By Sevanny Campos / Delta Managing Editor

Personal branding was the common topic discussed at the 13th annual Maastricht Institute at Missouri Valley College.

Once a year during the spring semester entrepreneurs from Missouri and around the world, occupy the podium in the bacon room at the Malcolm Center.

For three days these entrepreneurs shared their experiences and successes with students.

“It was my first time going and I loved it. The speakers were fantastic and I learned a lot. It was important to have this chance to listen to these people who are already successful, and how they did it,” Jacie Wilison, Non-profit major said.

This year the institute featured speakers from several different types of business. From hotel chains and the United States Tennis Association, the speakers were very diverse and each had a different path to success.
One person in particular who had an impact on the attendee’s of institute, was Shane Hall.

“It was so cool to see that the school has grown so much, Tiffany Bergman, Coach Macholz and some of the mentors I had are still there, it is great to see that the culture is still there,” Hall said.

Hall is an alumni of Missouri Valley College she graduated in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in history.

“My message to the students is, focusing on yourself culture and yourself vision is the fastest way to impact others, exceptionally and to have an exceptional life,” Hall said.

Since his time at Missouri Valley he became the regional manager at AMP Smart which specializes in effective yet unconventional business practices.
Because his business is unconventional this has allowed Hall to travel the world and quite literally hold board meetings on a surfboard.

While in years prior, the speakers spoke of the challenges and hardships of starting a business this year’s message was quite different. For professor of history Tiffany Bergman this years speakers were volumes different from past years.

“This year we saw some agricultural presenters, which I loved because, we often forgetting that in agriculture there are several entrepreneur activities,” Bergman said “Local farming is adjusting to the current generation.”

The Maastricht Institute started in 2006, and its purpose is to promote entrepreneurship, good business practices, and learning to the students in attendance.

This year’s institute hosted ten speakers, with question and answer sessions following the speaker’s presentation.

To learn more about the Maastricht Institute head to the moval.edu to read about the speakers at the event.