to support juvenile diabetes research.

If you missed out on a chance to own the 2011 Cardinal Pride T-shirt or your very own limited edition Father Fabian T-shirt, do not dismay! Contact Craft at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner.

To support the orphanage or for more information, contact McNamara at aimcna07@smumn.edu. The orphanage website is www.domydziecka.org.

2011 Cardinal Pride T-shirt on sale soon; Cardinal Corner blowout sale is April 18

The new Cardinal Pride T-shirts will be available soon.

The Cardinal Corner Blowout Sale will be held in the Plaza (or Toner Student Center lobby as the rain location) on Monday, April 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is your last day to purchase items from the store for the semester. Free popcorn will be served! Free Cardinal Pride wristbands are available with purchase. Come and check out the new items and sale prices!

2011 Cardinal Pride T-shirt on sale soon; Cardinal Corner blowout sale is April 18

The new Cardinal Pride T-shirts will be available soon.

The Cardinal Corner Blowout Sale will be held in the Plaza (or Toner Student Center lobby as the rain location) on Monday, April 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is your last day to purchase items from the store for the semester. Free popcorn will be served! Free Cardinal Pride wristbands are available with purchase. Come and check out the new items and sale prices!

Father Fabian T-shirts now on sale at Cardinal Corner

Father Fabian T-shirts are now on sale for $10 at the Cardinal Corner. Quantities are limited. Proceeds from sales will be donated to the Polish Children’s Orphanage in Chotomow, Poland.

The Cardinal Corner is a non-profit retail store located in the lower level of the Toner Student Center. Managed by the students of MG315 Entrepreneurship and supported by the School of Business, the mission of the store is to create an opportunity for entrepreneurship students to gain hands-on experience in operating a small business.

Each semester, the class donates profits from the Cardinal Corner to a charity of their choice. In addition, the store sells products for various SMU clubs, teams, departments, and organizations and returns 100 percent of the sales to benefit the SMU community.

For more information, contact professor Jana Craft at Ext. 1491 or jcraft@smumn.edu. Become a fan and receive the latest updates at www.facebook.com/cardinalcorner.