Staff
Steve VanderVeen enjoys co-discovering and co-developing entrepreneurial leaders.
He earned a BA in English (Calvin College). Then he drove a moving van, stayed in school, and earned an MBA (Western Michigan University). Next, he worked as a stockbroker. In 1989 he started teaching business at Calvin College. While at Calvin, he took a two-year leave of absence to work on a Ph.D in marketing at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Back at Calvin, he taught marketing, leadership, and entrepreneurship courses. He wrote articles and made presentations on faith and business.
VanderVeen moved to Hope College in 2004. At Hope, from 2007-2016, he directed the Center for Faithful Leadership, where he co-developed the CFL Consulting, Hope Entrepreneurship Initiative, and Leadership Minor programs; from 2017-2021 he advised the Baker Scholars.
For one year he served Trinity Christian College in a management and teaching role.
In 2016 he created Start-Up AcademE, Inc. to offer experiential learning opportunities for students attending the Boys and Girls Club, Escape Ministries, and Trio/Upward Bound. He also created experiences for adults with special needs at Preferred Employment and Living Supports.
From July 2021 through December 2024 he was a volunteer columnist for the Holland Sentinel, writing about local, historical entrepreneurs.
He retired from Hope College and academia in June 2022. But, in August, he accepted a full-time position at Cornerstone University as Professor of Management and faculty lead of the Center for Experiential Learning. In January 2025 he also accepted an adjunct professor role at Calvin University. Entrepreneurship (the Start-Up) remains his favorite course to teach.
Meanwhile, he continues to author books, presentations, and articles on the nexus of entrepreneurship and Holland Michigan’s business history.
In the future he hopes to make '“stone soup.”
Stone Soup
A metaphor for Start-Up AcademE, Inc is an English folk story called “Stone Soup.”
Some travelers came to a village situated near a woods and a small stream. They had with them only their belongings and a large cooking pot filled with small pails. The people in the village were curious.
From a distance the villagers watched as the travelers dug a fire pit near the stream and scavenged the woods for large branches to build a contraption from which to hang their pot. Next, they saw the travelers go to the stream, each carrying two pails. They filled them and emptied them into the large pot. Then they searched the river bed for a large stone. Curiously, they carried the large stone to the pot and carefully lowered it into the water. Then they gathered wood and built a crackling fire in the pit.
Eventually, one of the villagers wandered up to the travelers and asked what the they were doing. Surprisingly, the travelers said they were making “stone soup.” They said it would be delicious and nourishing, but only if the villagers contributed some of what they had. Skeptical but hopeful, the questioning villager contributed a few carrots and beans, and stood by to see what would happen.
Soon another villager stopped to inquire about the pot and again the travelers suggested their stone soup wouldn’t reach its potential unless more villagers contributed some of what they had. The second villager then put a litle meat and a few potatoes into the pot, and stood by to see what would happen. The bystanders noticed the steam from the pot began to smell delicious.
As time went by, more and more villagers saw the gathering crowd and smelled the simmering soup, and each added his or her own unique ingredients.
And the soup was delicious and nourishing.
Inspired, whenever the villagers travel, they carry with them a large cooking pot filled with small pails.
(Adapted from https://medium.com/@salescoachmike/stone-soup-a-client-development-metaphor-8f49992c8b06; see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Soup)
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To support Start-Up AcademE, Inc, click here or contact Steve VanderVeen (skvveen@gmail.com). Thank you!
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