Built to Last: Business, Faith, and Formation at Jessup

With Michael Obermire, Jett Ropke and Cole Spake

When Michael Obermire talks about Jessup University, it’s clear that this institution is much more than a job to him.

“Being at Jessup,” he says, “feels like coming home.”

After more than three decades in industrial engineering, operations, sales and executive leadership, Obermire followed what he now sees as a God-directed path into higher education. Long corporate days gave way to a desire for family, purpose and impact. “When you look back on it,” he reflects, “you can see doors opening and closing, all leading me right here.”

At Jessup, Obermire brings real-world business experience into the classroom—but never without faith at the center. “The best textbook they can use is the Bible,” he tells his students. “You own your honor. Nobody else owns it.” Integrity, he insists, is non-negotiable. “It’s better to be fired than to do something dishonorable.”

That philosophy has shaped countless students—including Jett Ropke and Cole Spake.

Spake came to Jessup looking for exactly what Obermire values most: small classes, Christian community and personal relationships. “I wanted a place where you get to know your teacher,” Spake says, “and every part of your class is leading you to Jesus.”

Ropke arrived more reluctantly. Originally planning to attend junior college, Ropke had double elbow surgery that altered his plans and opened the door to scholarships that made Jessup possible—but his heart wasn’t convinced yet. “I didn’t really want to come,” he admits. “But it totally changed my faith and all my relationships. It became the best thing that happened to my life.”

The two met on the baseball team and quickly became inseparable friends. As injuries and life transitions slowly pulled Ropke away from athletics, something else took shape. “God was slowly calling me out of sports,” Ropke says. “That was my whole identity. But once I let go, so many new things popped up.”

One of those things was business.

Spake, raised in an entrepreneurial family, felt called to create rather than consume. “I want to build something I care deeply about,” he explains. “One of the best ways I can honor God is through business—through what I can build.” Ropke, who once ran his own lawn care business, found the same joy in creating, connecting and problem-solving.

Jessup’s business faculty became catalysts. “We have professors with real-world experience,” Spake says. “You can call them up with any questions and if they can’t help, they’ll connect you with someone who can.” Ropke adds, “They actually care about you and what you’re building.”

That care proved formative when Ropke joined a Jessup Global Outreach trip with Filter of Hope. Installing water filters for families without clean water changed everything. “A lot of people had to choose between buying water or buying food,” he says. “Kids were getting sick. I had never seen anything like that.”

When he returned home, an idea surfaced—one rooted in both faith and action. Living Water Co. was born: a purpose-driven bottled water company that funds clean water initiatives while sharing the gospel. “Every bottle has a mission behind it,” Spake explains. “We want to be the most purpose-driven bottled water company in the world.”

For both students, the line between business and ministry doesn’t exist. “Our faith is the foundation of the company,” Spake says. “We pray before meetings. We lean on God for every decision.” Ropke agrees: “If God’s not in it, we don’t want it.”

That integration is exactly what Obermire hopes students will carry forward. “Success doesn’t have to mean the biggest job or the greatest car,” he says. “For a Jessup student, it’s more internal.” Leadership, he adds, starts small—with consistency, humility and character.

Today, Spake and Ropke are both in their first year of Jessup’s MBA program. Both are building Living Water Co. in real time, applying classroom learning directly to their company. “Every class,” Spake says, “we’re thinking about our business and applying it immediately.”

For Obermire, watching students like Spake and Ropke is confirmation of his calling. “God wanted me here—for one student or many,” he says. “Everybody needs to feel loved.”

At Jessup, that love takes tangible form: mentorship, opportunity and faith in action. From a professor who teaches integrity as a life principle to students who build businesses as acts of worship, the mission is lived—not just taught.

And for all three, it still feels like home.