Marquette graduate Richie Burke isn’t wasting any time putting his business degree to work. At the end of August Burke launched GoGeddit, a web-based daily deals community dreamed up by Burke in an effort to leave his mark on the business world.

“I wanted to start a business, to go out and do something on my own,” said Burke, who graduated from the College of Business Administration in May.

Similar to big name competitor Groupon, GoGeddit offers consumers deals and discounts for an ever-growing list of businesses located in the Milwaukee and Madison areas. Unique to GoGeddit is the ability for users to customize categories. GoGeddit also encourages interaction between businesses and consumers, and will be contributing a percentage of all profits to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Foundation Fund.

Burke believes interaction and his socially responsible approach to business will strengthen both the local community and economy.

The transition from learning about business to running one seems to come naturally to Burke, even as a recent graduate.

“The most important thing I got from Marquette was building relationships and meeting new people,” he said.

Burke said while he hopes to reach consumers beyond Marquette, there will be promotions for students. Among the growing community of campus businesses on board with GoGeddit, Burke was proud to announce a recent agreement with The Broken Yolk restaurant.

But the Marquette connection goes beyond Burke’s current endeavors, and even past his days as a Golden Eagle. Burke’s grandfather, Richard Burke, graduated from Marquette in 1956 before founding the Trek Bicycle Corporation.

The elder Burke, who passed away in 2008, spent much of his career working on various philanthropic projects throughout the Milwaukee area, all while running a successful company.

Now, Burke hopes to do much of the same. “I still think about him a lot, and I try and follow in his footsteps,” he said. Although, as Burke admits, “those are some pretty big shoes to fill.”