CSM Creates New Institute for Entrepreneurs
Luginbill named director
Recognizing the need to nurture the entrepreneurs and innovators in the region, the College of Southern Maryland has formed the Entrepreneur and Innovation Institute, and has announced Thomas Luginbill as its director.
EII will complement the business programs already offered at the college through the Small Business Development Center and the network of institutes at CSM that are designed to help the college build relationships with community businesses and organizations.
Luginbill is an excellent fit as director because he knows firsthand what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. He spearheaded the creation of a campus organization when he was an undergraduate, helped start a family-run contracting business then co-created a start-up technology venture while studying for an MBA.
“CSM believes that by encouraging entrepreneurship in the region, we can spark real change, by helping to create and grow business and spur the economy,” said CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried. “The college has always recognized the importance of formal education, but we also believe in reaching far beyond the classroom to a broader Southern Maryland community. The Entrepreneur and Innovation Institute will allow the college to continue to expand this mission. Thomas Luginbill is the perfect person to lead the institute as he combines a wealth of experience with an infectious enthusiasm to help others.”
Luginbill also will be a member of the college’s business faculty.
He said he is both excited and grateful to join the college as it kicks off this new institute. “The college recognizes the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation and what they can mean for the Southern Maryland economy. We hope to create an environment to help students interested in starting and growing businesses and to provide direct support and resources to businesses and innovators in the area. The institute’s goal is to bring together talented, passionate and motivated people to promote new and innovative business ventures and promote all forms of entrepreneurship and innovation,” he said.
While he was attending the University of Delaware, Luginbill said he saw an opportunity to create “something that would live well beyond his time at the university.” He founded a Sigma Pi chapter at the university, which he said was “like a boot-camp” in building and running a business. After he graduated from UD in 2009, he helped launch Solair Systems, a family-run and Maryland-based contracting firm specializing in green energy.
He then enrolled at the University of Maryland to study for his MBA at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.
While at UMD, he learned about a campus pilot program called iCorps that matched business students with inventors to identify viable products that could be sold commercially. He teamed up with an inventor, a Naval Research Laboratory scientist who was developing anti-decontaminating materials made from chitosan, a biopolymer made with treated recycled crab shells. He said he gathered his energy, his resources and his community relationships and launched Grey Matter, a technology firm that specializes in smart fabrics. Luginbill applied everything he was learning in his MBA courses to develop a business plan. With $75,000 in federal grants, he secured workspace and went on to license two patents for the personal protective equipment. It took several years of commitment, he said, to get the business started. Today, the company continues to work on the technology with the US Navy.
EII will work with its SBDC partners, state and local government, and the private sector to bring business expertise together in one place.
Plans for the institute include offering facilities where partners can come together; providing networking links; creating mentoring programs and more. The college has launched a Small Business Entrepreneurship Certificate and Letter of Recognition. This new program will involve 20 credit hours of college work.
The institute was created with a donation from Michael and Liz Chiaramonte and the Chiaramonte Family Foundation. Other supporters of the institute include the local chambers of commerce, Southern Maryland Innovation & Technology, Energetics Technology Center, SBDC, Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland and Maryland Technology Development Corporation.
The EII has been built for sustainability, so an endowment fund has been established. The institute is also looking for partners, mentors, advisers, donors and advocates.
Those interested are invited to join CSM for the SBDC’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Summit on Sept. 8. To register for the Sept. 8 summit, visit here or call 301-934-7583.
For more information on the institute, visit here.
For more about the College of Southern Maryland, visit their Leader member page.
