Business Development Exchange Project – SOU & Universidad de Guanajuato

In April, SOREDI’s Jaymes Tadlock was invited to attend business plan presentations during a week of collaboration between Southern Oregon University and the Universidad de Guanajuato, Mexico. Alli French, executive director/founder for Talent Maker City, was also in attendance. These presentations were part of a business development project that focuses on multicultural business collaboration.

The 18-student exchange from both SOU and UG focused on creating business plans for local businesses. Three businesses were chosen in Guanajuato and three in our area where the students did onsite visits and then presented business plans for each business. The local businesses chosen were Irvine Robert Family Vineyards, Indigo Creek Outfitters and Northwest Pizza and Pasta.

The exchange between SOU and UG has been active since 1969 and is part of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas program, sponsored by the State Department, the U.S. Embassies, and the nonprofit organization Partners for the Americas. Check out the article for other unique reasons for this successful connection.

Quoted in the SOU website article, “This program is so valuable and unique,” said Dee Fretwell, the SOU business instructor who proposed the project along with UG business professor and SOU alumnus Martin Pantoja. “We push the boundaries of an exchange program, blending cultural experiences with hands-on business development for live, operating businesses. I’m not sure we as a society are even grasping how valuable this is to our students and businesses alike.”

SOU students are at UG in May to visit their three chosen businesses to develop a business plan and presentation in collaboration with the UG students.

Director for SOU’s Division of Business and lead faculty for this program, Vincent Smith, encouraged the students to embrace their differences to find solutions – “We are more alike than we are different, but it is our differences that will help us solve the most complex problems” 

Preparing the emerging workforce with hands-on readiness skills is a strength in Southern Oregon. Collaboration and problem solving among local educational and support organizations is front line to building a strong future economy.