Hobart and William Smith Colleges

10 January 2023 • Entrepreneurship Opell’s Hits and Misses Become Student Lessons

A new Bozzuto Center exhibit serves as a learning tool for future entrepreneurs in tribute of Michael L. Opell ’59 and his notable career.

Throughout his career, Michael L. Opell ’59 has dabbled in innumerable entrepreneurial ventures while holding senior management positions for powerhouse companies such as Hudson Paper, Bristol Myers, Philip Morris, Revlon and Max Factor. Opell also served as President of Emrad Associates LTD, eventually purchased Barry Martin, an over-the-counter reading glass company, and spent 30 years running a seasonal import business, Emrad Creations, in which he and his team designed holiday bears and other customized trinkets for 10 selling seasons each year.

Today, his story and plethora of experiences are teaching and inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs through an exhibit at the Bozzuto Center for Entrepreneurship. In a project conducted by Madison Kaenzig de Denus ’22 under the direction of Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies Craig Talmage, various products designed and sold by Opell are on display and used in interactive lessons for students in the Entrepreneurial Studies Program.

The organization of the display includes one case exhibiting his failed products and one that showcases his successes – both serving as valuable learning tools. The drawers are full of memorabilia from his entrepreneurial journey/life. Students can learn more about each project, see sketches and mockups, and see real-world market research reports and old catalogs of his products. 

Kaenzig de Denus, who now serves as a recruitment support specialist in Admissions, says she is honored to have worked with Opell on the project. “Mr. Opell has provided me with a firsthand account of what it means to be an entrepreneur and a creative thinker who adapts to the world. I am thankful that he was so generous with his time, experiences and products that will allow for future entrepreneurs at HWS to learn from his success and failures,” she says. 

The Opell Exhibit

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  Each of the items in the Opell Exhibit is accompanied by a barcode. At the provided link, Michael Opell reflects on the business lesson the item in the collection helped him learn.
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  This object, coined Mo, teaches the lesson of failure, with the hope that it can be combatted in the future. In this lesson, students were asked to create a marketing plan on how they would test, tweak and relaunch Mo.
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  This product, Y2K, launched in anticipation of Y2K teaches the lesson of how historic events and time periods have the power to influence the direction of the market. Here, students were asked to draft a product that could be pitched to companies that relates to an upcoming event or occasion.
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  This product, Y2K, launched in anticipation of Y2K teaches the lesson of how historic events and time periods have the power to influence the direction of the market. Here, students were asked to draft a product that could be pitched to companies that relates to an upcoming event or occasion.
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  The ecobear teaches students how to be environmentally conscious in their entrepreneurial ventures and incorporate sustainability into their plans.
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  Cocoa Bear teaches the lasting role and presence of products that have the potential to become collectibles or act as an inspiration for products.
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  Opell’s EMRAD plush animals teach the power of pivoting, or the flexibility of entrepreneurs to pivot in reaction to changing market conditions.
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  For this product, Opell collaborated with artist Ed Massey on a blimp project. Here, students learned the importance of teamwork when pursuing an entrepreneurial venture.

As an alum, Opell has provided significant support to HWS. The contributions of Michael and his wife Ellen Levine Opell '60 helped launch the Opell Family IdeaLab, a startup incubator program run through the Centennial Center that offers peer feedback, mentoring resources, structured workshops and funding support for new student ideas.

After launching the Entrepreneurial Endowed Student Project Fund, Michael and Ellen also spirited the Opell Challenge, which enabled the creation of the HWS Student Entrepreneurship Fund. Both initiatives support student entrepreneurs, from financing startups, advanced product development, product testing, business planning and initial investment.