Sustainable Biomaterials Business Track
The Wood Institute made coasters etched with a map of Blacksburg in 2024.
What is the Sustainable Biomaterials Business Track?
Sustainable Biomaterials Business track builds upon core SBIO courses to give you the skills necessary to succeed in business and commerce. You will learn how to design, finance, produce, and effectively market innovative products. You will gain hands-on experience practicing your skills toward leading sustainable businesses that bring these products to market.
Each year, a student-led corporation — the Wood Enterprsise Institute — is formed that creates and markets a wood product. The students are the decision makers in all aspects, from concept, through design, manufacturing, marketing, shipping, and accounting.
Building a business from the ground up with the Wood Enterprise Institute
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Where is Sustainable Biomaterials Business used?
Businesses today are developing better solutions built around more productive use of natural resources to solve many critical environmental and social problems while creating the maximum market value. These businesses are seeking a workforce that understands the latest technologies and business practices, allowing them to meet a growing need for green, sustainable products.
Businesses can range from small family owned enterprises to large multi-national companies that are building more sustainable business systems. Our graduates are needed to help these businesses balance economic, social, and stewardship needs more effectively to keep their businesses vibrant and relevant in today’s continuously changing global environment.
Hands-on experience
Our courses in the Sustainable Biomaterials Business track teach the latest techniques about how to organize and run a sustainable business. What’s more, you also will gain a business experience because many of our classes utilize laboratory simulations or industry projects to experience what it is like to run various aspects of a business and to learn what you can do to help keep things sustainable. One class even goes as far as allowing the students to design, finance, manufacture, market and sell real products to real customers using real money. By actually leading and managing real day to day production business operations, students truly understand what it means to run a sustainable business.
Finally, our faculty maintain close connections with a variety of companies who are eager to hire our students as interns. This internship experience allows students to make professional connections, build their resume and earn money.
