Birmingham business executive Keith Brown has been named the entrepreneur-in-residence for Samford University’s Brock School of Business. Brown also serves as an adjunct instructor in the school.
Brown is cofounder of State Traditions, LLC, an apparel lifestyle company that specializes in clothing and accessories with state themes. State Traditions started in 2007, and it has grown to a national scope.
“We built State Traditions from scratch,” Brown said. “Prior to State Traditions, I had worked in finance and real estate development. We learned everything from the ground up, about how to navigate the entrepreneurial world including raising capital, building a team, establishing and delivering on operational components like sourcing, marketing and distribution, and learning a new industry. It has been a very fulfilling experience.”
In addition to his leadership role at State Traditions, Brown was recently asked to serve as a 2018 Mentor at Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator program. This 12-week program is designed to help budding entrepreneurs quickly grow and scale their start-up.
After receiving his undergraduate degree in communication from the University of Alabama in 1999, Brown earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Samford in 2004.
Brown has taught as an adjunct instructor in Brock’s entrepreneurship, management and marketing department for several years on entrepreneurial coursework and is excited to step into this new role.
Brown added, “My time as a student at Samford was impactful. I feel Samford gave me the tools I needed to succeed in business. Now it’s an honor to work as an instructor in the classroom, and I am further appreciative of Samford’s faith in me to continue to be an expanded resource. I try to give students direct feedback on real world applicability of their entrepreneurial pursuits.”
“We’re grateful that Keith has agreed to extend his relationship with us here in Brock’s entrepreneurship, marketing and management department,” said Chad Carson. “Keith’s role as the entrepreneur-in-residence will help us expand on application-based learning for our students and help them better connect to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Birmingham.”
Carson is associate dean and Brock Family Chair in Entrepreneurship.