\u201cWe have some longstanding relationships,\u201d says Knippen. \u201cEvery year we go to Green Bench (Brewing Company) and meet with one of the co-founders, Nathan Stonecipher, and they\u2019ve proven to be a great example as the first microbrewery in the St. Pete area. They had to go through all the zoning challenges that go with being the first. He is always very candid with the students about the challenges and changes and how they\u2019ve grown from year to year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel is also quick to point out that the Venture Creation students learn extensively from each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing around so many other business-minded students who have taken that leap as well, like I have, to actually start and manage a business, it was amazing,\u201d says Daniel. \u201cWe can bounce ideas off each other, talk about the struggles we\u2019re going through at times, and everybody kind of relates to each other in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nate Hilton, a sophomore marine science student from Bend, Oregon,\u00a0 partnered with Ben Goldberg, a junior management student from Potomac, Maryland, to develop Boozy Boys, a food truck concept for mixers blending ice cream and liquor. The idea isn\u2019t Hilton\u2019s or Goldberg\u2019s first foray into the food and beverage industry. Hilton co-founded Boba Bros, an on-campus boba tea shop, while Goldberg is a manager for Glizzy Guys, a late-night food truck that has operated on weekends for about five years.<\/p>\n