The Schulze School of Entrepreneurship and Opus College of Business showed very well at the 2016 Eureka! Awards last night. Each year the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal sets out to find the most innovate businesses in the Twin Cities. With representation when the awards began in 2014 and continued in 2015 (and here), St. Thomas businesses once again find themselves being honored as leaders in innovation.
Farmhouse Market: Retailing winner
When Kendra Rasmusson '12 M.B.C. needed to find a good source of healthy food in a small town, and couldn't, she decided to create one. Farmhouse Market is open 24/7 to its members, who use a key fob to enter the facility, do their shopping, and check out at a kiosk. Rasmusson and her husband monitor the store remotely.
Qlean Tech Enterprises: Product Design winner
Tom Johnson '75 started QleanTech Enterprises in July 2015. The company makes machines that produce sanitizer and cleaner solutions that are effective and environmentally friendly. When water goes into QleanTech’s machine, it is completely deconstructed to make it entirely pure. It’s then separated, forming powerful disinfectants and sanitizers.
TruScribe: Media & Marketing winner
Andrew Herkert '09, '12 M.A. and his family business, TruScribe, created Scribology™ as a way to use human thought patterns to more effectively created animated video presentations on whiteboards and other media. Users can adjust variables, like color, speed of narration and more, to convey a company's message, often times breaking down complex ideas for viewers.
Vugo Inc.: Media & Marketing winner
James Bellefeuille and Rob Flessner '10 M.B.A. started Vugo as a way to get relevant advertisements in front of rideshare clients, and help drivers make more money. The company's proprietary algorithm uses trip metrics to determine which ads to use for which riders.
