An Innovative Evening at ESU

The Entrepreneurship Club of East Stroudsburg University (ESU) of PA held an Innovators Only Reception on Monday November 25th at their Entrepreneurial Leadership Center (ELC) which is located off the main campus of the university. The networking event provided an opportunity for ESU students and local entrepreneurs to share their dreams and goals with one another. The event proved to be a well attended one with many productive conversations taking place throughout the course of the evening.

The energy of enthusiasm filled the room as students who were members of The Entrepreneurship Club eagerly sought to learn from the experiences of those who have initiated a business and were still involved with its development. This enthusiasm was gladly met as memories of the hows and whys one began their business reignited the passionate flame from which their hopes of living a life filled with doing what they loved was guided by. Together, the students and business people who attended the event formed a camaraderie of reassurance.

A number of the students present during the event were competing in the university’s Third Business Plan Competition. Those who succeeded this initial stage of the contest would go on to compete in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s (PASSHE) Business Plan Competition. The competition invites students from the 14 PASSHE universities who are interested in starting a new business to submit their business plan in order to have it examined with the possibility of receiving funds made available through a PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Keystone Innovation Grant designed to support them in their business development efforts. The winners of the university’s Third Business Plan Competition are Passman Productions www.istart.org/startup-idea/business/passman-productions/18157 in third place, Failure 2 Fail www.facebook.com/Failure2Fail in second place, and The First Five Pages in first place. Congratulations to them all.

The event proved to be an enjoyable as well as an interesting one. I spoke with several business people such as Waste Not Technologies pkelly.wastenot@gmail.com who take plastic items and recycle them into plastic wood posts and other items, The Tree of Life Education Center www.facebook.com/pages/Tree-of-Life-Education-Center-Inc/1378787805699169 who seeks to create a community of learners where everyone is gifted, Primerica who offer financial services to those who seek help in their economic situation, and Marathon Studios www.marathon-studios.com who had won the 2012 PASSHE Business Plan Competition and provides a wide range of web services to their customers. I also chatted with several students who are eager to be a part of the business community and lend their energies to the projects they aspire to. You’ll be able to see more photographs taken during the reception in The Special Events 2013 Gallery at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151866787260421.636000420&type=3.

The East Stroudsburg University of PA Entrepreneurial Leadership Center (ELC) was developed in 2009 through an economic development grant from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and is further supported by a U.S. Department of Labor Wall Street West WIRED Grant. Their goal is to create a sustainable entrepreneurial culture that fosters entrepreneurship across the campus, community, and region. This is done through their Entrepreneurship Speakers Series, Entrepreneurial Boot Camps, and other programs designed to encourage the area population to excel in their economic endeavors. You can learn more about The East Stroudsburg University of PA Entrepreneurial Leadership Center (ELC) and all they have to offer by exploring their Website at www4.esu.edu/red/elc/at_a_glance.cfm or by calling 570-422-7905.