Although Blake Napier is in his second decade as a successful entrepreneur, he is acquiring plenty of valuable knowledge in Boise State University’s online Bachelor of Business Administration in Management program.
“I have learned a lot,” he said. “When I took some of the stats classes and the accounting classes, I learned about Microsoft Excel formulas. The last class I took was finance. Those formulas were on Excel, which I had to learn. Business courses in strategic management and finance and working as teams were very helpful, educational and applicable.”
Napier, owner and chief operating officer of Alloway Lighting Company in Boise, enrolled in the undergraduate degree program with a bigger plan in mind. He will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in December 2025.
“I’m always wanting to expand my education,” he said. “I wanted to get a business degree and then go get my MBA. The first step was to get the BBA in Management. I am going to start the general MBA program online at Boise State in January.”
The flexibility of the online format is helping Napier earn a degree while he runs his business without missing a beat. He also had a stint as vice president of business banking and treasury management at a Boise bank while enrolled.
“I have a lot going on,” he said. “The program is very convenient. There are times when you can work at your own pace because some of the classes release the entire seven weeks at once. You can work on it as fast as possible, but it’s still done by the end of the seven-week period.
“A lot of the classes I have taken on the business side have a lot of discussions within the modules. That prohibits you from completing it early because you have to respond and communicate as part of a team. So, when I am offered a class where I can finish as quickly as possible, I will do so.”
Back home again
A Boise native, Napier enrolled at Boise State after he graduated from high school. He attended for three years on campus in the 1980s as a communications major.
“I was studying to be a pension actuary,” he said. “I left that and went into business development and corporate development. I worked for Amazon.com for seven years in Seattle on the corporate development team.
“I was in the e-commerce tech space for 20 years, so I ran corporate development and business development teams around the world. I worked for companies based in London, Raleigh, San Francisco, Seattle and Boise.”
Napier left that career field to take over Alloway Lighting in 2014. The company was originally founded in 1924.
“I wanted to run a business to give back to the community of Boise,” he said. “I wanted to hire people who live here. I wanted the money to stay in Boise and create a culture that is a Boise, Idaho, culture.”
Since he enrolled in the online Bachelor of Business Administration in Management program in 2022, Napier has especially enjoyed interacting with and picking the brains of his online classmates.
“I met a lot of people from all over the United States and Europe and engaged together with them,” he said. “I met nurses, military people, event planners, law enforcement. It was great.
“One that really stood out was this dude who lived in Salt Lake City and worked for Delta Airlines. He managed a division of all of the ticket counter people and flight attendants. He had like 5,000 reports. His job was to hire and fire people.
“There were dudes in the military who didn’t have the experience I had, so they would lean on me for some of that stuff. They were very book smart and driven by military process, but they didn’t understand what goes on in the real world. That was really interesting.”
More to learn
Napier looks forward to wrapping up the bachelor’s degree program, then transitioning into the Online Master of Business Administration program. He is considering whether or not to walk at graduation for the undergraduate degree to come full-circle from where he started.
“My family and friends like that I am back in school at Boise State,” he said. “My three kids are happy, excited and proud. One of my kids has a degree from Washington State, and one has a degree from the University of Arizona. The other one is attending Bosie State part-time on campus.”
Even though online learning is a new experience, Napier is adapting to a different approach to higher education than when he first started at Boise State.
“Because I own a business, I can typically break away and spend two days pounding through stuff, reading and getting the work done,” he said. “The online program is technology-based. I’m not as good at technology as the younger kids are, but everyone was accommodating. It works out.”
Napier plans to continue his local entrepreneurship after he graduates with an MBA. He is happy with his decision to become a Bronco again.
“I absolutely got good value out of the online Bachelor of Business Administration in Management program,” he said. “It’s a stepping stone to the MBA, but it has been a great experience.
“It is essential to continue learning and expanding your knowledge base, whether it’s in business or healthcare or whatever, it’s a great opportunity to learn at your own pace with a great group of people.”
Learn more about the business administration program
Earning an online Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.