Show-Me State Times

The Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship at Saint Louis University recently honored two individuals by inducting them into its Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. The event took place on November 8 at the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business.

This year's honorees are Don Ross, former vice chairman of Enterprise Holdings, and Andrew Fehlman, CEO of Solarity Health. The Hall of Fame acknowledges entrepreneurs connected to Saint Louis University who have made significant contributions through leadership in various sectors.

Lewis Sheats, director of the Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship, stated, “We celebrate the deep-rooted history of entrepreneurship at Saint Louis University with the hall of fame inductees. They serve as inspiration for our students and a reminder of how entrepreneurship can impact our community.”

Besides the Hall of Fame recognitions, two young entrepreneurs were also honored. Gabe Haas received the Young Alumni Entrepreneur award, while Kirti Madhu was named Student Entrepreneur of the Year for 2024.

Don Ross has had a lengthy career in the car rental industry with Enterprise Holdings Inc., joining Enterprise Rent-A-Car in 1964 and contributing significantly to its expansion. He held several key positions over his career before becoming vice chairman in 2004. Ross is also active in various business and community organizations in St. Louis.

Andrew Fehlman joined Solarity Health as a sales executive in 2008 and worked his way up to CEO by 2019. Solarity Health provides automated clinical data processing solutions for healthcare providers. Fehlman graduated from Saint Louis University with a degree focused on entrepreneurship.

Gabe Haas co-founded GenAssist, which develops regenerative biomaterials like MyoMatrix for treating muscle conditions such as Volumetric Muscle Loss (VML). His journey began while working as an undergraduate researcher at SLU's School of Science and Engineering.

Kirti Madhu is pursuing double majors at SLU and has been involved with several entrepreneurial programs through the Center for Entrepreneurship. She led SLULaunch, an incubator that builds on medical and biomedical entrepreneurship foundations while expanding opportunities across other business areas.

The Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business has been influential since its founding in 1910, offering nationally ranked programs recognized by U.S. News & World Report.