Page 13 - CEGE Spring 2024

UMN offers multiple resources
In preparing for the competition, Balquist made use of multiple resources available throughout the University.
As a participant in CSE’s Mentor Program, he received valuable guidance from his CSE mentor, Armando Mitchell, who works a lot in business mergers and acquisitions. “It was great to get
feedback from someone less familiar
with wastewater but still involved in
the business pitch space. I also got
some help from the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship. John Stavig was really helpful in preparing me for the competition itself. Let me know what the judges would be looking for, what was most important.”
Balquist also credited a new course he took in CEGE, Storytelling for Engineers. “I definitely feel that taking the Storytelling for Engineers class helped me with this. After the competition, a woman who works with the Entrepreneur Center said that I did a really good job of crafting a pitch and a story about what I was doing and why I should be given money. It wasn’t just facts and figures. She said that makes the difference sometimes.”
He credits a Storytelling classmate with helping him home in on the idea of
hog breeders. “In giving feedback on
a class presentation about wastewater engineering, one of my classmates who works in agriculture said, ‘You brought that up rather offhandedly, but based on the farms I’ve been on, it seems like there would be a demand for that.’ So, I did some research, talked to Dr. Erin Koltus on the agriculture campus, and other professors. I realized the possibilities, and moved forward with that application.”
Balquist also drew from his Grand Challenges class. “One of the professors there, Andrea, does a really good job
of promoting a lot of things the U has going on. And the TA, Morgan, had
won BizPitch previously. She shared some guidance and helped me with my presentation, told me what to focus on. That really helped me.”
“I was giving this pitch to people at the granite table [a gathering place in the Civil
Balquist also competed in the Minnesota Walleye Tank competition in March.
Engineering Building], my little brother on the phone. I told them, ‘Hit me with your questions, what do you think?’ It was good to get a lot of different perspectives from people who didn’t come at it with the same civil/environmental lens that I have. I am really grateful for all the friends and family that helped me!”
“MAKING A POINT TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH HOW BUSINESS IS RUN ON AN INSTITUTIONAL SCALE WILL MAKE YOU, I WOULD HAZARD TO ASSUME, A BETTER ENGINEER.” —Brian Balquist
On taking risks
“I have talked to a lot of people in engineering, my parents, my dad, people at university events, my mentorship program. One thing that has echoed throughout is that engineers tend not to take risks. That is kind of the nature of
the job, right? You want to make sure it works before you do it. That is kind of counterintuitive of taking risks. So, I made it a goal of mine to take more smart, mindful risks. That does not mean doing something stupid, just that you don’t know that it will work out until you try.”
“One take-away is that a lot of people in engineering do not consider the business side of things, but at the end of the day, money is what drives a lot of decisions. Making a point to familiarize yourself with how business is run on an institutional scale will make you, I would hazard to assume, a better engineer. Even if it doesn't make you a better engineer, it will make you a more well-rounded person.”
Balquist took another chance and presented his idea at the Walleye Tank Life Science Pitch Competition in March 2024. The competition was divided
into companies just starting out, and those that were more established. Each category was judged by a panel of experienced entrepreneurs and investors.
And while he did not win the Walleye
Tank Competition (UMN Startup Objective Biotechnology (objectivebiotechnology.com) took home the $10,000 first-place prize), Balquist did learn some valuable lessons. Among them, the importance of story, especially, having a story that he really believes in that communicates his passion.
Brian Balquist plans to graduate in
May 2024 with his Bachelor’s degree
in Environmental Engineering. He has accepted a job with Kimley Horn in
St. Paul where he will be working as a civil engineering analyst in the water and wastewater treatment area.
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering | DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND GEO- ENGINEERING 13