Entrepreneur in Residence List

Who We Are

Announcing the Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) program at Missouri S&T. This exciting initiative is designed to inspire and guide students, faculty and other members of our university community who are interested in pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors. Entrepreneurs in Residence will have the unique opportunity to share their invaluable experiences and insights through a variety of formats, including workshops, keynote addresses and one-on-one mentoring sessions.

Serving as an Entrepreneur in Residence would involve no more than an hour a month to mentor others one-on-one as requested, in addition to engaging once every few semesters on campus as a visiting presenter. We understand the demands on time and are pleased to offer flexibility in how to participate, including vetting requests prior to connecting with interested parties. Campus presence is not required, as engagements can be conducted virtually, allowing one to contribute from anywhere in the world.

The mechanics of one’s involvement would include listing a bio on the EIR website. Contact information will not be listed, instead when a member of the S&T community is interested in connecting with an EIR member then you they would submit a form to request a connection. The request would be shared with the EIR member who can decide if they have the bandwidth to connect.

If you are a member of our alumni community and a successful entrepreneur then your involvement in the EIR program would make a significant impact, helping to cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs and fostering a culture of innovation at Missouri S&T. Please consider nominating someone you know (including self-nomination) by filling out a simple web form . Thank you for considering this opportunity to give back to the Missouri S&T community.

Nomination form

Steve Birdwell

Master-level Engineer

Steve is a master-level engineer with 34 years of technical and executive experience in the construction, logistics, and material science industries. His experience includes working in 38 states within the US, and internationally in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In his 34-year career, Mr. Birdwell has founded and operated 6 businesses; successfully lead a sales process to private equity three times ; and has successfully managed over 700 employees.

George Holmes, PhD

CEO

In 2018, while working on his  PhD, George assembled a team of academic researchers, experienced business experts, and administrative support staff to secure a National Science Foundation I-CORPS grant to fund his team’s study of the commercial lawn care industry – concentrated on understanding how novel robotic mowers could transform the $100B+ industry.

Today he works to make industrial robotic mowers a reality as CEO / co-founder of Hire Henry – leading sales, technical strategy, mission and vision, and recruitment.

Molly Laegeler

General Manager

Molly earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from S&T in 2000. She is a member of the S&T Academy of Mines and Metallurgy and works as Chevron’s general manager of asset development for the Permian Basin. Molly is also one of the founder of Little Bit a non-profit that aims to help consumers easily integrate sustainable decisions into their lives.

Adam Hilton

CEO

A strong engineering professional with a BS focused in Electrical Engineering from Missouri S&T. He is one of the owners and CEO of Engineered Corrosion Solutions, LLC where he is responsible for designing and overseeing ongoing business operations, establishing policies to promote company culture and vision as well as setting and executing strategy.