Two Penn State Staff Members Launched Businesses with Support from the EAC

Two Penn State staff members working in different disciplines saw a similar opportunity for themselves: to turn years of professional and academic expertise into consulting businesses they could build alongside their university roles. 

Both knew what they wanted to do, but not how to navigate the legal steps of making a business official. They turned to the Penn State Dickinson Law Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic (EAC) for business and legal advice, which helped transform each of their ideas into functioning entities. 

Carrie Marcinkevage — “Dr. CRM” Finds Her Niche 

Carrie Marcinkevage, CRM director in the Smeal College of Business, is known in higher education technology circles by another name: “Dr. CRM.” The nickname emerged after she presented research from her Ph.D. dissertation on CRM adoption and strategy in higher education at a conference. 

“The nickname Dr. CRM just stuck after that. I’ve been introduced at speaking engagements with that name ever since,” said Marcinkevage, who received her Ph.D. in workforce education and development from the Penn State College of Education. 

She recognized a gap in the market – smaller institutions and startups that don’t need massive consulting firms, but do need some expert guidance when it comes to adopting a CRM solution. 

When an opportunity arose to consult with a startup developing an AI-driven CRM platform, Marcinkevage realized she needed to formalize her business quickly. She turned to the EAC for guidance on how to do it right, and fast. 

The clinic helped her establish Marcinkevage Consulting LLC, while also navigating how she could legally operate under the fictitious name Dr. CRM. 

“One of the big questions I had was, could I do both? Did I have to pick one?” she said. “They helped me think through naming, how to operate under two names, and how to make sure everything was set up properly.” 

Beyond formation, the EAC provided sample consulting agreements that Marcinkevage said clarified how to build one that is legally appropriate. 

“The support and the efficiency were top notch, and the law student I worked with was really friendly and personable,” Marcinkevage said. “It never felt like someone who was learning. They were so knowledgeable, fluent, and efficient.”  

Marcinkevage added that the EAC team helped her at a speed that allowed her to form an LLC in time to align with her first client’s rapid timeline. 

“We literally workshopped things on screen together. The EAC followed up quickly, and I could see exactly where things were in the process,” she said. “I would have definitely made mistakes if I hadn’t had their help.” 

Michael Waldhier — Turning Creativity Research into Consulting Potential 

Michael Waldhier, managing director of the Executive Doctorate of Business Administration program and adjunct professor of business in the Smeal College of Business, came to consulting from a different angle — one rooted in creativity, improvisation, and leadership. 

A Penn State alum with degrees in IST, business administration, and workforce education, Waldhier had previously worked as a strategy consultant in Washington, D.C. When a former colleague reached out about collaborating on new projects, he realized he needed a business entity in place. 

Waldhier’s research focuses on creativity and improvisation, and he began imagining how improv techniques could be used to train creative leaders in non-creative organizations. 

“I thought maybe I could use my business entity to do that kind of training for clients — creativity, improvisation, leadership,” he said. 

With the support of the EAC, Waldhier formed Forrest Creative Consulting, named after his middle name. He said the process felt intimidating at first. 

“Whenever an individual tries to do something like that, there’s an uncertainty — I don’t want to forget something or miss something,” he said. “It’s difficult as a layperson to understand what’s actually necessary.” 

That’s where the EAC stepped in. Despite reaching out during the summer, Waldhier was pleasantly surprised by how responsive and efficient the clinic was. 

“Within two days they got back to me. A couple days later we had a call, and within two weeks I went from reaching out to being almost done,” he said. “The speed and professionalism of the students was impressive.” 

The EAC prepared paperwork in advance, asked targeted questions, and demystified the entire process. 

“Taking the fear out of the process is what they did for me,” Waldhier said. “They made it understandable, simple, and easy for anybody like myself to do.” 

Today, Forrest Creative Consulting is ready whenever a new opportunity arises. 

“If opportunities present themselves, that’s something I can do now that I couldn’t have done two years ago,” he said. “It was a great experience — now it’s up to me to make something of it.” 

About the Penn State Dickinson Law Clinics 

Penn State Dickinson Law offers two cost-free legal clinics to Pennsylvania entrepreneurs — the Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic (EAC) and the Intellectual Property Clinic (IPC) — both of which are staffed by law students who work under the supervision of full-time lawyers. The IPC provides IP services related to patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights. The EAC offers counseling, document drafting, and entity formation assistance to startups and small businesses that otherwise would be unable to afford traditional legal assistance.   

Although physically located at Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank in downtown State College, both the EAC and IPC serve all of Pennsylvania through videoconferencing.    

Potential clients who are interested in obtaining services from the EAC should submit an intake form.    

Potential clients who are interested in obtaining services from the IPC should submit an intake form. 

This program is supported by Invent Penn State, a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success.  

This project was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community & Economic Development.