Integrated Business Program Students Raise More than $18,000 for Charity

Students from the College of Business’ Integrated Business Program (IBP) successfully completed and celebrated their fall semester accomplishments. Six teams each made impactful donations to their chosen charities while learning how to lead and manage their real-life businesses. Each student took on unique leadership roles to help build their business and sell their products during the semester through online, campus, and community events. Each business collectively generated $18,903.22 in total sales.

For 16 weeks, students built strategic business skills together to achieve their sales goals. Through classroom instructional theory and real-world practice, students built their business tool-kits as they expanded their sales acumen, inventory management skills, team communications, and more.

The teams celebrated their business accomplishments at an end-of-the-semester charity banquet, where each group shared about their experiences in the program and their business summaries. Then, the students invited a representative from their respective charities to the stage and presented them with a check with their hard-earned profits.

The team’s names, charities, earnings, and products are as follows:

• Rodeo Ribbon – Boarding for Breast Cancer $3,874.60. Product: Pink Cowboy Hats
• Ausome Blends – Autism Society $3,201.09. Product: Portable Blenders
• Charms That Fit – Shoes That Fit $3,038.37. Product: Crocs shoe “jibbitz” charms
• Blanket Buddies – Foothill Family Center $3,237.99. Product: Portable Picnic Blankets
• Restraw Maui – Maui United Way $1,720.27. Product: Reusable Straws
• All 4 Pets – Priceless Pets $3,157.39. Product: Portable Pet Water Bowl/Bottles

After the event, the students reflected on their leadership experiences, improved organizational habits, and networking skills.

“I’m so proud of these students because they represent the best of our university,” Faculty Instructor in the College of Business and IBP Program Administrator Rick Hasse said. He then shared more on the tenacity of these students and how they are more prepared for the “real world” than other business students after gaining this hands-on experience.

Listen to team Ausome Blends’ Chief Operations Officer Mai Anh Gorin share more about the program during a feature on Spectrum News 1 with Ariel Wesler.

Since 2011, the Integrated Business Program has raised $408,900 for local nonprofits. In the past 12 years since the establishment of the program, the College of Business has worked with 125 teams, 995 students, 134 charities, and collectively raised an inspiring $948,771.