Page 35 - Penn State Civil and Environmental Engineering Magazine

ALUMNI NEWS
Mory Diane, a Penn State civil engineering alumnus currently enrolled in the Penn State Online MBA Program, ramped up his start-up business, KORVEX, in a matter of days to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The course curriculum was like nectar to a bee for Mory, creating the ideal environment for him to strengthen his entrepreneurial skills and take on this ambitious venture.
“One of our early topics in class was how to identify niches, gaps or opportunities where a start-up can play a role,” Clark said. “In fact, one of the exercises was problem identification—look for a problem and then figure out a solution. Mory has done exactly that with KORVEX.”
“Over the course of several weeks,” Clark continued, “Mory emailed me a series of business ideas, which was fascinating because usually someone will have a single passion and keep working on it but Mory’s ideas were serial and differentiated. The next thing I know he’s asking me to review his website and using his Chinese contacts to buy masks.
In our current world situation, he recognized quickly that there was an opportunity for him to help.”
“Dr. Clark was very supportive of what I was doing,” Mory said. “I consulted with him often as I was working through my ideas and eventually landed on KORVEX. He gave me great feedback throughout.”
An Idea Takes Flight
While most start-up businesses take months or even years to ramp up, Mory compressed his timeline into mere weeks with KORVEX.
“We’ve already taken several orders that are currently in transit or being processed for shipment,” he said. “The orders are mostly from individuals so far, but we were just invited to become part of [an] exclusive PPE distributor list. Hopefully this will allow us to reach larger organizations and hospitals. I’m also spreading the word about the website through Facebook, LinkedIn and Nextdoor.”
Mory doesn’t hesitate when asked why he took on this endeavor on top of a full-time job, another start- up company, and his online Penn State classes.
“This project meant taking on extra work, but it’s worth it because we are in a crisis. I know I’m not Bill Gates, who has put millions of dollars toward the effort, but I’m doing what I can. Doing nothing would be turning a blind eye to a serious situation.
“We are living through a time
that will be remembered for ages to come, but I’m confident that something good will come out of it,” he added. “If everyone does a little, it adds up to a lot.”
Mory Diane, second from right, took time out of his Penn State Online MBA residency requirements to pose with his project partners, from left: Patrick Joyce, Jerret Fischer, Diane, and Danilo Chavarria. IMAGE: Provided
“If everyone does a little, it adds up to a lot.”
CEE NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 36, 2020 35