Originally published on March 16, 2023.
Phil Van Treuren, an SUU English major in creative writing, has truly embodied the entrepreneurial spirit by building his business from the ground up. After working at digital marketing agencies for a decade following graduation, he became inspired to sell his own products online.
Today he is the proud founder and CEO of his own company, Chomp (www.chomp.us), which provides three different subscription options to aid horse, chicken, and pig owners. Each subscription supports its respective animal rescue shelter, and offers monthly boxes filled with gourmet treats, toys, and fun supplies.
Phil credits SUU for his entrepreneurial success, saying, “I’ve used what I learned about writing at SUU in ways I never imagined, culminating in the website content, advertising copy, blog posts, and marketing emails that helped make my own business a success two decades later.”
When he toured SUU as a student, Phil says that it immediately felt like a great place to discover himself and what he wanted to do. He also enjoyed how close the campus was to his home in Nevada, as well as the beautiful campus and the land surrounding it.
From his time at SUU, Phil discovered the many diverse programs, classes to take, and groups to get involved in. He says that one lesson he learned was to specialize in his talents instead of stretching himself too thin trying to do everything.
The relationships that Phil started while at SUU developed into valuable, lifelong friendships. His freshman year roommate was an exchange student from Russia named Misha. Although Misha has since moved to Moscow they still keep in touch and visit each other.
He also made meaningful connections with SUU faculty. He says, “I had many inspiring professors at SUU through the years, including the novelist Lawrence Coates and the unforgettable David Lee, who was Utah’s first Poet Laureate.”
Phil now lives outside of Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife and four children.
“One of the reasons I became an entrepreneur was to allow myself the freedom to build my career and schedule around my family, and I enjoy being able to play such a big role in their lives. I love coming home every day, and being a father is what I was made to do,” he says.
