CEO of SOLitude Lake Management Kevin Tucker and his wife, Jennifer, have pledged $125,000 to establish the Tucker Student Venture Creation Fellowship Endowment for James Madison University’s Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship. The Tucker Family Fellowship will contribute $4,000+ annually in perpetuity to a top student from the program’s Summer Venture Accelerator (SVA).
The SVA provides student entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop businesses at all stages. Through the 10-week program, student fellows receive funding, workspace, mentorship, business classes, hands-on learning experiences, and a final opportunity to pitch their venture against peers across the nation. The SVA is a competitive program—more than 100 JMU students apply each year, but only 20 are selected to participate.
The Tucker Student Venture Creation Fellowship Endowment was announced at the annual Student Venture Showcase held at JMU in Harrisonburg, VA last month. The inaugural Tucker Fellow will be awarded at next year’s Venture Showcase.
“When an alumnus has been successful and supports students who are venturing on the same path that he or she once did, it has a compounding effect,” Patrick McQuown, Director of the Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship, said. “We congratulate Kevin on his success and appreciate his acknowledgment of the work we do to support aspiring business owners.”
Tucker earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management with a concentration in Finance from James Madison University in 1993. Five years later, he established SOLitude Lake Management (originally, Virginia Lake Management) in southeastern Virginia. The company now operates from 50 offices throughout the country, with locations from Massachusetts to Florida, Tennessee, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and California, to name a few. Under Tucker’s leadership, SOLitude has become the nation’s largest environmental firm specializing in sustainable lake, stormwater pond, wetland and fisheries management solutions.
Though the SVA program was not established until well after Tucker completed his undergraduate career, he has become a dedicated supporter of JMU, serving as a guest lecturer, a member of JMU’s Board for the Center of Entrepreneurship, and as an Entrepreneur in Residence.
Tucker has long believed in the importance of supporting his local communities and organizations. This led him to establish a volunteering and community outreach arm of SOLitude Lake Management called The SOLution in 2012. Through this program, employees are encouraged and rewarded for volunteering during and outside of regular work hours. Since the kick-off of The SOLution, the SOLitude team has generated more than 17,000 volunteer hours for causes and non-profit organizations that they are passionate about. The creation of the Tucker Fellowship underscores this dedication to altruism and supporting others.
Learn more about The SOLution program.
Contact the experts at 888-480-5253 for all of your lake, stormwater pond, wetland and fisheries management needs.
SOLitude Lake Management is a nationwide environmental firm committed to providing sustainable solutions that improve water quality, enhance beauty, preserve natural resources and reduce our environmental footprint. SOLitude’s team of aquatic resource management professionals specializes in the development and execution of customized lake, stormwater pond, wetland and fisheries management programs that include water quality testing and restoration, nutrient remediation, algae and aquatic weed control, installation and maintenance of fountains and aeration systems, bathymetry, shoreline erosion restoration, mechanical harvesting and hydro-raking, lake vegetation studies, biological assessments, habitat evaluations, and invasive species management. Services and educational resources are available to clients nationwide, including homeowners associations, multi-family and apartment communities, golf courses, commercial developments, ranches, private landowners, reservoirs, recreational and public lakes, municipalities, drinking water authorities, parks, and state and federal agencies. SOLitude Lake Management is a proud member of the Rentokil Steritech family of companies in North America.
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