As a child, East Petersburg native Aiden Beiler always loved the game Monopoly – so much so that his family created a 20-by-20-foot wooden Monopoly game board for his 7th birthday, complete with hand-painted spaces and giant money.
“You can imagine me walking out to my backyard and seeing my whole family around that giant board,” says Beiler, now 20 and a finance major at Penn State Harrisburg. “It was one of the most exciting days of my life.”
Over the years, Beiler and his family created more jumbo yard games, including Wheel of Fortune, Kerplunk, Scrabble and Yahtzee. A few years ago, the budding entrepreneur looked at those games stored in his garage and decided to start renting them out so others could experience the same joy he had.
Turns out his idea was a winner.
Beiler recently took first place and a $1,200 prize in the Student Startup Showcase, a pitch competition that was the culminating event of the Truist Empowering Entrepreneurs Executive Seminar Series hosted by Harrisburg LaunchBox powered by Penn State. Students had 90 seconds to pitch their startup ideas to a panel of judges for a chance to win funds and make their business dreams come true.
For Beiler, whose winning pitch included that fond memory from his 7th birthday, the whole experience has given him an opportunity to grow his fledgling business, Mega Party Rentals, which rents out large-scale outdoor games for parties and events.
For Truist, the Empowering Entrepreneurs Executive Seminar Series is yet another way to bolster the local communities it serves. The seminar series, which took place throughout the 2023-24 academic year, was aimed at helping strengthen small businesses in Lancaster County and throughout the Harrisburg region – including minority- and women-owned businesses – by inspiring innovation and entrepreneurship and helping connect startups with local resources.
The series convened diverse leaders in the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem around topics including access to capital; technical support programs; mentorship for success; research and development of new technologies and more. The final event featured keynote speaker Jay Bailey, president and CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs in Atlanta, Georgia.
The five-part series was supported by Truist Foundation, an endowed private foundation that invests in nonprofit organizations with a focus on building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses to ensure all communities have an equal opportunity to thrive. The foundation provided $100,000 in grant funding to support the series over three years.
“Through Truist Foundation, we are proud to support the Empowered Entrepreneurs Executive Series at Penn State Harrisburg because it aligns to our purpose of inspiring and building better lives and communities,” says Sarah Lesser, senior vice president and Central Pennsylvania market president for Truist, who also served as a judge. “By supporting businesses and individuals at every stage of their lifecycle, from startup to transition, we are able to create stronger and more vibrant local communities. It was a privilege to hear from leading ecosystem experts from across the U.S. and see what transformational business ideas Penn State Harrisburg students have that will eventually impact the marketplace.”
Beiler competed against eight other undergraduate and graduate students and teams from a variety of majors, including mechanical engineering, computer science, finance and public administration. Their project ideas ranged from a smart aquaculture hub to help Indonesian farmers with the cost of cold storage to car sharing on campus and creating natural perfumes. Students were able to attend preparation sessions and did market research to back up their ideas.
Beiler says he attended all five of the Truist series events throughout the academic year, noting it was an excellent way for students to network and connect with business professionals both locally and from across the country.
“It was amazing to take everything I’ve learned from the entire Truist series and apply it to my own business,” Beiler says.
He says he also enjoyed meeting Lesser and other representatives of Truist.
“It was a great way to learn about what services they provide for businesses, how they’re able to help companies, even small businesses like mine, to grow,” he says. “It was nice to see a face behind a larger corporation and get to know them on a personal level as well.”
Beiler plans to use the prize money to invest in marketing and expand the range of games that Mega Party Rentals offers. In addition to jumbo handmade games, the business also rents out versions of Connect 4, Spikeball, Kan Jam and cornhole for everything from corporate events to bachelor parties.
“The whole goal here is to create lasting memories,” he says.
A 2023 Hempfield graduate, Beiler plans to earn his undergraduate degree in 2026 and complete an accelerated MBA program in 2027. He’s not entirely sure what his future holds, but he knows it will be in Lancaster County. And he could be knocking on Truist’s door again one day.
“I really have a passion for starting and growing companies,” says Beiler, who also runs a digital marketing business. “I definitely see myself starting my own companies for the rest of my life … I hope to adapt to whatever comes my way and make the most of the opportunities I’m blessed with.”
To learn more, visit Truist.com/Foundation.
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