When Dr. David Brower, Hospitality Management Department Chair at SUNY Delhi, asked the Fabulous Beekman Boys of Cooking Channel and The Amazing Race fame to impart their entrepreneurial wisdom to Delhi students, they quickly said yes.
Dr. Brower whipped off an email on a Sunday night inviting Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge (The Beekman Boys) to the Delhi campus. He thought, “it couldn’t hurt,” and within the hour the Beekman Boys accepted the invitation.
Presenting to Dr. Brower’s marketing class, Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge gave deep insight on how they jumped-started their own business and what they brought to the table in order to succeed. It was in 2007 that the duo purchased the historic Beekman 1802 Farm in Sharon Springs, NY, having no idea that it would launch one of the “fastest growing lifestyle brands in the country.”
A question and answer session allowed students to ask tough questions about maintaining a brand, product quality control, social media management (Like the Beekman Boys on Facebook / Follow them on Twitter) and other topics. Dr. Ridge followed up saying, “Great students and great questions!”