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Update | Fall/Winter 2024

Got a Minute? Meet Jake Piekarski

Photography by Paul L. Newby II

Jake Piekarski wearing a red sweatshirt in the snow

Jake Piekarski (BBA ’24)

Founder and CEO, Snow Scholars
Huntington Beach, California

What is Snow Scholars?

It’s a residential snow removal business that employs college students at six Midwest universities. I started the business in 2022 when I transferred to UW–Madison and heard my friends talking about the lack of high-paying jobs that were flexible enough for their school schedules. During our first season in business, we paid out over $5,000 in student wages.

What are some of your proudest achievements?

We jumped from 34 customers in year one to over 400 customers in year two, and had over an 85% customer retention rate. Also, we successfully ran the business remotely when we expanded from UW–Madison to the University of Minnesota.

What is your favorite WSB memory?

Being accepted to the Weinert Applied Ventures in Entrepreneurship program was pretty cool because I got to take a master’s level course. I also loved attending WSB’s Distinguished Entrepreneurship Lunches hosted by Lisa Collins (BBA ’84, MBA ’86) and learning from professors like Jon Eckhardt, who helped advance my entrepreneurship path.