MARQUETTE — Entrepreneurship was the name of the game at Northern Michigan University Thursday.

The College of Business held its second annual Celebration of Entrepreneurship, which featured workshops from community professionals and business owners. NMU students weren’t the only group to benefit from the workshops.

“We have a number of local high schools attending along with college students,” said College of Business Assistant Dean Jody Lindberg. “We’ve had a lot of great comments about last year’s. A lot of the same students are attending with different students. It gives them a really great opportunity to see all different kinds of aspects of business, what type of opportunities, what type of careers they would want to go into.”

“I like the fact that it’s based on being an entrepreneur,” said Dr. James Surrell, a Marquette surgeon who spoke at the event. “In other words, ‘I can do things that maybe I’ve never thought of.’ I think this is an important event for the Upper Peninsula. We have a lot of entrepreneurs in the Upper Peninsula.”

The conference was held in conjunction with the eighth annual New Venture Business Competition, where students compete to win cash and consulting prizes to help make their entrepreneurial ideas a reality.

“I was able to put some of my management, marketing, and accounting class experience into work acutally making a real business plan,” said competitor Ethan Hausmann.

“It’s a great opportunity for students, if they have an idea, to start getting their business off the ground,” Lindberg added.

Competitors were tasked with presenting their business plans before a panel of judges consisting of local entrepreneurs.