MACON, GA – Stewart Vernon, Founder and CEO of Stewart Vernon, Founder and CEO of ASP - America's Swimming Pool Company, has begun his role as a professor at the Stetson School of Business and Economics at Mercer University., has begun his role as a professor at the Stetson School of Business and Economics at Mercer University. This fall term at Mercer, Vernon is teaching a class titled – “Seminar in Entrepreneurship”. Over 30 students are enrolled in this course to interact with some of the best and brightest business leaders in the Middle Georgia area. Students will also work alongside a new startup business as their semester long class project.
For the past ten years, Vernon has been a part of a lecture series at his alma mater, College of Charleston, and recently decided that it was time to give back to the Mercer business community as well. This year he was appointed the first ever Entrepreneur in Residence at Mercer University in Macon, GA. Macon is Vernon’s hometown and the location of the corporate headquarters for his company.
The Seminar in Entrepreneurship examines the “real world” aspects of business. Each week different businesses and entrepreneurs are brought in by Vernon to discuss their journey and business story with the class. Students will also be able to work directly with a local business to understand what it takes to run a successful operation. The business the students will work alongside this semester will be a new outdoor grill concept Vernon is helping launch, called KUDU Grills.
“I graduated from College of Charleston in 2002 and alongside my diploma is the notes from the entrepreneurship class I took. The class had a lot of impact on me,” said Vernon. “This is a perfect time for students to be able to hear from local business owners. This class offers students the ability to experience a world they wouldn’t normally be able to observe.”
In his own story, Vernon discusses his entrepreneurial journey from selling baseball cards as a young boy to owning a car washing business by age 15, to starting a swimming pool company by the age of 22. Over the past 15 years, Vernon has led a successful company that operates in 22 states and over 200 cities nationwide. His plan is to triple that number in the next four years.
“When I started my business as a Senior in college, the most powerful tool I had was motivation and an entrepreneurial spirit,” said Vernon. “This is what separated me from my competitors and started the path to accelerated growth.”
Mercer University’s Seminar in Entrepreneurship will not only tell the stories of successful business owners, and allow the opportunity to work alongside a local business owner, but Vernon will also award a $500 cash prize to the student who is voted “Entrepreneur of the Class”.
About ASP
ASP is the largest swimming pool cleaning, repair and renovation franchise system in the nation. Founded in 2001 by Stewart Vernon, the company is based on the belief that by providing a higher quality pool service at a reasonable price, the brand would raise the industry standards for pool service. In 2005, ASP began franchising and now covers 225 territories across the nation. For more information on ASP’s swimming pool franchise opportunities, visit ASPfranchising.com. For more information on ASP – America’s Swimming Pool Company, visit ASPPoolco.com.
To learn more about Stewart Vernon visit StewartVernon.com.