USA Melton Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

04/15/2026

Dr. Don Mosley, professor and director of Melton Center director, chatted with Chelsey Sayasane and Danielle Dials on an episode of Fox10 News' podcast, Entrepreneurial Shades of Gray. Together they discussed how the Melton Center is encouraging the entrepreneurial mindset on the campus of the University of South Alabama and across the Gulf Coast region.

Find it on your favorite podcast app or watch it on YouTube --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBFZwTvw5fc&list=PLbNsdJNhmAOqrcVqFukGTe__nlIULEOLO&index=7

03/16/2026

Dr. Mosley on Entrepreneurial Shades of Grey

02/27/2026

We are so excited to share that Melton Center director, Dr. Don Mosley will be on FOX10 News' podcast "Entrepreneurial Shades of Gray"🎙️

Stay tuned for more details on how to watch and listen to the conversation!

🎙️ Entrepreneurs, what if you didn’t have to learn every lesson the hard way? Next week on Entrepreneurial Shades of Gray, we sit down with Dr. Don Mosley from the Melton Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell College of Business... a program designed to help entrepreneurs think smarter, build stronger, and avoid some of the costly gray areas that come with figuring it out alone. If you’re building a business or inheriting one, this conversation is worth your time! USA Melton Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

02/27/2026

The Melton Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, in partnership with the University of South Alabama Common Read/Common World program, hosted a Creative Pitch Competition this spring. The Melton Center believes that the entrepreneurial mindset is for all people, and the competition was inspired by University Common Read author Margaret Renkl. Renkl, an Alabama native, exhibits an entrepreneurial mindset through her books, columns, public speaking and community outreach.

The competition invited undergraduate students to submit original business pitches for a chance to secure seed funding.More than 25 students, representing six of the University’s colleges, competed for three top honors:

🔹 First Place: Kimberle Johnson, a University of South Alabama College of Nursing student, was awarded $250 for Just For You, a specialized sensory play studio tailored to the needs of children with disabilities.
🔹Second Place: Mitchell College of Business at the University of South Alabama students Caroline McCracken and Joi Williams received $150 for their pitch of Plate.d, a platform that captures social media cooking content and translates it into functional, step-by-step recipes.
🔹Third Place: Quanesha Cole, a student at the Mitchell College of Business, received $100 for Realty Reach, which would allow real estate agents with disabilities to conduct virtual tours, manage listings and communicate with clients—all from the comfort of their own homes.

“Entrepreneurship can open doors for all students,” said Dr. Jen Zoghby, an associate professor of Management & Entrepreneurship. “This Creative Pitch Competition allowed our undergraduate students a chance to showcase their innovative ideas.”

02/20/2026

In 2025, the Melton Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation introduced Launch USA. This new program provides entrepreneurs within the University of South Alabama community a unique opportunity to develop business ideas, receive funding and transform thinking in order to make an impact on the Gulf Coast region.

Nine teams were selected for the first cohort, representing six of South's colleges. The participants attended a boot camp program which included sessions on intellectual property, business formation, digital marketing, market research analytics, nonprofit formation, prototyping, fundraising and much more. Each team was also connected with a mentor to help guide the continued development of their idea. By completing each educational milestone, teams receive stipends to support their business.

The program culminated in a pitch competition where teams presented their business plan to a team of judges for the opportunity to win cash prizes.

During the August 26 pitch event, sponsored by C-Spire, each team had ten minutes to pitch their product or idea to a three-judge panel, similar to the TV show “Shark Tank”.

The top prize of $7,500 went to engineering student Braxton Daw. His company, ManuLabs offers end-to-end solutions for designing and manufacturing complex components for industries like aerospace and healthcare.

The judges also awarded $2,500 to UroBacT, a diagnostic tool for urinary tract infections (UTIs) that will help increase accuracy, improve patient outcomes and advance antibiotic stewardship. The team from the Whiddon College of Medicine was led by Dr. Allyson Shea and assisted by researchers Rachel Fleck and Ethan Myers.

The judging panel included Mr. Mike Eckert, Chairman, Gulf South Angels, Mr. Brent Barkin, Strategic Advisor, Stoic Equity Partners and Ms. Angela Dunn, Senior Vice President, Pinnacle Financial Partners.

We are incredibly proud of the success of first Launch USA cohort and are looking forward to opening the program again this spring.

Sign up for the Melton Center newsletter to be among the first to learn how to get involved in Launch USA --> https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/2096942/1980343/

04/11/2024

REGISTER HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfS0sTsV-biLJTTlrzB3kFLqXOa-BxFH2HZZKpKVoakMdyRUg/viewform?pli=1

05/25/2023

05/25/2023

We had a great turnout at the Melton Center’s first annual Clay Shoot Fundraiser!

Congratulations to our winners from Beard Equipment Company, Hargrove Engineers & Constructors and Brett/Robinson

The Melton Center would also like to thank everyone who came out to support the center’s vision and mission of fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the Gulf Coast region.

A special recognition to all of our sponsors who made this event possible! Thank you to C Spire, Beard Equipment Company, Hargrove Engineering & Constructors, Dean Parker (Redex), Elcan and Associates, Jeff Marcus, Ron Sivak, Johnny Nix, Brett/Robinson, Bailey Duos, Mel Washington, Vickie Wyatt, Door and Gutter Pro, Braided River, Coca Cola, Joe Bullard Automotive, Hunter Adams, Horizon Freight System, Inc., James Wishon, and William Bruce.

We cannot wait for next year!

05/24/2023

Here's the thing: DO THE THING!

05/01/2023

Don't forget to grab $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win two tickets to see Eric Church at The Wharf on August 17th. Purchase 1 ticket here: https://buff.ly/3UYyMuP Purchase a bundle of 5 tickets here: https://buff.ly/40sOaRo

04/28/2023

A huge thank you to C Spire, our title sponsor for making the upcoming clay shoot fundraiser for the Melton Center for Entrepreneurship possible!

Your generous support is helping to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the Central Gulf Coast region, and we are grateful for your partnership.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to Beard Equipment Company, Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc., Hargrove Engineers & Constructors, Joe Bullard Automotive, Johnny Nix, Elcan & Associates, and Braided River Brewing Co. for their support and sponsorship of the clay shoot fundraiser for the Melton Center for Entrepreneurship - we couldn't have done it without you!

We look forward to a successful event and continuing to work together to make a positive impact on our community.