Lockwood utilized the $6,000 he earned from a business competition at Quinnipiac to develop and launch Excelerate Performance, a shop that provides aftermarket automotive performance parts for European vehicles in Connecticut. 

Lockwood transferred to Quinnipiac to achieve his goal of becoming an entrepreneur. He graduated with a bachelor's in business management and a minor in Spanish. The courses and experiences he obtained from Quinnipiac set him on the road for the success he enjoys today, he said.

“In one of the entrepreneurship courses, we had to develop a business plan. At the end, there was a competition and winning that was a validation of the reason I transferred to Quinnipiac. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, and this solidified it for me and has shaped my entire professional career and personal life,” he said.

The business competition required students to develop a business plan to launch. Lockwood formed his winning strategy by conducting his own research.

“The strategy was to develop a plan based on research. I spoke to real-life entrepreneurs; I researched costs of starting and running a business. I spent time understanding what it would require to effectively launch and sustain a business,” he said.

Prior to Quinnipiac, Lockwood had started various small businesses, but the education he received pushed them to the next level.

“Quinnipiac helped me put structure and academic skills behind my passion. While anyone can start a business and no degree is required, I did learn important business principles that have helped me jump start my business,” said Lockwood.

After winning the competition, Lockwood combined the $6,000 prize with money he earned from previous jobs and money from his graduation party to start his business.

“I started this business with that $6,000, $5,000 I saved up from working part time and $4,000 from my college graduation party. So, without those funds it would have been difficult to launch the business, especially considering $15,000 didn't go far,” he said.

Lockwood has faced many challenges throughout his business career, but he used the skills he was taught during his time at Quinnipiac to overcome them.

“It's very tough to start your own business and maintain it year after year. All the education in the world doesn't prepare you for it. However, Quinnipiac helped me learn business principles and basic techniques that I was able to hone with ongoing education and a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” said Lockwood.

Since graduating Quinnipiac, Lockwood has expanded Excelerate Performance into a profitable business with four divisions; local installation of performance upgrades, local European car repair, online B2C and B2B sales of aftermarket automotive performance parts.

“The business now operates out of a 22,000-square-foot building with extensive assets and inventory. We have a strong team of knowledgeable, passionate people and we have several websites to support each of our customers. We operate on an ERP to effectively manage orders, inventory and accounting. And while we now consistently generate millions of dollars in revenue per year, we can support much more with the infrastructure put in place,” he said.