Blake Orr

Graduating in finance, 24-year-old CEO of Echo Energies, Inc. Blake Orr isn’t waiting for employers to knock on his door. He believes entrepreneurship is the shortest path to overcoming a difficult job market and economic uncertainties. He plans to forge his own path for prosperity by growing his clean energy company and creating new jobs.

“Upon my graduation, our company will be in a position to create fulltime employment for our initial staff of five, and our target revenue for 2009 is estimated at $750,000,” says Orr.

Echo Energies offers solar energy system consultation, design and installation, plus routine maintenance, for both commercial and residential applications. “We hope to expand the operation to over 20 full-time positions and a substantial network of subcontractors by the end of the year,” says Orr.

His entrepreneurial experiences at ASU started with founding a new fraternity chapter, and his interests grew toward testing several different business ideas. He says his experiences at ASU have helped him develop the skills necessary for a startup company. Orr learned how to develop business proposals through student venture competitions sponsored by the ASU Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative and the Entrepreneur Advantage Program.

“I feel that it is important to foster entrepreneurial abilities in all university students,” he says. “It’s through programs like these that our great nation will continue down a path of prosperity.”

At ASU, entrepreneurial skills are mapped onto individual topics of study. ASU offers one of the broadest entrepreneurship programs in the country.