“Chris has had publications in the Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, and Journal of Organization Design. Earlier this year, he presented a co-authored paper (with Bill McKelvey) at the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference that won Kauffman Firm Survey Best Paper Award and a $1,000 prize.”
- Dr. David Dubofsky, Entrepreneurship

Christopher Crawford received a BBA in International Business Management at the University of Toledo in 1992. He spent his junior year abroad at University of Salford, in Salford, England. In 2002, he received an MBA in Marketing at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Currently, Christopher is a Ph.D. candidate in the Entrepreneurship program at UofL and plans to graduate in May.

Interview:

Specific areas of research (how you chose this research, why it interested you):
In general, I study entrepreneurship, the creation of new ventures; specifically, my research focus is on how businesses scale up to extreme outcomes that can influence the local and global environment. I had my own consulting company, Red Apple Consulting, and I’ve always been interested in how and why some businesses grow and others don’t.

Long term goals/ aspirations:
My professional goal is to publish an article that changes the way people think about teaching, researching, and practicing entrepreneurship. I would also like to publish a book that helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses and to speak at a TED Conference. My personal goals are to run a half-marathon in November, run a Warrior Dash in June, and travel around the world.

How would you describe your area of study/ specific research to your grandmother?
I study how people start new businesses, how those businesses grow, and how they get big enough to influence the industries and economies in which they operate.

How do you think this advanced degree will change your role in society?
It will provide more opportunities to do research that can help entrepreneurs, local communities, and government policy-makers.

What accomplishment, academic or otherwise, are you most proud of?
Academically, I am most proud to have sole-authored the Best Paper at the 2012 Academy of Management Conference. Personally, I am most proud of being ranked 17th in the country for the 165lb weight-class in powerlifting.

What was your favorite part of the graduate school experience?
The opportunity to study with some of the most influential scholars in the domain.

What do you feel is the greatest challenge that graduate students face and how have you dealt with this challenge?
The greatest challenge for a graduate student is managing the interaction of high stress and low cash-flow. I haven’t dealt with this effectively: I was just in the hospital for chest pain. My new regimen will include a drastic change in diet and exercise, including training for a half-marathon in November.

Family life:
I have two sons, Adam (12) and Samuel (9). We spent most of the summer at King’s Island riding roller coasters. My girlfriend Megan and I love to travel. I have a one year-old white Labrador Retriever, named Oakley, who just started swimming in the lake.