Students in the Entrepreneurship and International Business Organization gain real-world experience

North Central College students are becoming entrepreneurs by developing business projects to fund their organization—all while gaining real-world experience. Entrepreneurship and International Business Organization (EIBO) aims to better familiarize students of all areas of study with international business and current market opportunities. EIBO is unique because it is completely self-funded.  

To raise funds, students in EIBO are bottling and selling olive oil. Robert Moussetis, professor of international business and advisor of EIBO, began the club’s connection with an olive farm in Greece about three years ago. The olives are harvested directly from the trees and turned into oil without any processing. The olive oil is then shipped to Naperville in large containers and EIBO members bottle the oil in glass sent from a manufacturer in Seattle.

Students hold sales on and off campus, selling the $10, 8.5 fl. oz. bottles at churches, supermarkets and campus events. They are also in the process of getting the olive oil approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration so it can be sold on the shelves of local grocery stores.

A diverse team of students keeps the olive oil project in motion, and all involved are grateful for the chance to experience parallel challenges and successes to those of actual business endeavors. “It is real-world applicable without all of the real-world pressure,” says EIBO president Samantha Luscher ’17, a triple major in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship and small business management. Moussetis adds that “projects like this develop results-oriented leadership skills. Those who engage actively over a long period of time acquire skills that can impress employers.”

EIBO has no intention of ending the olive oil project anytime soon. “It has been our most successful project,” says Connor McGury ’18, vice president of EIBO and international business major. “We will keep it as a main source of funding, and that will allow us to branch out to start other smaller projects.”

Both McGury and Luscher are formulating a Richter Grant proposal to visit Greece in December 2016 to interview the olive farmers and see the process of creating olive oil firsthand. “We are really excited about it,” Luscher says. “We will be able to trace exactly where the olive oil comes from.”

For more information on EIBO or to get involved, contact Luscher at slluscher@noctrl.edu, McGury at crmcgury@noctrl.edu, or Moussetis at rcmoussetis@noctrl.edu. All areas of study are welcome to join. You can also find EIBO on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

By Devan Conness ’16