Blake Dustin Mathias

Associate Professor
William L. Haeberle Professor of Entrepreneurship

Department: Management and Entrepreneurship

Campus: Bloomington

Biography

Dr. Mathias grew up in a small family electrical business and has since been involved in owning, launching, or

Areas of Expertise

Identity, craft entrepreneurship, qualitative methods, categories

Academic Degrees

PhD, University of Tennessee
BA, University of Illinois

Professional Experience

Owner/Entrepreneurial Activities: The Home Center, Cedarhurst Senior Living, Villas of Hollybrook, The Glenwood, Mathias Family LLC, Mathias Real Estate Holdings

Awards, Honors & Certificates

Sauvain Undergraduate Teaching Award Nominee, 2023, 2024
IU Trustees Teaching Award, 2023
Best Reviewer Award. Southern Management Association Conference, 2022
Best Social Entrepreneurship Paper. Academy of Management Conference, 2022. Entrepreneurship Division (with Furkan Gur and Christine Mooney).
Best Paper Award. Academy of Management Conference, 2021. Entrepreneurship Division (with Furkan Gur).
2020 IU Trustees Teaching Award Finalist
2018 Best Reviewer Award for Journal of Business Venturing
Best Entrepreneurship Paper (Finalist). Academy of Management Conference, 2018. Organization and Management Theory Division. (with Annelore Huyghe)
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) award for overall best paper on the general topic of entrepreneurship at the 2016 Babson Entrepreneurship Research Conference. (with Shelby Solomon and Kristen Madison)
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) award for overall best paper on the general topic of entrepreneurship at the 2012 Babson Entrepreneurship Research Conference. (with David Williams)
Outstanding Teaching Award Nominee, Tiger Athletic Foundation, 2016-17. Louisiana State University
Most Outstanding Graduate Student Researcher Award, Finalist. 2014. University of Tennessee College of Business
Outstanding Reviewer Award. Strategic Management Track. 2013. Southern Management Association Conference, New Orleans, LA

Selected Publications

Solomon, S., and Mathias, B. (2025). Back from the dead: Exploring the tension between imagination and custodianship in revenant organizations. Journal of Management, 51(4), 1547-1585.
Chen, X., Maksimov, V., Mathias, B., and Wang, S. L. (2025). The spirit of the times: Historical conditions and market-seeking FDI strategies by U.S. alcohol firms. Journal of International Business Studies, in press (equal authorship).
Solomon, S., McLarty, B., and Mathias, B. (2025). A train to New Orleans: Creatives, exaptation, and community-inspired entrepreneurial action. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, in press.
Mathias, B., Solomon, S., and Hutto, H. (2024). Passing the torch: Exploring how tradition and innovation influence coopetition among street performers. Journal of Management Studies, 61(7), 2919-2960.
Mathias, B., Hutto, H., and Williams, T. (2024). Amish brain gain: Building thriving rural communities through a creation perspective toward work. Business Horizons, Special Issue Honoring Tim Baldwin, 67(2), 147-160.
Andrews, D., Mathias, B., Kumaraswamy, A., and Schotter, A. (2024). Trouble brewing: Craft ventures during market disruption. Journal of Business Venturing, 39(6), 106433.
Mathias, B. (2023). Entrepreneurial identity. In M. Hitt and D. Kuratko (Eds), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Oxford University Press: UK.
Mathias, B., and Wang, S. L. (2023). Not so silent partners: Exploring the interconnected roles of entrepreneurs and their spouses. Journal of Business Venturing, 38(4), 106312.
Mathias, B., and Fisher, G. (2022). That’s our beer! Contentious category blending to create collegiate beer. Journal of Management, 48(3), 693-737.
Cowden, B., Bendickson, J., Mathias, B., and Solomon, S. (2022). Straight outta Detroit: Identifying with a stigmatized location. Journal of Management Studies, 59(8), 1915-1949.
Mathias, B., McCann, B., and Whitman, D. (2021). Agglomeration and firm performance: A meta-analysis. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 15(3), 430-453.
Gur, F., and Mathias, B. (2021). Finding self among others: Navigating the tensions between personal and social identity. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(6), 1463–1495.
Mathias, B., Huyghe, A., and Williams, D. (2020). Selling your soul to the devil? The importance of independent ownership to identity distinctiveness for oppositional categories. Strategic Management Journal, (41)3, 2548-2584. View Full Text
Mmbaga, N., Mathias, B., Williams, D., & Cardon, M. 2020. A review of and future agenda for identity in entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 35(6), 106049. View Full Text
Solomon, S., and Mathias, B. (2020). The artisans' dilemma: Artisan entrepreneurship and the challenge of firm growth. Journal of Business Venturing, 35(5). View Full Text
Mathias, B., Huyghe, A., Frid, C., and Galloway, T. (2018). Paying it Forward: An Identity Perspective on Coopetition in the Craft Beer Industry. Strategic Management Journal. 39(12), 3086-3115 View Full Text
Mathias, B., McKenny, A., and Crook, R. (2018). Managing the Tensions between Exploration and Exploitation: The Role of Time. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 12(3), 316-334. View Full Text
Mathias, B., and Williams, D. (2018). Giving up the Hats? Entrepreneurs’ Role Transitions and Venture Growth. Journal of Business Venturing, 33(3), 261-277. View Full Text
Solomon, S., and Mathias, B. (2018). Crafted in America: From Culture to Profession. In E. Bell, S. Taylor, & M. L. Toraldo (Eds.), The Organization of Craft Work: Identities Meanings and Materialities (41-59). UK: Routledge.
Mathias, B., Solomon, S., and Madison, K. (2017). After the Harvest: A Stewardship Perspective on Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy. Journal of Business Venturing, 32(4), 385-404. View Full Text
Mathias, B., and Williams, D. (2017). The Impact of Role Identities on Entrepreneurs’ Evaluation and Selection of Opportunities. Journal of Management, 43(3), 892-918. View Full Text
Mathias, B. (2017). Entrepreneurial Identity and Motivation. In T. Duening & M. Metzger (Eds.), Entrepreneurial Identity: The Process of becoming an Entrepreneur (83-102). UK: Edward Elgar.
Mathias, B., and Smith, A. (2016). Autobiographies in Organizational Research: Using Leaders’ Life Stories in a Triangulated Research Design. Organizational Research Methods, 19(2), 204-230. View Full Text
Mathias, B., Williams, D., and Smith, A. (2015). Entrepreneurial Inception: The Role of Imprinting in Entrepreneurial Action. Journal of Business Venturing, 30(1), 11-28. View Full Text
Mathias, B., Lux, S., Crook, R., Autry, C., and Zaretzki, R. (2015). Competing Against the Unknown: The Impact of Enabling and Constraining Institutions on the Informal Economy. Journal of Business Ethics, 127(2), 251-264. View Full Text
Mathias, B. (2014). Exploration, Exploitation, Ambidexterity, and Firm Performance: A Meta-Analysis. In T. Amburgey, U. Stettner, and B. Aharonson (Eds.), Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Competitive Strategy: Exploration and Exploitation in Early-Stage Ventures and SMEs, Volume 14 (289-314). UK: Emerald.

Edited on February 20, 2025