Stacey Brandhorst wanted to bring a reminder of home to college.

Some incoming students might have tucked a sentimental trinket into a box or backpack.

Brandhorst, who grew up on a farm in Weatherford, Oklahoma, hauled her horse to Stillwater.

“A wonderful family had extra runs and stalls south of town,” Brandhorst said. “I would exercise my horse in the area, muck stalls and then go to class.”

Brandhorst’s rodeo roots led her to Oklahoma State University, where her adventurous spirit had room to roam in new directions. She launched a startup out of the Spears School of Business Riata Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, spent a year studying in Mexico and completed a dual-degree graduate program.

Since earning her MBA in 2012, Brandhorst has continued embracing unique opportunities. While working as a client partner at Slalom Consulting in Oklahoma City, she gives back to Spears Business through sustained mentorship.

Brandhorst coaches student entrepreneurs during Pitch Friday, a monthly Riata Center event. Students workshop early stage ideas, receive feedback to advance their startups and train for entrepreneurship competitions.

Brandhorst carefully listens to the entrepreneurs-in-training, whose ideas span industries from fashion to outdoor adventure. Using her journalism background and entrepreneurship experience, she helps each student put their best elevator pitch forward.

“It’s all about telling the true story and sharing your perspective and not needing an hourlong meeting to tell something,” Brandhorst said. “Concise, compelling storytelling is the through line from journalism to entrepreneurship.”

What is Brandhorst’s educational background?

At OSU, Brandhorst sharpened her communication skills in two languages. She graduated in 2010 with her bachelor’s degree in journalism and broadcasting, plus a Spanish minor from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Entering her senior year, Brandhorst planned to study abroad in Mexico, but the H1N1 pandemic put international programs on pause in 2009.

Brandhorst wasn’t deterred. The year after the outbreak subsided, she moved to Puebla, Mexico, as a fresh college graduate.

“If I liked it, I was going to take the GMAT and apply to business school there,” Brandhorst said. “I actually ended up taking the GMAT in Mexico City. It was a wonderful thing for me. I was from a small town — Stillwater was the farthest I had ever lived away from my house — so, to move an hour south of Mexico City was something my family and I had never thought about before.”

Spears Business offered Brandhorst the perfect opportunity. The MBA dual-degree program allows students to earn diplomas from OSU and Mexico’s Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla while experiencing business in both countries.

The partnership enhances OSU’s acclaimed MBA program, which has climbed to No. 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s online rankings and No. 60 among full-time programs.

Brandhorst completed her first year of graduate business courses taught in Spanish at UPAEP.

Then, she returned to Stillwater for the next adventure, joining the Riata Center as a graduate assistant.

On the first floor of OSU’s Business Building, the Riata Center is a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship with resources available to students of all majors.

When Brandhorst was an MBA student, today’s crescent-shaped Business Building didn’t exist. Instead, the Riata Center made the most of a small broom closet on the third floor of OSU’s old business building, now called the General Academic Building.

Using a makeshift setup with a few desks, creative minds brought business plans to life in a Riata Center incubator program known as the Cowboy Idea Hatchery. As a participant in OSU’s Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scholars program, Brandhorst worked with a cross-disciplinary student team to develop a startup in the Hatchery.

They launched a product developed by the late Dr. Allen Apblett, then an OSU chemistry professor whose original technology removed heavy metals from calcium. The team called it PristineCal.

“We commercialized it, targeting sales to baby food companies and vitamin companies to use this ultra-pure form of calcium,” Brandhorst said. “That was my first business.”

How did Brandhorst build her career path?

After graduation, Brandhorst took a risk and stuck with entrepreneurship.

“In 2012, I didn’t get a job,” Brandhorst said. “PristineCal was our job.”

The team built PristineCal for several years before Brandhorst went to work for i2E, a nonprofit supporting Oklahoma entrepreneurs. Her experience with the Riata Center and PristineCal not only connected her with i2E, but also prepared her to advise rising entrepreneurs standing where she once stood.

She advanced to vice president and investment principal at Plains Ventures, coaching founders and helping manage a $100 million-plus venture portfolio.

In 2022, Brandhorst was eager for a new journey. She traveled the world with her husband for a year before gaining experience with another startup and then joining Slalom Consulting, her current workplace.

In her busy schedule, Brandhorst sets aside time to drive from Oklahoma City to Stillwater and sit down with student entrepreneurs. The next Pitch Friday event is Nov. 13 in the Riata Center.

“Having Stacey back and engaged with the Riata Center has been an out-of-this-world experience,” director Chad Mills said. “Her professionalism, dedication and passion for OSU students have elevated the entrepreneurial experience we strive to provide, helping students develop the mindset, skills and confidence to turn ideas into opportunities. Stacey brings an infectious energy that captivates everyone around her, making this full-circle moment incredibly special.”

Brandhorst is still a dreamer who loves to take the road less traveled, but every pursuit connects back to OSU.

She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Spears has opened so many doors for me,” Brandhorst said. “OSU, in general, has opened so many doors for me. It’s weird, now, having a little bit of time in the rearview, to think how different my life might have been had I not come to Stillwater. It’s really changed everything for me.”

FAQ

What is Pitch Friday?

Pitch Friday is a monthly Riata Center event where student entrepreneurs workshop early-stage ideas and gain insights to move their startups forward. Participants can earn a spot in the Final Pitch Challenge, where the top two from each program will be invited to showcase their growth and compete for scholarships.

Who is Stacey Brandhorst?

Stacey Brandhorst, the Pitch Friday coach, is an OSU alumna and a client partner at Slalom Consulting.

What is the Riata Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship?

The Riata Center is a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship at OSU. Students of all majors can explore cutting-edge programs and a wealth of resources designed to elevate and inspire the next generation of innovators and trailblazers.

How do I connect with the Riata Center?

Fill out the online information request form.

What is the OSU-UPAEP and MBA dual-degree program?

OSU and UPAEP offer students in the U.S. and Mexico an opportunity to study business in two countries and get two degrees, one from the U.S. and one from Mexico. The MBA dual-degree program works with students from both OSU and UPAEP to create customized plans of study to satisfy degree and admission requirements.