Each year, the Ole Miss business school selects one business or entrepreneur to recognize as the Farrington Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year. The winners are nominated by the community and selected by the Dean of the School of Business Administration, Ken Cyree. This year, Doug was given this recognition.
Located at 10 Conner Hall on the campus of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) is the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). The mission of the CIE, as part of the university’s business school, is to inspire students to create innovative businesses by providing them with the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to become successful entrepreneurs.
As a graduate of Ole Miss and an entrepreneur in his own right, Doug Wilson, CEO of Wilson Auto Group, is proud to do his part to help students in the CEI program. As a judge of the CIE Landshark Tank competition, Doug feels humbled and privileged to listen to each student’s pitch about their business idea and have the opportunity to award cash prizes for the students to invest in their budding businesses.
The stakes are high for these brilliant students as they need to show that their idea addresses a clearly defined pain point, solves that problem and that there is a clearly viable business within the idea — all of that in just a one-minute pitch! “These kids have some unbelievable ideas. There is one who started a security company, and some of them have started technology companies. The ideas are incredible! It’s fun for me and other judges to sit on the panel,” Doug said. “I’ve started several automotive-related businesses and a car dealership throughout my career. I know what it takes, and I’m happy to be able to give back in this way.”
The Ole Miss Business School experienced record enrollment this year, the highest in the school’s over 200-year history. And programs like CIE and Landshark Tank are gaining a national reputation for excellence in all the things that they’re doing. In fact, Entrepreneurship is now a major at Ole Miss. The professors guide students in writing business plans, obtaining patents on their ideas and connecting them with Angel Investors to fund their ideas.
Upon the presentation of the award, Doug said, “Thank you to Lawrence and Jan Farrington for their generous gifts to the Ole Miss Business School and for sponsoring this award. It’s been a pleasure to sit beside Jan as a judge on the student entrepreneurship competitions.”
In appreciation of Doug’s many contributions to the school, Glenn Boyce, Chancellor of Ole Miss, shared the following: “Congratulations on being awarded the Farrington Entrepreneur of the Year award, Doug. You are incredibly deserving, and I am certainly proud of our university for selecting you. I look forward to seeing you on campus soon.”
