William Elffers didn’t just attend Kent State University; he immersed himself in a campus environment that helped shape how he thinks, collaborates and leads.
Nearly a decade after earning his Bachelor of Business Administration in entrepreneurship with a minor in marketing in 2015, Elffers is now business development team lead at FIT Technologies, a Cleveland-based, employee-owned managed service provider. He’s been with FIT Technologies since 2022. Before that, Elffers used the skills he gained at Kent State in such roles around Northeast Ohio as sales and marketing manager at Davey Drill Inc.; procurement specialist at dlhBOWLES; and account executive at ARC Document Solutions.
Looking back, Elffers says he traces much of his professional foundation to the moment he chose Kent State.
Finding His Direction
Elffers arrived at Kent State already interested in business and entrepreneurship, something he began developing while attending nearby Hudson High School. As he weighed his college options, one aspect of Kent State stood out immediately: the ability to enter the entrepreneurship program right away.
“A big part of going to Kent State was their entrepreneurship program,” Elffers said. “At that time, you entered straight into the entrepreneurship program, so you got to get started right away with classes.”
Rather than focusing narrowly on one discipline, the program’s structure exposed students to multiple facets of business early on. That variety mattered to Elffers.
“It wasn't just focusing on marketing or focusing on accounting, but getting that full breadth, which at the time I thought it could help in my career in the future, and also in different entrepreneurship endeavors,” he said.
Housed within Kent State’s Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, the program emphasizes experiential learning, collaboration and early engagement – experiences that would later prove essential in Elffers’ professional life.
Lessons That Carried Forward
One sophomore-year course left a particularly lasting impression on Elffers. In the class, students worked together to launch real business concepts, navigating disagreements, competing ideas and shared ownership along the way.
“You're working through, not conflict, but somebody has an idea that they're very passionate about and [you’re] having a great conversation and dialogue to meet in the middle,” Elffers explained.
Those experiences now mirror the realities of his role at FIT Technologies, he says.
“Today, expanding a team or working with a different team within IT at FIT, you have to understand they're bringing their ideas and what their passions are into that role or into that meeting, hearing them out and then working toward that common goal,” he said.
Beyond technical business skills, Elffers credits Kent State with helping him develop something more personal: the confidence to advocate for himself. Having participated in educational support programs both in high school and at Kent State, he learned early on that success required initiative.
“One skill was being my self-advocate,” Elffers said. “Being at Kent State and working with those teachers and the different programs of like, hey, here's everything we have to offer, but it's on you to do this. We're not going to hold your hand through this, which is understandable. We're getting you ready for the future.”
That self-starter mindset stayed with him well after graduation. When his wife transitioned from teaching to running her own business full-time, Elffers reached back out to Kent State faculty and mentors for advice, seeking guidance on accounting questions and even the logistics of filing for an LLC with the state of Ohio.
The Ambassador Crawford College Career Services Office helps current students and alumni prepare for business careers through a number of programs and offerings, including access to internships, networking opportunities, résumé reviews, recruitment events and more.
Elffers says finding his first job through the college’s job board is what has kept him in Ohio.
“Getting that job before I even graduated is what kept me in Ohio,” he said. “And I think without that, I wouldn't have really known where to apply because LinkedIn wasn't where it is today. You had Indeed and other things, but I was really excited to stay within Kent and continue to live there. That job board is what really kept me in Ohio.”
Encouragement for Future Entrepreneurs
For high school students considering Kent State’s entrepreneurship program, Elffers encourages them to take the leap.
“Deep down everybody has an idea for a business, but somewhere along the way, somebody tells them, just choose the safe route,” he said. “Four years at Kent, five years, six years at Kent is a great time to really explore what your possibilities are with starting a business. It's a safe environment. You can fail and get picked back up and learn.”
Failure, he added, has often been his most effective teacher.
“My greatest actions have always come from some sort of failure. This is what I did, this is what I needed [to do] differently, this is how I'm going to go forward.”
Elffers tells students to take full advantage of everything the program has to offer.
“You have tools and assets at your fingertips. Use them,” he said. “You're going to meet people who have been very successful in their careers and they're giving their time to help educate you and train you and catapult you into the future.”