Entrepreneur Profile - Rudi Schiebel

By Jenn Richardson, Program Coordinator

Third year Bachelor of Business Administration student Rudi Schiebel entered the doors of Mount Royal University with no idea that he would one day fall in love with the world of Entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, outside of the University, Schiebel was making investments that would one day make him a global trader. His journey to owning a Bison Ranch ignited when he meet his business partner, Laine Keyes, in B.C. Junior Hockey. Schiebel began working on Keyes's family farm during the summers. In 2012, when a quarter section of the land came up for sale, he bought it with the vision of transforming the combined 480 acres into a bison ranch. Schiebel later realized the international potential and hasn't looked back since.

After receiving a $2,500 LaunchPad grant in Fall 2014, Scheibel, alongside fellow student Brad Williamson and Associate Professor Halia Valladares, Chair of International Business and Supply Chain Management, attended the 2014 Hong Kong Forum, in China. While there he networked with other entrepreneurs, Chinese government officials and investors. This was a transformative experience and had Schiebel thinking bigger than a bison ranch. His goal was now to be the first to export bison meat to China. In the Winter 2015 semester, Scheibel was accepted into the LaunchPad Accelerator course, where through mentorship and peer-to-peer learning, he refined his business and made valuable connections.

On March 26, Schiebel dominated the Hong Kong Canada Business Association's iPic competition, taking both first place and people's choice. In addition to a $4,000 cash prize, he was invited to a valuable networking dinner with the HKCBA Calgary Chapter Executives.

On April 8 at the LaunchPad Pitch Competition, Schiebel once again pitched his eager vision to a 150 person audience and a panel of seasoned entrepreneurs, winning $20,000 in cash!

Over the summer Schiebel will split his time between the Ranch and MRU's Slate, where he will continue to pursue industry connections and take advantage of the mentorship and coaching offered through the Institute.