b'DataWHEN KYLE AKIN MBA 1 0 decides to do something, he does it. The WINNING Marine Corps veteran and successful civil engineer decided in 2008 to move from Washington to Southern Oregon, and he SPIRIT did it. When he wanted to realize his dream of earning an MBA, he got it done while holding down two civil-engineering jobs.SOU had a new cohort-style MBA program designed for working people at its Medford Higher Education Center, said Akin. It was every Saturday, eight hours a day for a year, and it was perfect for my needs. The INNING DISTILLER D-W R FROM ENGINEER TO AWAprogram offered the same curriculum as its full-time program, but the accelerated format coupled with two busy jobs left him little to no spare time. My life was SOUs MBAwhat I called, high speed, low drag, said Akin.Now founder and president of Fireside Distillers, Akin programcredits his time at SOU with helping him to start and grow a distillery. Starting a business isnt something you just wake up and do. It takes time and planning, said helped meAkin. SOUs MBA program helped me to learn the skills I needed to research the market, create a solid business to learn theplan, and develop relationships. I learned a lot about business relationships through SOU.skills I needed Like many new businesses, Fireside Distillers started when a hobby turned into a business proposition. to researchMy wife and I had been experimenting with making limoncello (lemon liqueur). Its fun, a little mysterious, the market,and all of our friends loved it, said Akin. It was when his wife, Cory 04, suggested they make it with lime that they create a solidrealized they had a potential hit.Thats when my MBA education kicked in again, he said. I knew breweries and wineries were booming, but business plan,I saw there werent many distilleries. I did some market research and learned that there werent any lime liqueurs. and developI figured I had hit upon a good niche market. Akin partnered with a former coworker, and Fireside relationships.Distillerys organic Crescendo brand was born. A lot went into making everything happen, he said. I learned I learnedand experimented, changing the name of the company and the packaging, adding vodka; and I kept fine-tuning a lot abouteverything, he said.Fireside offers a variety of locally made spirits from businessvarious rums to whiskey and vodka as well as limoncello, lime, orange, and grapefruit liqueurs. Theyve even added an organic crafting spirit called Diamond Clear 190 proof relationshipsfor tincture makers and herbalists. Fireside products have won awards in the U.S. and around the world, including through SOU. the prestigious International Spirits Competition in Berlin. Akin is currently working on expanding the brand into China.6 NEWS FROM SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY'