Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship

 

Arnold Center for
Entrepreneurship

 

Top Emerging Program in the Country

SFA's undergraduate entrepreneurship program and the Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship were collectively named one of the top three emerging entrepreneurship programs in the nation by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Read the full press release.

Earn your entrepreneurship BBA

Inspires and nurtures entrepreneurship across campus and the community

The Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship offers collaboration among a variety of academic disciplines and new avenues for partnership with businesses and industry throughout the state. Services to the community are provided by SFA students under the direction of faculty members and ACE staff.

Student presenting their pitch

ACE helps SFA students develop the skills to create successful businesses of their own while also assisting East Texans and SFA alumni in building and sustaining their businesses.

The center supports SFA students by providing mentoring, scholarships and internships; offering travel to competitions and field trips; supporting SFA's Society for Entrepreneurial Advancement; and funding the campuswide annual "Shark Tank"-style Lumberjack Entrepreneurship Competition.

Located within the McGee Business Building, ACE is managed in cooperation with entrepreneurship program faculty members in SFA's Department of Management and Marketing.

Events & Networking

Great opportunities for local start-ups, entrepreneurs and students with big ideas.

Piney Woods Entrepreneurship Network

This network brings together community members, small business owners, entrepreneurs and SFA students in an informal setting to learn from each other and promote new venture creation and growth inside and outside SFA.

Mark your calendar and plan to join us 5:30 to 7 p.m.!

  • Aug. 29: Nine Flags Bar
  • Sept. 25: Fredonia Brewery
  • Oct. 24: Roma's Italian Kitchen
  • Nov. 21: MadHatter's Distillery (tentative)
  • Dec. 18: Red House Winery

Open to all SFA Students

These opportunities are open to all SFA students, without regard to major.

Lumberjack Entrepreneurship Competition

Pitch your great idea at this annual "Shark Tank"-style competition for a chance to earn up to $10,000 in cash! Open to all majors.

View details on spring competition

Pop-Up Pitch Competitions

These competitions occur throughout the fall semester and are open to all majors. Pitch your idea in 30 seconds and you could win up to $2,000.

View details on pop-up pitch fall competitions

Society for Entrepreneurial Advancement

This student organization helps you collaborate with peers and builds entrepreneurial spirit across campus.

Request more information

Workshops and Panels

ACE partners, cultivates and presents various workshops and panel discussions on a wide range of topics.

Workshops & Panels

Services for Small Businesses

We assist small businesses with loan proposals, marketing, retailing, advertising, budgeting, business planning and personnel management. 

Small Business Resource Hub

Send us your contact details and we'll get back to you about how we can work together.

Greg Arnold
Greg Arnold '87

"Helping create the [Arnold] Center for Entrepreneurship at SFA benefits students, businesses and many Texans. The like-minded nature and collaboration that can grow out of a place with the right resources will be compounded to those learned in the traditional classroom." - Greg Arnold '87

About Greg Arnold

Greg Arnold, CEO of TAC - The Arnold Companies, received a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from SFA in 1987.

TAC - The Arnold Companies is a multi-business company built on a foundation of wholesale petroleum distribution and aviation services. It consisted of nearly 1,000 employees under the names TACenergy, TAC Air and TAC Private Hangars until July 1, 2022, when the aviation companies were acquired by Signature Flight Support, the world’s largest network of fixed-based operators. After more than 30 years with TAC, Arnold continues to lead company growth with 150 employees in 13 U.S. offices featuring TACenergy LLC and several private investment entities.

Outside TAC, Arnold serves as vice chair of the All Stars Project of Dallas, which provides corporate business learning to area students through the Dallas Development School for Youth program. He also partnered with Food Glorious Food catering to provide nearly 5,000 meals to environmental services workers at Children’s Medical Center in Plano and Dallas during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Arnold has served on the boards of the National Petroleum Council, National Air Transportation Association, National Business Aviation Association and higher education institutions in North Texas. He also has provided long-term support to Carry The Load, a nonprofit organization that assists service members, veterans, first responders and their families.

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