A graduate of the applied entrepreneurship class in the Craig School of Business at 含羞草社区 returned to St. Joseph for the next step in his business career. Scott Lassen has purchased the Golden Corral at 715 N. Belt Highway. The Grand Opening celebration introducing his new ownership will be at noon Wednesday, March 2 at the Golden Corral.
鈥淭he Golden Corral is an amazing opportunity for me to own and operate a larger business,鈥� Lassen said. 鈥淚 think there are some real possibilities to grow the business and to be more engaged with the St. Joseph community.鈥�
Lassen received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Missouri Western in 2010 and a Master of Business Administration from California State University-Long Beach in 2011. In 2013, he enrolled in the applied entrepreneurship class at the Craig School of Business. At the end of the class he was awarded an opportunity to purchase a Fresca鈥檚 Mexican Grill in Woodburn, Oregon that was owned by Steve Craig, benefactor of the Craig School and founder of the applied entrepreneurship class.
In just three months, Lassen turned Fresca鈥檚 from losing thousands of dollars each year into a profitable store. Two years later, he sold the Fresca鈥檚 store, to another participant in the applied entrepreneurship program in order to give back to the program and use the sale proceeds to purchase the Golden Corral in St. Joseph.
The store he just purchased is approximately four times the revenue of his former Fresca鈥檚 store and has about six times the number of employees. 鈥淪cott is one of the stars of our program,鈥� said Pam Klaus, director of franchise programs in the Craig School of Business. 鈥淏y turning around a small business, he has earned the opportunity to own and manage a much larger business. He has the desire to make a positive impact in everything he is involved in, and it鈥檚 exciting to watch him grow as an entrepreneur.鈥�
In addition to owning the Golden Corral restaurant, Lassen develops applications for the iOS operating system (iPhone/iPad), including one to help people learn to speak, read and write Arabic. He has also developed an app which expedites counting inventory for restaurants. He says he draws inspiration from several businessmen, including Steve Jobs, Steven Craig, and Elon Musk鈥攖he CEO of technology companies including SpaceX and Tesla Motors.
鈥淢y role models don鈥檛 focus on making money鈥攖hey change the world. Money is just a byproduct of their efforts and ideas,鈥� Lassen said. 鈥淚 also want to do things that will improve the quality of life for people from the money I earn from Golden Corral.鈥�
鈥淭his is one of the best examples of the vision of the program鈥檚 architect, Steve Craig.鈥� said Dr. Michael Lane, dean of the Craig School of Business. 鈥淲e provide the winners with a minimal risk opportunity to assume ownership of their first franchise so they can gain valuable experience which is extremely critical when they move into more complex business opportunities. This is a great step forward for Scott and I know he will do an outstanding job of operating the Golden Corral. I鈥檓 sure that existing customers of the restaurant will see immediate improvements in the quality of the food as well as the overall dining experience.鈥�
鈥淚 am extremely pleased that we are beginning to experience, at a local level, the benefits of the MWSU entrepreneurship program,鈥� said Steven Craig. 鈥淚 had always hoped and envisioned that some of our graduates of the program would return to St. Joseph to help reinvigorate not only individual businesses, but the business community as a whole. Scott is the type of person that can do just that. He was a top student as well as an amazing entrepreneur in his first business. He did everything that was asked of him during the last 2陆 years and now he has put himself in a position to own and manage a terrific business.鈥�
鈥淚 also appreciate Scott鈥檚 desire to make a positive impact within St. Joseph and the surrounding communities. He鈥檚 not just here to 鈥榤ake a buck,鈥� but rather to help make the community a better place to live. With a lot of hard work and the support of the community, he will make Golden Corral a great business.鈥�
鈥淚 share Steve Craig鈥檚 vision of applied entrepreneurship class graduates returning to bolster the local economy. I鈥檓 very happy that Scott has come back to St. Joseph for the next step in his entrepreneurial career, and wish him all the best,鈥� said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western鈥檚 president. 鈥淚鈥檓 also very grateful to the previous owners, Brian and Sherry Shively, for making this opportunity available to Scott.鈥�
含羞草社区 is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .