Student, alumni and former Thiel College Trustee honored as top entrepreneurs

Posted November 01, 2018 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- A former member of the Board of Trustees, two alumni and a student were honored Wednesday night as top entrepreneurs in the region by Thiel College’s Haller Enterprise Institute.

The College awarded its top honor, Entrepreneur of the Year, to Catherine Mott, the chief executive officer and founder of Blue Tree Venture Fund and Blue Tree Allied Angels. Mott also served on the College’s Board of Trustees from 2008–2017. The two BlueTree entities have a combined $50 million under management and have notable portfolio companies acquired by Fortune 500 companies such as Intel, Amazon, Proofpoint, Philips, and Expedia. Mott’s business is based in Pittsburgh, Pa., and she lives in Mercer, Pa., with her husband, John Logan '65.

Adam Guthrie ’10 and Casey Rose ’14 were named Young Entrepreneurs of the Year. Guthrie and Rose purchased the two Sandy Lake, Pa.-area Black Funeral Homes in early 2018. Rose takes care of the day-to-day operations of the funeral homes and serves as the supervisor of the Sandy Lake location. Guthrie is the fourth generation of funeral directors at Huff-Guthrie Funeral Home & Cremation Services Inc. in Franklin, Pa. Rose and his wife, Kelsey (Lee) Rose ’15, live in Lakeview, Pa. Guthrie and his wife, Traci (Reed) Guthrie, reside in Franklin with their two daughters.

Randy Santarelli ’19, a business administration and accounting major from Espyville, Pa., was named the Student Entrepreneur of the Year. Santarelli runs RS Outfitting Services, which he started when he was 17 years old. It is a hunting guide service based in Linesville, Pa. He also owns RS Personal Training Services. Santarelli lost a significant amount of weight in his first year at Thiel College, he used that transformation as motivation to become certified as a trainer.

“Through the generosity of the Haller family and other sponsors, Thiel College has served as an incubator for young, industrious students to follow their entrepreneurial dreams,” Vice President for College Advancement Roberta Leonard said. “As far back as 1983, Thiel was nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit of its students and that has carried over to the Institute’s graduates and the College’s alumni.”

About the Haller Enterprise Institute

The Haller Enterprise Institute encourages motivated students from any major to begin their own business while they continue their education. The Institute is named after Henry E. and Grace Mary Haller, major benefactors to the College with a keen interest in entrepreneurship. The purpose of the Institute is to encourage, promote and support entrepreneurship in Thiel students, regardless of their major or field.