William Price III ’13 G’ 14

B.S. Business Administration; MBA
Chief Operating Officer, StemCultures LLC, Rensselaer, NY
Lives in Saugerties, NY

StemCultures, a biotechnology startup, needed help. The company was advancing methods to make it easier for research scientists to use stem cells to fight a list of diseases. But to survive, StemCultures needed to improve its sales, marketing and other core functions. Someone asked Professor Mike Mathews, head of the Saint Rose MBA program, for assistance. Mathews immediately turned to one of his most gifted students, William Price. “It was my military mindset: when asked, you just do it,” recalls Price, then an MBA candidate already working in corporate management.

A retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps, Price had graduated summa cum laude with an undergraduate Saint Rose business degree and dedicated himself to building up the College’s veterans’ programs. While a grad student, he wrote an analysis for a successful StemCultures that was so compelling the company hired him as chief sales and marketing officer. Next, Price was promoted to chief operating officer of what is now a growing business with a presence in 18 countries. “I saw working here as a way to use my tools to help build something that could really make a difference,” he explained.

Price credits Saint Rose faculty with giving him a welcoming academic home following his military service. As an undergraduate, professors at the Huether School of Business taught him the fundamentals. As a graduate student, they challenged him with complex ideas and problems.

Now, Price is reciprocating, building a pipeline from the College to a young company that is making strides in global business and cutting edge science. StemCultures provides internships for Saint Rose business and biology students year ’round and, increasingly, hires them. “It is part of our duty as alumni to pave the way for the next generation,” explained Price, who is on campus frequently to speak to classes.