From chemistry graduate to maple syrup entrepreneur, Thiel alumnus earns Haller award

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College graduate and sixth-generation maple farmer Nate Bissell ’02, owner of Bissell Maple Farm in Jefferson, Ohio, will receive the College’s Haller Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Bissell will be honored during the Entrepreneur of the Year Award Dinner and Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center.

When Bissell became involved in his family's maple syrup operation, the business was collecting sap in just 50 buckets, according to his father, Dave Bissell. Today, the sixth-generation maple producer operates a 40,000-square-foot production facility with what the company describes as Ohio's only automated maple syrup bottling line. Bissell Maple Farm supplies retailers, restaurants and bulk buyers while working with regional maple producers to meet growing demand.

The company has also expanded beyond traditional maple syrup with specialty products, including bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup and Nate's Hot Maple, combining generations of family tradition with modern production technology and product innovation.

Bissell graduated from Thiel College in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He earned a second degree in business from Youngstown State University.

Bissell’s classmate, Thiel College Vice President for Enrollment, Student Life and Athletics Mike McKinney, Ed.D. ’02, will introduce him at the ceremony.

Bissell has maintained a connection to Thiel. He returned in 2021 as the featured speaker for the Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar, speaking with students about risks, failures and lessons learned while building a business. During his talk, he encouraged students to pursue work that does not feel like work, recognize talent that may not always be obvious on paper and not let “what if” become a reason for avoiding an opportunity.

While at Thiel, Bissell played football for the Tomcats and demonstrated entrepreneurial instincts by helping finance his education through the sale of lawnmowers.

About the Haller Institute

In 1996, Henry E. H’97 and Grace Mary Haller, of Pittsburgh, provided Thiel College with generous financial support resulting in the renaming of the Thiel Business Institute as the Haller Enterprise Institute. Their $1 million gift was earmarked for the development of entrepreneurial education, a discipline for which the College has become increasingly well-known.

In 1997, Thiel awarded Henry Haller an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In 1998, Grace Mary passed away. Henry passed away in March 2012, and Linda Haller H’13 currently serves on the Haller Enterprise Institute’s Advisory Board.

Related Links

• Arthur McGonigal Department of Business Administration and Accounting
• Haller Enterprise Institute
• About the Hallers
• Centers of Excellence
• Bissell Maple Farm

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