Life in the Fast Lane

From riding and restoring classic motorcycles, training for triathlons and long boarding around the campus of Utah State University, Josh Kerkmann is more of a risk taker with an adventurous sprit than a rebel without a cause.

Oh yeah, he’s also vice president of his own start-up company.

Kerkmann is a junior in the College of Business, majoring in international business and taking 17 credits this semester. Between classes, meetings and pitching his product to clients, he stays pretty busy.

Kerkmann’s company, Lottery Solutions LLC, markets automated lottery software to schools, corporations and sporting events. Kerkmann partnered with fellow USU student Joseph Irvine, a freshmen majoring in computer science, to create a business to market Irvine’s unique computer program.

The program automatically runs any type of lottery for an organization that has more requests than available places. The program selects students for admission and has been purchased by charter schools across the country.

The team is also developing plans to work with major sporting events such as the Union of European Football Associations in Switzerland to help the organization decide who receives tickets.

“Becoming an entrepreneur has been such an exciting and involved process,” Kerkmann said. “It is like a case study that combines all of the classes from my experience in the College of Business. I am able to apply the skills and knowledge from all of my classes at Utah State and implement them in this business.”

Kerkmann has been working with Utah State’s office of technology commercialization to patent and register his products. He also researches potential customers such as the Space Share Foundation. He is in the process of creating a marketing proposal to demonstrate how Lottery Solutions can help the foundation select a person for space flight.

“Starting my own business has been a real challenge and adventure,” Kerkmann said. “With my business I am responsible for everything from accounting to marketing. I’ve had to draw upon all of my business classes, contacts and mentors to make this venture work.”

As a College of Business ambassador, Kerkmann has met business leaders who helped him develop his company and given him professional advice. He hosted Tom Stockham, acting CEO of the online trading company 3point5, at a Dean’s Convocation seminar. From that contact, a relationship was created that resulted in several email exchanges. Stockham provided advice and suggestions about Kerkmann’s business.

“As a business ambassador, I’ve learned a lot about business in the real world from the high-profile executives the College of Business brought in, including Kem Gardner and Ken Wooley,” Kerkmann said. “It’s nice to be able to talk with these professionals one-on-one and apply their advice to my own business.”

In addition to his coursework, hobbies, start-up company and student government positions in the College of Business, Kerkmann is participating in a five-week study abroad program to South America to assist small business owners with a micro loan program. He also plans to travel to Paris, Brussels, London, New York and Washington, D.C. as a part of the college’s Junior Year Experience program.

“Josh is an exceptional business student, said Chris Fawson, professor of economics. “ He has excelled in leadership, coursework and applying the principals we teach in the College of Business to his own entrepreneurial efforts. I am sure he will be a tremendous success in all of his endeavors.”

Whether riding motorcycles, starting his own business or traveling the globe, Kerkmann is a College of Business student who says he’s always looking to take a risk and learn something new.