Franz Lohrke

Education

• PhD, Louisiana State University, 1996
• MBA, University of Iowa, 1990
• BA, Flagler College, 1988

Professional activities

Franz T. Lohrke holds the title of Lowder Eminent Scholar and Professor at Auburn University. He has assisted aspiring entrepreneurs for over 20 years through his teaching, mentorship, investing, and community service activities. He also has contributed frequently to stories in the business press about entrepreneurship.

He previously held the Brock Family Chair in Entrepreneurship and served as a department chair at Samford University. In these roles, he helped build the school’s entrepreneurship program into one that the US Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) selected as the best new entrepreneurship program in the US in 2010. He also served as a faculty member at other schools, including the University of Southern Mississippi, University of Alabama, and Louisiana State University.

Lohrke has presented papers about entrepreneurship at several national and international entrepreneurship conferences and published articles in several top academic journals.  In addition, he has co-edited two books on entrepreneurship theory.

Prior to his academic career, Lohrke worked primarily in the hospitality industry, including small and start-up restaurants, as well as banquet services and restaurant management at Walt Disney’s EPCOT theme park.  During his academic career, he co-founded and currently helps manage Wize Owl Wizards, LLC.