Student Enhances Drone Business through Entrepreneurship in Technology Program
Katharina Lane
Katharina Lane
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Katharina Lane
Dec 04, 2017, 3:43 PM
After a job injury prevented her from working in law enforcement, Tanis Loomis was at a crossroads in her career. With a bachelor’s degree in emergency and disaster management, 14 years of volunteer service in search and rescue and a job in emergency management, law enforcement was the career she had always worked toward. Yet, she never envisioned the path her future would take her on.
“Because of not being able to do the job I loved, I decided I needed to find something else to fill the void,” said the 27-year-old Colorado resident. “I wanted to be my own boss and create my own company.”
After reading about drones and their capabilities, Loomis decided to try her hand in the drone world. She recruited several friends and her husband to assist and together they established a fleet of four drones. Rocky Mountain Technical, LLC works with different counties and electric companies to inspect buildings and power lines.
To continue to grow her business, Loomis enrolled in the Master of Entrepreneurship in Technology (MoET) program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide.
“My first course was Entrepreneurship: Exploration, Opportunity, and Effectuation,” Loomis explained. “This course was absolutely amazing and eye opening. I wish I would have taken it prior to starting my company because the information attained would have made it so much easier for me in the beginning.”
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), “about half of all establishments survive five years or longer” and “about one-third of establishments survive 10 years or longer.” Programs like Embry-Riddle’s Master in Entrepreneurship Technology equip students with a strong understanding of the steps needed to transform ideas into reality.
“Participating in an academic setting in entrepreneurship provides students an opportunity to strengthen their skills and confidence. It’s an area for networking, industry collaboration and university mentorship.” said Gloria Wilson, chair of Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s Master of Entrepreneurship in Technology.
Concepts including idea/venture development, business analysis and technology commercialization are covered in the core curriculum. Specialization courses allow students to focus their studies on field-specific issues and management topics spanning across the unmanned aerospace systems, space systems, system engineering, information systems security and management information systems disciplines.
“I chose to take courses through the MoET program because it allows me to learn better and newer ways to enhance my company so that I remain successful,” said Loomis. “Plus, the people that you meet, whether they are fellow students or faculty, have great ideas and want to help your company succeed.”
To learn more about Embry-Riddle’s Master of Entrepreneurship in Technology program, visit https://erau.edu/degrees/master/entrepreneurship-technology/.