Students and Local Business Entrepreneurs Connect; THINK BIG! Ideas Into Action

Students dreaming of launching their own business had a chance to connect with local business entrepreneurs in a networking event held at the Taylor Memorial Library on Jan. 31, 2024.

The THINK BIG! Ideas Into Action event—part of the University’s Under the Golden Dome Series--featured a panel of five guest speakers who shared their stories followed by a student pitch competition.

“With five business entrepreneurs, six hopeful student entrepreneurs and an interested audience of about 42 people, this first-ever business-to-student networking event was a great success,” said Susan Van Alstyne, director of the library and event coordinator.

“For local businesses, the University library is the perfect ‘connector,’” said Van Alstyne. “My vision for the library is to be a pipeline to connect local businesses and connect those businesses with not only our students, but also resources such as the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC).”

Linda Poisseroux, Centenary’s director of the Enactus program and associate professor of business, introduced the panel of business entrepreneurs. They included CU alumnus Curtis Mack, president of CM Productions in Jefferson; Eric Helmstetter, president and creative director of ThinkWork Visual Communications in Allamuchy; and Steve Maiorano, director of the Women’s Business Center in Chatham. Additional panelists included James Howard, a member of the Black Investors Hall of Fame and Design Thinking Leader and Matt Wells, regional director of the NJSBDC in Newark. 

All shared their backgrounds and experiences along with stories of inspiration, struggles, and even fears. 

The common thread between the guest panelists, according to Van Alstyne, was creativity. “I had conversations with all of these individuals prior to the organizing this event and thought, ‘these creatives and their creativity would make an excellent panel.’”

But the highlight of the event, hands-down, was the students who pitched their entrepreneur ideas ranging from medical access wear to a “magical” team-building service. 

Lena Lutzca, junior, pitched “ChiForce Medical Access Wear for Children.”  The product is a stylish access jacket for children undergoing treatments such as chemotherapy and dialysis. Check out chiforcewear.shop.

Matthew Dattolo and Chris Encarnacion, both seniors, presented “Youth Sports Access.” This initiative collects used sports equipment and donates the items to children and schools in need.

Ryan Lloyd, a graduate MBA student’s think big idea was “Sustainable Superfood.” This involves farming spirulina, a potentially carbon negative health food that could potentially be registered as a carbon offset and sold for a profit.

Meanwhile Alexander Morgan, senior, presented “The Magician in You,” a team-building experience with magic! Here, clients are split into two teams and work together to decipher how the magic trick was done. Check out www.mindofmorgan.com/about.

Sean Panitch, freshman, has a business idea, “Pokeporium,” which features a livestream trading card shop.

Centenary alumna Renee Smith pitched “Touch 10,” a sensory seam and sensory strip clothing enhancement for special needs/autistic individuals. Her website is touch10sensoryclothing.com.

We caught up with Van Alstyne after Think Big! event to get a little more background on entrepreneurship initiatives at the library.

“Librarianship is my second career,” said Van Alstyne. “I have a business background and I always thought libraries need to develop more services for businesses. Plus, I am intrigued by working with people at various stages of their businesses.”

“At Centenary, I noticed we have so many creative students who have or want to start a business. Yet one of the first things I learned is that our students do not use the term ‘entrepreneur.’ Instead, some students refer to themselves as CEO, owner and president.”

Van Alstyne applied for a program—through the New Jersey State Library and the nonprofit Creative Startups--to have Taylor Memorial Library become a Certified Entrepreneurship Library.

Part of the process included the development of the Business Launch Studio Workshop Series at Taylor Memorial Library. This 6-week workshop series, run by Van Alstyne last fall, was a pre-accelerator program for aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage business owners looking to reach more customers. 

To keep the momentum going after this successful workshop, Van Alstyne organized Think Big! Ideas Into Action, a night of networking for local business, students and the community. In addition, more information is available at https://libguides.centenaryuniversity.edu/BusinessLaunchStudio.

“Libraries play a vital role in providing access to resources, education, and networking opportunities, helping entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of starting and developing a business,” said Van Alstyne. “This in turn contributes to the overall economic and social well-being of the community.”

“We will continue the Business Launch Studio here in the library to advance the library's mission of ‘Cultivating Curiosity and Creativity,’” said Van Alstyne.

In addition to planning more entrepreneur events, TML is seeking additional partnerships with libraries and external organizations such as the NJSBDC to create programs and services to support those on their path to business ownership. 

For more information, contact Susan Van Alstyne, director of the Taylor Memorial Library at Susan.VanAlstyne@centenaryuniversity.edu.