Published by OSU on Thursday, May 20, 2021: https://news.okstate.edu/articles/business/2021/inaugural-cowboy100.html

The School of Entrepreneurship and the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship in conjunction with the Oklahoma State University Foundation is set to host its inaugural Cowboy100 Honoree Gala to celebrate the 2020 fastest-growing and top 10 revenue-generating OSU graduate-owned or -led businesses on Nov. 5 in Stillwater.

The Cowboy100 was designed to recognize outstanding entrepreneurship throughout OSU’s alumni base while raising funds for the Riata Center’s student programs and activities. It also serves as an additional resource for students to engage with industry leaders and for the Riata Center to become the reference point for entrepreneurship throughout the university.

“The event recognizes OSU graduates from every college on campus who started and own, or lead, a business in any industry,” said Marc Tower, executive director for the Riata Center and assistant professor of professional practice. “The Cowboy100 companies are ranked on growth and the Blazing 10 on revenue.”

Companies may be located anywhere in the world as long as they are OSU alumni Cowboy-owned or Cowboy-led. Other qualifications for consideration include: verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more in each calendar year from 2018 to 2020; must have been in business for a minimum of five years; and operate with high integrity.

JTaylor, Advisory, Assurance and Tax will be processing applications and calculating the compound annual growth rate for each applicant, which will determine the 2020 Cowboy100 and Blazing 10 award winners.

The alphabetical list of honorees will be released in October. The OSU School of Entrepreneurship’s Cowboy100 nominations and applications are open and available at https://business.okstate.edu/riata/cowboy100/index.html. The nomination deadline is June 30 and applications close July 31.

“A huge impact of launching the Cowboy100 is the opportunity to engage with brand-new OSU alumni and industry-specific experts we have not previously encountered,” said Chad Mills, manager of outreach programs for the Riata Center. “Engaging with alumni and experts increases our network of mentors, competition judges and guest speakers benefitting our students significantly.”

Tiered sponsorship opportunities are available on a limited basis and provide website, pre-show reception or prominent Cowboy100 Honoree Gala recognition. Sponsorship options also include invitations to the pre-show reception, tickets to the gala, reserved parking and mentions in the ENGAGE@Spears and STATE magazines. For more information about becoming a Cowboy100 sponsor visit, https://business.okstate.edu/riata/cowboy100/sponsorships.html.

“The Cowboy100 is a celebration for everything the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship supports,” Mills said. “We are constantly working with students pursuing their entrepreneurial ventures, and now we get to honor the entrepreneurial achievements of OSU alumni.”