The E Club is proud to support Luther College's student entrepreneurs. Today, more and more students are starting their own ventures—whether they are for-profit businesses or non-profit ventures. Our students are passionate, innovative and creative, and Luther College is the perfect place to launch new endeavors. These young entrepreneurs manage to maintain their full-time course loads and their active campus lives all while taking on the role of CEO in their own enterprise.

Featured Luther College Student Entrepreneurs

Emily Voss '13

E.V. Designs

Voss is the owner of E.V. Designs, based in Wausau, a photography studio she established in 2009 and an entrepreneurial business venture that helped her earn the Luther College 2008 Erdman Award. This is a competitive monetary award that honors Luther students who create, develop, and manage a successful entrepreneurial enterprise. 

Melissa Larson Schori '11

Larson is the founder of Birdcage Bridal, a wedding resale website where users can buy and sell new and gently used wedding items. The business was started to find a more environmentally-friendly alternative to the wedding planning process. The entrepreneurial venture gained national attention since its release in October 2010, having been featured in the Wall Street Journal's "Smart Money," MSN Money and the San Francisco Examiner.

Jamey Meyer '11

Meyer Farms

Meyer's entrepreneurial career began with Meyer Farms, a sustainable poultry business that provides an alternative to mass-produced chicken found in many grocery stores. Meyer Farms specializes in free-range chickens that are raised in outdoor portable pens and receive ample amounts of green grass, fresh air and sunlight. The chickens are all natural, receiving no growth hormones or antibiotics. 

Kiflu Tesfaye '11

Tesfaye received a Luther College 2011 Erdman Prize for his work in social entrepreneurship. He is a native of Ethiopia and studied for five years in Ghana before coming to Luther to major in management. His venture included developing an irrigation system on small farms in rural Ethiopia, establishing a farmers cooperative and building a barn for the cooperative so that the local farmers do not depend on seasonal rainfall alone. 

Sara Zanussi '10

Zanussi was awarded the Luther College 2009 Erdman Prize in Entrepreneurship. A music major, pianist, and recipient of a 2008 Weston Noble Entrepreneurship Scholarship, Zanussi was recognized for her business venture, Z’s Keys, through which she offers both accompaniment and lessons—including  piano lessons via the Internet using Skype.