Thiel Happenings

Asher Patton ’24 and Jade Rhoads ’23 were recognized by the Thiel Learning Commons as the Extraordinary Effort award winners for September.

Faculty and staff members attend first TNT of the year

The first Thiel News Time of the academic year was held Wednesday.

The presentation included a Homecoming recap, introduction of new employees and updates regarding the strategic plan and health and wellness recommendations for the year.

Remaining Fall TNTs

• Tuesday, October 25 at 11 a.m., Rissell-Beeghly Gymnasia
• Tuesday, November 29 at 11 a.m., Sawhill Georgian Room, Howard Miller Student Center

Application for Tomcat Way Mini-Grants open

The application deadline for Tomcat Way Mini-Grants is Monday, October 3.

• Read more details and apply.

Tomcat Way Mini-Grants will award funds between $500-$1500 for projects that advance the Tomcat Way.

For more information, contact Sheila Nowinski, Ph.D.

Relive the excitement of Homecoming

Thousands of alumni and friends took part in events on campus and around the world during last weekend’s Homecoming. Take a look back some of the moments from the weekend captured in photos.

• Homecoming 2022 Photo Album

Equestrians selling donuts on Tuesday

The Thiel Equestrians will be selling Amish donuts in front of the post office on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

For more information, contact Jenna Malnar.

Student News

Giovengo and Retton share their entrepreneurial insights with peers

Devyn Giovengo ’23 and John Retton ’22 were the featured speakers at the September 21 Entrepreneurship Seminar. Giovengo and Retton are both four-year Haller Enterprise Institute scholarship recipients and have earned Certificates in Entrepreneurship.

“This Wednesday we had two speakers: John Retton and Devyn Giovengo. John graduated this past May, and Devyn will graduate this December. Last spring, the two of them both earned the Student Entrepreneur of the Year award. They both own their own businesses and managed them while still in school. I am a little envious of both men for being so successful and driven at their age, it is quite motivating to better myself and my entrepreneurial skillset. John owns JJ’s Beautification Services and Devyn owns Visions Attire and Gio Made It, where he works with both.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“They both are an inspiration to all aspiring young entrepreneurs working on their dream and a college degree at the same time. How they balance their schedule I do not know, but their success at it is commendable.” Trey Wilt ’23

Comments related to Devyn Giovengo

• “But he learned his hard work ethic from his parents as a kid and this is also where he learned that he didn’t want to work for anyone else. Devyn started his first type of business during sixth grade by buying shoes online and then fixing them up and reselling them.” Matt Castles ’23
• “In the 11th grade, Devyn and his friends made a huge leap that being to form Visions Attire a clothing company. His first release of clothes sold out within a few days. Additionally, he founded his own company called Gio Made It. This company sells clothes and produces music videos. He has been very successful in his music endeavor, and he plans to move to North Carolina with his friends in a few months in order to continue to pursue his music endeavors.” Tyler Zer ’23
  
• “In 11th grade, he met his business partner and started selling shirts. Before high school ended, one celebrity wore his company’s clothes. He reached out to that celebrity’s manager and began to collaborate with a lot more artists.” Siwon Lee ’23
• “He stands out as an entrepreneur who ‘wears many hats.’ He is a skilled graphic designer, video producer, and fashion designer. He owns and co-owns many businesses related to these skills.” Ava Kavulla ’25
• “Last month, he opened a pop-up store and is expanding his business.” Areumsongi Shin ’23
• “All of his businesses flow together even though individually they are separate entities, which supply different products. He offers a multitude of services allowing his business to reach a wider audience, while also running businesses that are all likely to appeal to each individual customer.” Trey Wilt ’23
  

Comments related to John Retton

• “John got into the landscaping business when he received a gifted lawnmower at just eight years old. John’s grandfather helped service the lawnmower which would be the start of John’s business, JJ’s Beautification Service.” Kaleb Achuff ’24
• “He faced some struggles while operating his business. First, it was hard to find employees and manage payrolls accurately.” Chaeeun Lee ’23
  
• “John told the class that he would work on estimates and quotes during class. A lot of his work had to be done in person, so his brother would take over for him during the school year.” Ashley Wolford ’23
  
• “He has about 15 employees right now and they are mostly high school students. He said that finding workers has been difficult. He also said payroll is something he has to heavily consider when budgeting because he pays every other week.” Jakob Misencik ’23
  
• “It's amazing that he gave up his favorite hobby, baseball, to expand his business and focus on his work.” Jisu Kim ’23
  
• “John now has 15 employees and has 125 yards that need a basic mow every week. That number does not include the other aspects of his business, such as the mulching or landscaping.” Ashley Wolford ’23
  
• “He continues to say ‘yes’ to any job someone asks him to do, teaching himself through YouTube videos. This all shows us how important work ethic is to succeed in business. His confidence in himself to be able to learn whatever skill is required and do it well enough for the customer to have a positive attitude towards his company is the driving factor in his success.” Trey Wilt ’23
  

Lessons Learned

• “Don’t trust management groups, do your own thing.” Tyler Zere ’23
• “Find your niche in this world to make money.” Ian Yahner ’23
• “Invest time and energy into yourself, not just the business.” Ashley Wolford ’23
• “There may be many late nights, but in the end it will be worth it.” Justina Jenkins ’23
• “Budgeting is one of the most important facts of owning a business.” Hayley Phillips ’23
• “Have a backup plan.” Jakob Misencik ’23
• “That I should invest in myself and pursue my dream.” Chaeeun Lee ’23
• “Devyn wanted the class to understand that while mistakes will happen, to learn from them instead of trying to avoid and control them.” Hayley Phillips ’23
• “Always address problems right away, to keep a good reputation” Kaleb Achuff ’24
• “The things you learn at Thiel are practical in the real-world.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23
• “If you have a bad feeling about something, go with your gut and trust yourself. Scammers are a real thing!” Nevaeh Arnold ’23
• “From Mr. Giovengo: “Always make sure the specifics of your business partnerships are put on paper. It is important to watermark and protect your work.” Ava Kavulla ’25
• “Learn from those around you and take odd jobs to get the experience.” Justina Jenkins ’23
• “Invest in yourself. If you have a dream, go pursue it.” Kaleb Achuff ’24
• “Failures will teach you more than money can buy.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23
• “Put everything on paper.” Sydney Hipps ’23
• “They both spoke on the importance of not wasting any time and starting as soon as possible which they both have success stories from.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23
• “Gio told the class to not stress over the small things, if you keep up and stay on top of your work then you have plenty of free time to do the things you want.” Ashley Wolford ’23

Dinner “Dishing”

• “The menu was masterfully planned by Trey Wilt. I genuinely enjoyed getting to visit with the people at my table. We had an inspiring conversation about how one’s life journey leads to unexpected and wonderful paths.” Ava Kavulla ’25
• “Dinner was great. I was fortunate enough to sit with Devyn who was one of the speakers. He made great conversation. He shared a lot of information about his brand and what he does.” Tyler Zere ’23
  
• “I was placed with one of the speakers, John Retton. The table discussed classes here at Thiel that helped John learn for his specific business and some of the classes that he may have missed out on. Dinner itself was lovely and I really enjoyed the twist on the salad and the entrée was delicious. Overall, my favorite part of the dinner was the dessert as the Crème Brulé was a surprise after the type of dinner we were served.” Hayley Phillips ’23

Etc.

Tomcat Tributes

Tomcat Tributes recognize the teamwork Thiel College employees exhibit each day. Employees can nominate co-workers for recognition in four categories (Random Act of Kindness, Going the Extra Mile, Had a Great Idea, Just Because).

• To nominate a fellow employee, visit the Campus Resources link on the Thiel Hub.

Going the Extra Mile

Nominee: Collette DiAngi
Nominator: Nancy Katz
Comment: “Thanks to Collette's kind act of placing a work order on my behalf and Maintenance's immediate response, I am basking in warmth as I sit at my desk. My tootsies are so grateful!”

Publishing Schedule

T-Notes has returned to its weekly publishing schedule. It arrives Wednesday afternoons. The next edition will be out October 5. Send your event or news to tnotes@thiel.edu by noon Monday, October 3 to be published in that week’s edition.