Just a few years ago, two Missouri S&T students noticed something was missing on campus: a club for students of all majors to explore entrepreneurship. 

Now, it exists — thanks to co-founders Braxton Schmedeke, a senior in engineering management and Parsa Hajiha, a junior in computer science. They founded S&T’s Entrepreneurial Student Society (ESS) in 2022. 

Growing up in Morrisonville, Illinois, Schmedeke loved building and learning how things worked, which sparked his interest in engineering. When he attended an S&T Miner Immersion tour, he learned about engineering management and how that program promotes entrepreneurship. 

“My dad owns a small business,” he says. “I’d like to run one, too. When I think of a business idea, I write it down in a journal or in my notes on my phone. Out of all those ideas, there is one I would like to pursue.” 

Schmedeke’s favorite business idea is to own an engineering consultant firm for small manufacturing facilities, since he’s noticed similar issues within local companies. Now with leadership experience and networking through ESS, he feels confident about achieving that dream one day. 

“This group is going to help me because of all the connections I have made,” Schmedeke says. “I can reach out to any member and say, ‘Do you want to help me do this?’ And they would say absolutely.” 

Schmedeke will be moving to Iowa in June for a job with Collins Aerospace as a systems engineer while earning a master’s degree in systems engineering from S&T online. He hopes to start his business idea soon after. Schmedeke is also the vice president for the American Society for Engineering Management and is in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. 

Hajiha is originally from Tehran, Iran, and moved to St. Louis during his first year of high school. His short-term goal is to become a software engineer. Hajiha is also involved in the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity as secretary and will complete an internship as a technology intern with Wells Fargo this summer. 

In high school, Hajiha made his first phone app as a side project for his computer science class. One of Hajiha’s business ideas is to create an app that would help tenants, and their landlords communicate more efficiently.  

“Computer science is something that I really like. I don’t think I could have done anything else,” Hajiha says. “Long term, I want to start my own company and create innovative applications that make a real difference in people’s lives. Being part of ESS has helped me take big steps toward that goal. Leading the organization and working on collaborative projects has taught me how to manage teams, solve problems creatively and turn ideas into action. Those are exactly the kind of skills I’ll need as an entrepreneur.” 

When Hajiha and Schmedeke met, they realized other students in various majors needed a club to explore entrepreneurship and learn leadership skills. 

“A year and a half ago, I wasn’t in a leadership position, let alone president of an organization,” Hajiha said. “Now, I’m a completely different leader.” 

Helping local businesses: Gem Genesis 

At the start of the club, Hajiha and Schmedeke had to think of a clear path for what ESS should do on a weekly basis. They came up with “Gem Genesis,” a framework for members of the group to help local businesses on various projects. 

“The idea behind it is to throw students on specific projects in an industry they are interested in,” Schmedeke says. “When they work on those projects, they’re going to get connections with those people and possibly catch on to a pattern. More than likely, the problem that the student is trying to solve for the business is the same problem other businesses are having in the industry. Congratulations, you just found your business idea. The best part is you have your first few clients.” 

To begin, the club contacted Stevie Kearse, executive director of the Rolla Chamber of Commerce, to ask what business could benefit from this organization. Kearse loved the idea and contacted several businesses in the Rolla area. 

“We probably got 15 emails within three days,” Schmedeke says. “We knew we hit the jackpot.” 

After that, Schmedeke started assigning the project ideas to members who were interested. 

“My job was saying, ‘Okay, this is what the business owner wants, this is the timeline, and this is their budget and what the project looks like,” Schmedeke says. “Then I would present it to the group, then the executive board elects a project manager, gauges members’ interest and then assigns teams.” 

ESS has worked with businesses and organizations such as Manchester Packaging, Town and Country Bank, Kaleidoscope and Horses Healing Hearts for projects such as floor redesign, financial literacy, employee handbooks and inventory systems. 

They said creating an affordable product tracking system for Manchester Packaging has been their most successful project.  

The company shared an issue of losing pallets every time their employees switched shifts, causing delays in shipment times. They wanted to get a high-tech system to track pallets, but Schmedeke knew that would be costly, along with other logistical issues. They decided on a simple, low-cost tracking system using QR code scanning. 

“When a package is moved, the employee scans its code and then scans another code showing the location, like the building and row,” Schmedeke says. “The software then updates the item’s location. It’s pretty much free and is already working well for the company.” 

Manchester Packaging even gave ESS a donation to the organization as a thank you. 

“It taught me how to make production-ready software that an actual factory uses. If they ever have any questions, they know who to reach out to,” says Hajiha, who was the project manager. “Gem Genesis really helps the community, because we don’t charge anything. This is basically an internship that you don’t have to apply for and you’re working with actual companies on real-world projects.” 

Collaborating with the Kummer College 

Hajiha says one of the main goals of ESS is to work closely with the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development. The club’s advisor is Dr. Jim Sterling, founding dean of the Kummer College. 

“I think that it’s important that we’re in contact with the Kummer College a lot and maintain a good relationship,” Hajiha says. “They have a strong focus on business and entrepreneurship, which aligns closely with our goals.” 

Sterling recently invited ESS to attend the St. Louis Inno event that highlights innovation, entrepreneurs, startups and technology developments. It is hosted by the St. Louis Business Journal.  

“It was amazing,” Schmedeke says. “A few of our executive members went to that, and it was a great networking experience for us.”  

The future of ESS 

Hajiha and Schmedeke hope to add more members to the club and expand soon in order to take on bigger projects and host industry and alumni speakers. 

“Then maybe in the future, we could have other universities develop their own ESS chapters with the same framework,” Hajiha says. “We could implement that starting in Missouri and go to other states as well.” 

Hajiha said students at S&T should consider joining, no matter their current experience. 

“Everybody’s free to join,” Hajiha says. “If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, you meet individuals who, maybe in the future, you could reach out to and start a business with.” 

For more information, go to the ESS website, or attend the weekly meetings at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays in Room 212 of the Innovation Lab. 

About Missouri S&T  

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit  www.mst.edu.