entrepreneurship

VICTORIA PAPPAS BLUDORN ’07

Operations Manager, Bludorn Restaurant / Pappas Restaurants

victoria@bludornrestaurant.com

BA, Business Marketing (Art History minor), University of Georgia

Grand Diploma, Culinary Arts, French Culinary Institute

“In the restaurant business, each day is different! During the day at Bludorn, cooks and servers are setting up for a successful evening. In the background, I’m working on upcoming events, having operations meetings, discussing PR strategy, rolling out new menu items, updating our benefits package, to name a few things going on behind the scenes. The thrilling part is dreaming up something fun and tasty and seeing it executed and enjoyed by guests.”

WELLS CHILDRESS ’09

Co-Founder, Mode Maison

wells@childress79.com

BA, Psychology, Columbia University

Prior Employer: Wells Fargo (Investment Banking Analyst)

“My day-to-day consists of the following: business development – bringing in new clients/partnerships and research and development to keep a cutting-edge product offering; operations – bringing in high quality talent and making sure we run a lean and scalable organization; fundraising and investor relations – pitching investors, networking, and negotiating.”

CATHERINE FRANK ’12

Owner & Lead Designer, CE Paperie

catherine.e.frank@gmail.com

BA, University of Texas

Prior Employer: Houston Independent School District

“As a stationery designer, primarily working in the wedding industry, my typical day consists of meeting with clients and creating custom designs. I work in different mediums including graphic design and watercolor painting. Many hours are also dedicated to administrative tasks such as invoicing, writing cost estimates, placing orders, and communicating with my production team.”

BEN THOMAS ’13

Founder & CEO, Nutiliti

benji@nutiliti.com

BBA, Finance, Baylor University

Prior Employers: Morgan Stanley Energy Partners Wells Fargo Investment Banking

“At a startup, every day looks different, but sometimes there is some structure. I try to spend time with each of our heads (CTO, COO, and CPO) and see where we are on product development, operations, and growth. After that, I’ll engage with any investors who have reached out that week and put together various analyses. My main job is to recruit talented folks and delegate well. That enables me to focus on long-term vision and continue to build our company culture.”

RUDY WRABEL ’03

Vice President/Owner, At Your Side Home Care

rudywrabel@gmail.com

BS, Business Administration (Entrepreneurship emphasis), University of Southern California

Prior Employers: Kayne Anderson Private Investors Big Red Print Solutions Jersey Mike’s Subs

“Day in the life involves working with our team to serve seniors and their families. We provide caregivers to work with seniors one-on-one wherever they call home to help them safely get through their day.”