Lacy School of Business - Butler University

The 2026 STARTedUP Challenge Finals brought together some of Indiana's most innovative young entrepreneurs to pitch solutions to real-world challenges and compete for $25,000.

Congratulations to this year's winners:

🥇 1st Place: OccluSense
🥈 2nd Place: Course Caddy
🥉 3rd Place: PageMD AI
🏅 People's Choice Award: Reese Olivia Creative

We're proud to partner with STARTedUP Foundation and help create pathways for entrepreneurial thinking long before students step onto a college campus.

From Butler accounting student to community changemaker.

🔗 https://bit.ly/3P8Nd0Z

Jim Conklin ’96 founded Cultivate Food Rescue to address food insecurity and reduce food waste across northern Indiana and the results are powerful:

• 15+ million pounds of food distributed
• $5M+ raised
• 6,500 volunteers mobilized

What started with a formative Butler experience mentoring a student facing food insecurity became a mission to serve thousands.

At the Lacy School of Business, we’re proud to see our graduates use their business foundation to lead with purpose and create lasting impact.

Read more in the Butler University Spring 2026 Magazine ⤵️
https://bit.ly/3P8Nd0Z

What makes an network valuable?

🔗 https://poetsandquants.com/2026/06/04/how-a-strong-alumni-network-shapes-careers-and-communities/?pq-category=mba&pq-category-2=students

It's not the number of graduates. It's whether people stay invested long after they leave campus.

In a new article for Poets&Quants, we explore how alumni relationships continue to shape careers, businesses, and communities years after graduation.

From entrepreneurs and executives to adjunct faculty and advisory council leaders, LSB alumni are mentoring students, opening doors, sharing expertise, and helping shape the future of the School.

Their stories offer a reminder that the most powerful alumni networks aren't built on transactions. They're built on relationships that endure.

READ MORE ⤵️

https://poetsandquants.com/2026/06/04/how-a-strong-alumni-network-shapes-careers-and-communities/?pq-category=mba&pq-category-2=students

How A Strong Alumni Network Shapes Careers And Communities Inside a business school alumni network that fuels careers, mentorship, and long-term professional success.

Some people teach international business. Dr. Marleen McCormick Pritchard lives it.

🔗 https://bit.ly/4v0oz1K

From leading study abroad experiences in Portugal to helping shape Butler Overseas, Dr. McCormick Pritchard is giving students firsthand exposure to the realities of global business, culture, and collaboration.

Through her teaching, research, and international partnerships, she’s helping students understand what it means to lead in an increasingly connected world.

Read more about her global impact and passion for experiential learning ⤵️
https://bit.ly/4v0oz1K

For Gabe Connell MBA ’01, it was the confidence and clarity to turn an idea into HotBox Pizza—now a 20+ location brand across Central Indiana.

🔗 https://bit.ly/4uQiIMb

While at the Lacy School of Business, Gabe sharpened his financial and leadership skills, gained perspective from a diverse cohort, and discovered a guiding principle he still uses today: servant leadership.

“It was at Butler that I really started hatching that plan.”

At Lacy, our MBA isn’t just about knowledge; it’s about helping leaders find their path and build something meaningful.

Read more in the Butler University Spring 2026 Magazine ⤵️
https://bit.ly/4uQiIMb

Excited to celebrate this incredible group of leaders joining the Butler University Board of Trustees beginning June 2.

🔗 https://bit.ly/4u2qcMh

What stands out even more: five of the seven new trustees are proud Butler alumni—including several graduates of the Lacy School of Business whose careers span healthcare, finance, entrepreneurship, global business, and innovation.

Special congratulations to LSB alumni Sean McGould ’89 and Howard Sams ’93, who continue to give back through service on the Dean’s Advisory Board.

Looking forward to seeing how this group helps guide Butler’s future through Boldly Butler.

Read more ⤵️
https://bit.ly/4u2qcMh

From Bulldog mascot to business owner, Bradley A. Hamann ’04 has built a career defined by connection, resilience, and community impact.

A Marketing graduate with a Psychology minor from the Lacy School of Business, Brad’s journey has never been just about real estate—it’s been about relationships. As Owner and Managing Broker of Hamann Sense, LLC, he has spent more than 20 years building a boutique brokerage rooted in one simple philosophy: people over transactions.

From mentoring Butler students and supporting hands-on learning experiences to establishing the Hamann Family Annual Scholarship, his impact continues to shape the next generation of Lacy leaders.

Read more about Brad's story ⤵️
https://bit.ly/4wraPi4

The future of business education is global.

🔗 https://bit.ly/4tWzAjS

During a recent trade and energy delegation to South Korea, Dr. Jane Siegler represented the Lacy School of Business in conversations surrounding supply chains, manufacturing, energy infrastructure, and international investment tied to a Korea–U.S. economic framework valued at roughly $350 billion.

From executive meetings in Seoul to industrial visits in Changwon, one thing became clear: the challenges shaping the global economy are the same challenges Lacy students are preparing to solve.

Now, those conversations are evolving into real partnership opportunities connected to supply chain mapping, experiential learning, and global business collaboration between Indiana and Korea.

Read how Lacy is connecting the classroom to the systems shaping the future of global business ⤵️
https://bit.ly/4tWzAjS

What started as a student idea is now a global distinction.

In 2022, a small group of Butler students set out to build something new—without a blueprint, and with a clear focus on what their peers needed most. Today, Butler DECA has grown into the largest collegiate DECA chapter in the world.

Students across disciplines are engaged in an organization designed to go beyond competition—focusing on leadership development, experiential learning, and real-world skill building.

Through conferences, case competitions, industry partnerships, and mentorship opportunities, Butler DECA continues to bridge the gap between classroom learning and professional success.

The result:
🔹 Consistent top finishes at international competition
🔹 Students from majors across campus gaining career-ready skills
🔹 A fully student-led organization driving innovation and growth

This milestone reflects what’s possible when students are empowered to lead—and when education is designed to create impact beyond the classroom.