WARREN, Mich. — De La Salle Collegiate is proud to announce the launch of its new Business Center and Bloomberg Finance Lab, a transformational investment in student learning designed to prepare young men for careers in finance, business, entrepreneurship, marketing, communications, and emerging technologies.

The Business Center will include a state-of-the-art Bloomberg Finance Lab, a dedicated Business & Entrepreneurship Classroom, and a Marketing & Communications Studio, giving students access to hands-on, real-world learning experiences that extend far beyond the traditional classroom.

The Bloomberg Finance Lab will bring Bloomberg Education Terminals to campus, providing students with access to the same financial technology, market data, and analytical tools used by professionals, universities, investment firms, and institutions around the world.

“This is about giving our students a real-world advantage,” said Dan Rohn, chief operating officer at De La Salle Collegiate. “The Bloomberg Terminals allow our young men to move beyond the textbook and engage with the same tools, data, and decision-making platforms used by professionals on Wall Street and across the global financial industry. It gives them an academic edge, but more importantly, it gives them a real-world edge.”

Through the Business Center and Bloomberg Finance Lab, students will be able to analyze markets, track economic trends, study financial statements, interpret real-time data, and better understand how financial decisions impact their lives. The program will be integrated into De La Salle’s business, economics, accounting, entrepreneurship, marketing, communications, and personal finance curriculum.

The addition comes at a critical time, as financial literacy, business education, and professional readiness have become essential for students preparing for college, careers, and adulthood. Students will gain practical experience in budgeting, credit, loans, interest rates, inflation, investing, diversification, risk, long-term financial planning, entrepreneurship, brand strategy, marketing, communications, and emerging technologies.

“What makes this so important is that it goes far beyond finance or business classes,” Rohn said. “This is truly about preparing our young men for the real world. We want our students to understand how to make smart financial decisions and how leadership, economics, technology, communication, and financial literacy impact their lives beyond De La Salle.”

De La Salle will be the only high school in the state of Michigan with Bloomberg technology, positioning the school as a leader in applied business education and financial literacy. The lab will also give students the opportunity to complete Bloomberg certifications, including Bloomberg Market Concepts, providing a meaningful credential for college applications, scholarship applications, resumes, and future professional opportunities.

For Gene Bitonti, ’93, founding member and managing director at Woodward Park Partners, supporting the project was about helping De La Salle students compete in an increasingly demanding college and career landscape.

“The job market for careers in finance, investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, and related fields is more competitive than ever, and so is the admissions process for top business schools,” Bitonti said. “Programs like this introduce students to the curriculum, technology, and real-world skills they need at an earlier stage. The Business Center and Bloomberg Finance Lab will give students interested in these fields a meaningful advantage, not only when applying to top business schools, but also when they get there, pursue internships, and eventually compete for the careers they want.”

 

The Business Center and Bloomberg Finance Lab will also strengthen De La Salle’s DECA program, entrepreneurship capstones, college-readiness initiatives, and future business-focused programming by helping students analyze financial scenarios, interpret data quickly, develop strategic recommendations, communicate ideas effectively, and defend decisions under pressure.

Michael Brillati, ’93, De La Salle benefactor and business owner, said the project represents an investment in practical skills that can benefit students throughout their lives.

“This gives students opportunities to understand investing, finances, and how to make better financial decisions,” Brillati said. “Once you understand money and how money works, it can help you be successful in your personal and professional life. That is what makes this such an important opportunity for De La Salle students.”

The program is not designed simply to create future financial professionals. It is designed to graduate financially literate students, confident decision-makers, strong communicators, and young leaders prepared for an increasingly complex economy.

 

“These are the kinds of opportunities that help our students stand out,” Rohn said. “If our students are taking courses, earning certifications, and gaining hands-on experience in high school that many students do not experience until college, they are going to be ahead. This gives them confidence, experience, and a stronger foundation as they pursue the best universities and future careers.”

The Business Center and Bloomberg Finance Lab will serve as another signature academic addition as De La Salle Collegiate continues to build upon its nearly 100-year tradition of forming young men of faith, integrity, scholarship, and service.

At De La Salle Collegiate, the goal remains clear: Prepare students for college, prepare them for careers, and prepare them for life.