Business Guild brings together Orediggers with an interest in enterprise
The stereotype of a person interested in business might bring to mind images of sharp suits and briefcases, but the Montana Tech Business Guild has a more jovial take on the subject.
“We have fun. It’s not all work, no play,” former Business Guild Vice President Quinn Cassidy said. Cassidy graduated in December and now serves in an advisory position as he works for Montana Tech as a residence life coordinator. He was replaced as vice president by Carlie Spear.
In Fall 2023, Business Guild took a field trip to a Montana Ambassadors event where business owners pitched their company to try to get funding from investors.
“It was business presentations, and we got to see how these businesses presented themselves,” Cassidy said. “If we are creating a business, we must do the same thing. It is student-led, so we decide what to do, and exposing more people to business ideas and experiences is important to us.”
The Business Guild meets on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in SAP Lab in Engineering 102. While all members are interested in business, not all are business majors.
“We collaborated with the Baja Club in helping them create a business plan for their competition last year,” Cassidy said. “They scored in the Top 20 out of more than 200 teams. In the past years, they weren’t even close to that.”
Connor Heggem is president of the Business Guild. He’s a business and information technology major from Butte, pursuing a dual option in accounting and management.
“We try to recruit people with other majors because there are a lot of majors on campus that want and need business experience,” Connor said.
His twin brother Clatyon Heggem is also a business and information technology major pursuing a dual option in accounting and management. Clayton is the treasurer for the club.
“We really want to help students with business-related needs,” Clayton said. “We do consult with students interested in starting their own business, and give them people they can reach out to additional resources.”
Club members also participate in the SAP ERPsim competition. The ERPsim is a business simulation game, where teams use SAP software to manage a virtual company in a fast-paced, competitive marketplace, where business decisions are based on data analytics. This simulates the competitive market students will face once they launch careers after graduation from Montana Tech. Montana Tech and 16,000 universities worldwide belong to the SAP University Alliance. SAP is the world’s largest provider of ERP systems; SAP customers generate 87% of total global commerce ($46 trillion). Montana Tech is one of only 13 U.S. universities with an SAP Next-Gen Lab. It offers students access to several System Applications and Products in Data Processing (SAP) proprietary software programs that perform data analytics and export graphics that give business professionals easily digestible information to make decision easier. Last year, the team placed third in the North American qualifier and competed in the international competition. The team plans to compete again this spring.
Spring semester is usually heavy on speaking events, while the fall is full of activities like the Bed Races, homecoming mural activities, and more. Students only need to be able to participate in some meetings to take part. Some members participate only in specific project collaborations or events relevant to their interests and needs.
Club success in the past few years has club officers looking to the future- even though they are preparing to walk from the graduation stage this year.
“Our goal is to get students involved and bring exposure to everything that sets students apart,” Cassidy said.