N.C. State alum Keegan Guizard is combining skateboarding with his business degree for some interesting entrepreneurial results. 

Guizard graduated from the Poole College of Management in December and recently started the Collegiate Skate Tour, the first national college skateboard competition. 

“There is a disconnect between skateboarding and society, and I also want people to see that skateboarding is such a productive thing in so many kids’ lives,” Guizard said.

Collegiate Skate Tour is the first skateboarding contest series that focuses on the college market.

In addition to the tournament, he is also involved with several other startup businesses, including Capital Promotions, a screen-printing company that offers its services to Greek organizations, as well as other student groups. 

Guizard graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management, with a concentration in entrepreneurship and a minor in Spanish. 

Guizard has been a lifelong fan of skateboarding and wanted to create a way for younger generations to experience the thrill of skateboarding along with the benefits of higher education.

In addition to the Skate Tour, Keegan also formed a skate club during his freshman year which grew into a club sport a year later. 

Through the N.C. State Skateboarding Club, he managed to build several practice facilities, host small tournaments for charity and organize groups to travel and skate the east coast.

The University was important in developing Guizard’s entrepreneurial efforts and provided him with resources for starting a small business. 

“N.C. State has been an integral part of enabling me to move forward with what is now Collegiate Skate Tour,” Guizard said. “The entrepreneurship curriculum, specifically, showed me how I could start a project of my own and create a scalable business to enforce my own interests. I have met so many individuals that have also inspired me to follow my passion and do something different. There are too many to name.”

Keegan’s success story serves as an example of how to turn personal interests into a career. 

“To anyone that is unsatisfied with what they are doing or not doing currently: Put 80 percent of your time into the things that genuinely matter to you, and great things will follow,” Guizard said.