Thiel Happenings

Thiel College appoints Greg Q. Butcher Vice President for Academic Affairs

Thiel College announces that Greg Q. Butcher, Ph.D. has been named Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College today.

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Thiel College Strategic Management class makes presentation to Gatehouse Winery

The Thiel College strategic management class developed a strategic plan for Alan Endicott and Shaun Endicott of Gatehouse Winery, located in Jamestown, Pennsylvania, that was presented to the Endicotts on December 5.

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Thiel College History Professor presents research at two historical conferences

Thiel College Assistant Professor of History Jay Donis, Ph.D. recently presented at the Pennsylvania Historical Association meeting and the Omohundro Institute’s annual conference in October, 2022.

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New password reset and recovery procedures

There is a new password reset and recovery procedure. The attached instructions explain how you can register a secondary (non-Thiel) email address in the event that you have completely forgotten your login password.

• Password Reset Instruction Guide.

For more information, contact Philip Swartwood.

Student News

Mott shares insights with the final Entrepreneurship Seminar of the semester

“Ms. Catherine Mott is the CEO and Founder of BlueTree Capital Group, LLC. She is currently on the Thiel College Board of Trustees and, in 2018, she was recognized as the Haller Enterprise Institute Entrepreneur of the Year.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23

“Before getting started with her company, Catherine was let go from her job at a bank and used her settlement package to travel and research her next step. This is how BlueTree got its start. BlueTree Capital Group is an investment company located in Pittsburgh which helps provide money to startup companies.” Sydney Hipps ’23

“I also didn’t know about all the different types of investment groups. Catherine said their investment strategy is usually high-risk/high-reward, and their success rate is usually about 50%.” Devyn Giovengo ’23

“Catherine has turned her angel investing firm into a powerhouse in the western-Pennsylvania region. Over the course of the last ten years, her firm has had a 19.1% rate of return on investments. That is a higher yield than the S&P 500.” Tyler Zere ’23

“She also explained about the term ‘angel investing’ by giving a historical background of it. The difference between angel capital and venture capital is that angel capital money comes from people while venture capital money comes from institutions. The term ‘venture capital’ was quite new for many people too, and she continued to explain what it is. It is financing startups and emerging growth companies and it is a long-term and patient capital.” Chaeeun Lee ’23

“Catherine explained to us the differences between types of angel investing as well as how the industry operates. I found the industry to be interesting to learn about as I was previously unaware of the processes involved.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23

“This is a long-term decision for everyone involved. It takes anywhere from five to 10, sometimes 15 years, before you are getting paid back.” Ashley Wolford ’23

“Before closing any deals, they must take a few things into consideration. They must look at the execution risk, financial, market, environmental, and competitive environment.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23

“When I asked what she looks for in a person before deciding to invest in them, she said she pays attention to their execution, financial situation, and environment they work in, as well as their competitors and the market they are in. She looks to see if they are a good leader as well as attracting other good leaders; if they are calm, cool, and collected; and if they manage people well.” Autumn Gourley ’24

“She had a very nice visual of a timeline of when a company will need angel capital and when they will need venture capital. Usually, starting out, a company will receive money from an angel investor to start their company and develop their product. Once a company is established and is looking to expand, they will need more money which is typically through venture capital.” Jakob Misencik ’23

“A memorable part of the presentation was when she had us participate in a ‘name that angel investor funded company’ game! During the game she expounded on the enterprise stories of Home Depot and Alcoa.” Ava Kavulla ’25

“This conversation also led to another question of how being a woman in the investing industry affects her. She stated that getting investors is hard. They see your gender and not you, but if you keep trying and show that you mean business, some will look past the fact that a woman is in the business.” Hayley Phillips ’23

Lessons Learned

• “Execution is the most important. You have to be able to manage people.” Nevaeh Arnold ’23
• “We invest in businesses, not ideas.”Ian Yahner ’24
• “Surround yourself with the right people to help you succeed.” Autumn Gourley ’24
• “Most new founders don't know what they don’t know.” Sydney Hipps ’23
• “It is important to be an initiated and aware business owner who handles problems immediately.” Ava Kavulla ’25
• “We can be coaches. We can be managers. We can serve on your board. We can guide your company and help you.” Jisu Kim ’23
• “You never get it right the first time. Continue to improve your product.” Siwon Lee ’23
• “Know your numbers.” Jakob Misencik ’23
• “Always keep your investors informed about the numbers.” Kaleb Achuff ’24
• “Be transparent with your investors, they do not like surprises, especially bad ones.” Justina Jenkins ’23
• “Get experience working with startups before investing in them.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23
• “Angel investors are good for the economy – no startups, no job creation.” Ashley Wolford ’23
• “Angel investing is high risk, high reward.” Tyler Zere ’23
• “Anyone can be an angel investor.” Brycen Dorfmeister ’23 

Dinner Dishing

• “This was the final dinner that concluded the course and I think this was by far one of the best dinners yet. The breading on the beef was deliciously flakey and the beef itself was cooked perfectly. The winter salad was a nice compliment to start off the dinner and the apple cake was the perfect way to end the delicious meal.” Justina Jenkins ’23
• “Dinner was fantastic: what a great way to end the semester! I sat next to President Traverso, which was a nice time as we got to hear a little about what she does on a normal day. Also, we talked about what it would be like to get a week off for Thanksgiving, which sparked some good conversation.”Matt Castles ’23
• “Dinner on Wednesday was clearly saved to be best for last. Professor Witosky was the dinner concierge, and he did a wonderful job putting it together. I had the pleasure of sitting with our speaker, Catherine Mott, as well as President Susan Traverso and my fellow classmates.” Autumn Gourley ’24
• “It was sad attending our last dinner, but looking back, all the dinners were phenomenal. I am definitely going to miss the dinners next semester.”Jakob Misencik ’23

Watch the Thiel Christmas Concert

The Thiel College music department performed its 69th annual Christmas Festival on Dec. 1.

• Watch the performance.

The Thiel Wind Ensemble, Thiel Choir and campus ministry performed in the Lutheran Heritage Room of the Howard Miller Student Center.

Late night breakfast kicks off finals

Employees and students got together for the annual finals week tradition of the late night breakfast on Monday evening.