Tulane graduates pledge to organize the greeks with ChapterSpot.com
Joe McMemenon and Brendan Finke, Sigma Phi Episilon fraternity brothers at Tulane University, soon recognized a need for a more organized method of communication while working for their chapter. But it wasn’t until they met again, several years later, that the drive to create ChapterSpot.com was born. McMemenon graduated with a degree in finance and had just begun working at Morgan Stanley mere months before the collapse in the financial sector of 2008. Finke was stopping in New York after spending a semester in Europe on a study-abroad program when the two decided to join forces and start their own business.
Although Finke was still in his senior year studying Political Science and Economics at Tulane, the partners delved into their savings and started to create ChapterSpot.com. Aside from attending school here, the duo considered several other benefits to starting their business in New Orleans. First and foremost, it was “where we wanted to be” professes McMemenon. They loved the city, not only for its affordability, but also for its rich culture and laid-back atmosphere. They also had already established connections with a “great network” of people and businesses in the Crescent City, not least of which being the folks at Idea Village.
In 2009, McMemenon and Finke made their dreams a reality with the official launch of ChapterSpot.com, an online communications resource for greek communities and/or any group or organization that needs its services. ChapterSpot offers the tools needed to help manage these types of organizations at both local and national levels. Services include overcoming communication difficulties by creating a member database to easily send emails and texts, notifying members of dues as well as offering a platform for payment, creating and organizing events and even offer an online marketplace for t-shirts and tickets. They also offer to design, build and host websites for individual chapters.
It seems that work and play are intricately intertwined for the young partners, especially McMemenon who believes he’s reached that magical balance where “work and life are aligned” instead of in opposition. They both admit that even while out on the town, enjoying dinner and drinks with family and friends, the conversation almost always turns to ChapterSpot. But before you start thinking they’re a couple of work-a-holics, know they have some downtime; Finke enjoys cooking and McMemenon can’t resist a good run through the streets of the Crescent City.
*Article originally published in the July 2013 issue of New Orleans Living Magazine
