The entrepreneurship major shares his unique February 29 birthday with just 0.06 percent of the 8 billion people on Earth
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Taking Summer Classes from Home in Argentina
Being an international student, I am spending a portion of my summer break back at home with my family in Argentina. However, I knew that I wanted to stay on-top of my coursework, since I am double majoring at Rowan. This summer, I am taking Business Logistics (Course: MKT 09375) and Retailing (Course: MKT 09372) […]
Future Nonprofit Leader: Insights and Advice from an International Student MBA Candidate
“I started with getting my undergraduate degree in Public Administration & Management back in my home country. I transitioned from a fellowship program that I had here in the United States, and I was trying to figure out how I wanted to reshape my career path. When I decided to go back to school, my […]
Bridging the Gap Between the Art and Business Worlds
Today we feature a first-person perspective from Isabella Shainline, a rising senior English Education major, photography minor, and John H. Martinson Honors College student from Pitman, NJ (Gloucester County). Isabella co-founded Business Hall’s Creatives 230, which is an interdisciplinary learning lab for creatives and entrepreneurial students.
Creatives 230 started as a pipe dream. In my Intermediate Photography Class, almost no hands were raised when my professor, Jenny Drumgoole, asked who had spent time in the Business Hall. Westby Hall and the Business Hall are located right next to each other. Since that day, Professor Drumgoole and a handful of students, including myself, have made it a mission to bridge the gap between the art and the business world.
On January 7th, 2023, after running a month of test trials behind the scenes, Creatives 230 officially opened their doors to the public. Our space offers photography, graphic design, copy & creative writing, videography, and website design to entrepreneurs in the Rowan community. Our goal is to foster new relationships between creatives and entrepreneurs, because one cannot exist without the other.
Why is this important? To me, Creatives 230 represents the idea that things that are perceived as distinctly different, such as the business world and the art world, can actually exist together beautifully. The running of this space has introduced me to positions in the real world, such as being a content creator, a video script writer, and a creative director. These careers are all things I didn’t have knowledge of beforehand. Working in this space has reminded me that the world is truly my oyster.
More than anything, Creatives 230 is a passionate, inspiring, and loving community. We make it a priority to serve those that we feel we can make the most difference for, and those who we feel a connection too. Our doors are open Monday through Friday in Business Hall Room 230. Stop in, meet the team, and find your people!
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New Venture Expo Pitch Transformed Into Shears Hair Studio [VIDEO]
When looking at pursuing an entrepreneurship degree, Julian heard about Rowan’s business school having a very strong program. Not only that, his family always dreamed of owning their own business, but they never had the resources to make that dream a reality. Julian decided to give it a shot; he applied and got accepted into […]
Co-Founder of Interdisciplinary Learning Lab for Creatives and Entrepreneurs Shares Her Experience
Today, we hear from Isabella Shainline, a junior English Education major, Photography minor, and John H. Martinson Honors College student from Pitman, NJ (Gloucester County). Isabella co-founded Business Hall’s Creatives 230, which is an interdisciplinary learning lab for creatives and entrepreneurial students. “Last year, my photography professor Jenny Drumgoole and I went over to Business […]
Rowan Innovation Venture Fund Winners, Alumni Mike Lombardo and Kayvon Jahanbakhsh Share Their Story
Rohrer College of Business graduates Mike Lombardo and Kayvon Jahanbakhsh turned their journey to better health into a lucrative iced tea business: Halfday Tonics, with the help of the Rowan Innovation Venture Fund.
Every great business starts with an idea, and Rowan University alumni Mike Lombardo and Kayvon Jahanbakhsh were inspired for their healthy iced tea early on.
“Years ago I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis,” Kayvon says. “For those who don’t know, ulcerative colitis is a very debilitating digestive disease. I was training to be an Olympic swimmer, so this diagnosis really set back my progress. Part of dealing with that diagnosis was giving up a lot of sugary products that I really liked because sugar is not good for gut health. Mike was here at Rowan and embarking on his own health journey at the time as well. He was trying to lose weight and get in shape because, in college, it’s pretty easy to not be the healthiest. Essentially, we were both pushing each other to be more healthy. We used the idea of a healthy iced tea for a school project, so it all started from a health journey.”
Co-founder Mike Lombardo says Halfday Tonics “is the iced tea revamp that we’ve all been waiting for. We make classic iced tea flavors with a fraction of the sugar, around 90% less than those classics that we all grew up with. Halfday Tonics also contains prebiotic fibers, which is good for gut health.”
That journey to a healthier lifestyle turned into something much bigger with help from investors. Kayvon talks about how the pair got introduced to the Rowan Innovation Venture Fund.
“When Mike and I first took our entrepreneurship class in 2018, we had Dr. Dominic, and he had told us about the Rowan Innovation Venture Fund, which helps fund students that have their own startup ideas.”
Mike explained that when the time came, the duo was ready to show their stuff. “It took us months to prepare for the pitch deck for Halfday Tonics. It was a lot of going over the numbers, understanding what the market share was, and developing our financial model, which all took a long time. We wanted to make sure everything was buttoned up before presenting to the Rowan Innovation Venture Fund because it is a really seasoned program. We had already been pitching and fundraising with other investors, so we were able to jump in and were ready to go.”
Their hard work paid off and Halfday Tonics reaped the benefits. Kayvon explains the impact the Rowan Innovation Venture Fund had on their business.
“We had raised 425,000 prior to the Rowan Innovation Venture Fund. Rowan came in at the end and gave us $75,000. This gave us a lot of validation within the investment community. It was nice to have an institution come into the round at such an early stage of the company and back us. That funding made us more legitimate to other investors in the community. The money itself helped us with stocking inventory and marketing materials.”
Although the pair faced rejection along the way, they never gave up hope or let it deter them. Kayvon says, “You’d be amazed at the number of emails that we sent. At least 100, 200, 300 emails were sent, and a lot of the responses were no’s.”
What helped Kayvon and Mike persevere through the rejection was using their connections. “There is a lot that can be done with a well-worded email or even a cold outreach on LinkedIn. Tapping into those connections is important because even if it doesn’t work out, you got more practice with pitching,” Mike says.
Both Kayvon and Mike were successful in garnering the funds needed to finance their idea, but just as any journey, it was not without its disturbances. However, the pair was able to learn from these different business issues and experience what it’s like to start up their brand. When asked of the different ordeals that they faced, Kayvon recalled instances that challenged them, but ultimately prepared them for their future endeavors.
Kayvon says, “Starting a business out of college, I think, is one of the most difficult things you could do. It works to your advantage because you have the naivety and you don’t necessarily perceive the risks as gravely as maybe someone that worked in the industry, but you don’t get the ability to understand the industry from a very fundamental level as if you worked at a beverage company before.”
Even with their growing pains as a newly-started brand, both Kayvon and Mike did not let challenges cloud their vision. Instead, any hurdles provided the duo with some much-needed perspective in regards to how far they’ve come and what they can do to keep what they have going. On this self reflection, Mike believes that “the highs are high and the lows are low. That’s the truest thing that I ever heard. And it still holds true today.”
Looking ahead, the duo wants to see Halfday Tonics in all convenience stores near you.
See our video with Mike and Kayvon here:
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Story by:
Loredonna Fiore, public relations and advertising graduate
Photos by:
Stephanie Batista, senior business management major
Melody Wozunk Named Student CEO of Saxbys New Campus Cafe
Today we feature Melody Wozunk, a senior Management major from Vineland, NJ (Cumberland County). Melody is the inaugural Student Cafe Executive Officer for the new student-run Saxbys cafe at Rowan’s Rohrer College of Business.
Saxbys is a Certified B Corporation and coffee company in over 10 different locations. Saxbys’ mission statement is “Make Life Better.” With their mission statement and the up-and-coming workforce in mind, Saxbys created the Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform. Within the Experiential Learning Platform, one undergraduate student will be the student CEO of the campus cafe for a semester.
Melody Wozunk is the new Student CEO for the Rowan University Saxbys campus cafe located in the Rohrer College of Business. Melody goes into detail about the Experiential Learning Platform, discusses how she found out about this opportunity, and shares future plans.
I understand that Saxbys has partnered with Rowan University in an all new student-run café starting this fall, and you are the new SCEO. How did you get involved?
I was in a career planning and development class back in Spring 2021, and my professor encouraged me to attend an online career fair. I went ahead and went on and scrolled through the employer list. This is when I came across Saxbys, a company I was vaguely familiar with. Originally, I was just looking for a summer internship. It just so happened that this opportunity turned into something so much greater and way beyond just that. I am so grateful that I logged onto the career fair that day because I was instantly informed of this Student CEO position and it has been a dream come true.
What are your feelings as the first Student CEO of Rowan’s Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform?
I feel a mixture of emotions when I think about this opportunity. I feel extremely excited, blessed, honored, challenged, and simply just so happy to be here and part of this experience of the Experiential Learning Platform. I know I am going to learn so much and will be able to utilize the skills I learn in my future endeavors.
From your understanding, what are your roles and responsibilities as the SCEO of the campus cafe?
Saxbys breaks it down into what they call the three pillars. The pillars include financial management, community leadership and team development. I have a lot of different responsibilities as the SCEO, but they all fall into the three pillars. For example, for financial management, I will constantly be tracking costs of goods sold in the cafe and evaluating revenue. For team development, I will be working a lot on the floor as a “team lead,” which is viewed as a management position. For community leadership, I will focus on getting Rowan involved and interested in this new cafe.
What are your professional plans post graduation? Do you plan on working for a company like Saxbys long term?
It is hard to say what the future holds for me. I am still going to be a student and I obviously will not be going into the full-blown workforce until after I graduate; however, I would be honored to work for Saxbys long term. I have loved working with Saxbys so far, and just their mission statement alone of “Make Life Better” truly resonates with me.
What personal goals do you have for working as the SCEO for the Rowan Saxbys campus cafe?
I really want to provide an awesome experience for guests that are coming in: the Rowan community. Our goal at Saxbys, as stated previously, is to “Make Life Better.” However, I can accomplish that through my team, for the community is really important to me. I also am looking forward to developing my team. Starting up as a brand new cafe is an exciting experience; however, it can also be a little intimidating. Therefore, a personal goal for me is to spread confidence, create a fun working environment and a motivating atmosphere.
Personally, I am looking to improve my time management skills, professional communication skills, and my overall drive and focus as a professional who is practically starting their first full-time job.
The grand opening of Rowan’s Saxbys campus cafe was held on Sept. 21. The cafe is looking for outgoing, detail-oriented, disciplined and passionate workers.
To find out more information on the Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform, you can click the website linked below. For information on how to apply and join the team you can click the following;
https://www.saxbyscoffee.com/how-to-apply/
Learn more about the Saxby’s SCEO program here:
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Story By:
Natalie DePersia, junior public relations major
Photos courtesy of:
Saxbys
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Studio 231: Rowan’s Central Hub For Ideation and Prototyping [VIDEO]
Studio 231 is an experiential learning lab and makerspace, dedicated to all students of any major. At the Studio, students are provided with the resources they need to grow their ideas into profitable, scalable, and sustainable businesses.
“We go from helping you create ideas or come up with ideas for different problems all the way up to different forms of prototyping, so whether that’s 3D printing, laser cutting, etc.,” says Andrew Bunoza, a Rowan Global student in the master’s of engineering management program.
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Produced by: Max Morgan, radio/TV/film graduate
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Mother, Entrepreneur & MBA Student Gets Candid
The insightful & inspiring story of one adult learner pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) at Rowan University’s Rohrer College of Business A mother running both her household and an essential business during a global pandemic, Marguerite Romilus stayed the course, not even taking a break in her own studies. Her professional and personal […]
Marketing and Supply Chain & Logistics Major Erin DeBiasse Shares Her Passionate Work Ethic
Erin DeBiasse, a sophomore Marketing and Supply Chain & Logistics major and Spanish minor from Denville, NJ (Morris County), is highly passionate about her field. When she was growing up, she always went to work with her dad at Snap-on Tools, which saw her traveling a lot, inspiring her to develop a hard work ethic. “I wanted to do something where you put so much work into it that you get something out of it,” Erin says.
Coming into Rowan University, her intro business courses were super general and informative, which allowed her to explore marketing and supply chain logistics in a more in-depth manner. This helped her decide where she wanted to be within those fields. Currently, she works at Rowan University’s Business Hall. This past summer, she worked in a recruiting agency in Parsippany, NJ, which she found through ProfJobs. She plans on working in a supply chain and logistics internship next summer, which she found through her marketing professor.
Erin pointed out Kelly Young, her academic advisor, as a role model and mentor who supported and motivated her to push her boundaries to their fullest potential. She was extremely helpful in navigating her schedule and in helping her decide what she wanted to do.
Erin is a part of University Innovation Fellows, a Stanford University run program where students are recommended by their university business or engineering professors to get involved in. She was one of the four students chosen from Rowan to join the program. The four students are tasked to find a problem with the university and attempt to fix it by getting funding. Erin chose to focus on solving the hunger problem at Rowan. She devised a plan in which students can donate their meal swipes to other students in need. This is in its beginning stages, and if it passes, the group will be sent out to Stanford in the spring and go to Google’s Headquarters to present.
Erin’s time at Rowan has only been very brief so far, but she already has highly enjoyed her time here. She looks forward to her next two years at Rowan and advises others to take risks. “Identity which risk to take and go 100% with it,” she says.
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Story by Enzo Ronchi, junior public relations major
Photography by Adam Goskowsky, junior advertising major
Faculty PROFile: Marketing Department’s Nina Krey
Meet Dr. Nina Krey, assistant professor of Marketing within the Rohrer College of Business.
Share an “aha!” moment you’ve had within your discipline that made you feel passionate about your field.
“Before I became a professor when I was still studying marketing, I had an ‘aha!’ regarding international marketing. The fact that even large corporations sometimes neglect to adjust their strategies to different markets and then fail to be successful was very interesting to me. Plus, it leads to some funny examples of failed translations or cultural mistakes! No matter how large or successful a company might be in their home country, consumers are different and companies have to adjust their strategies to specific regions.”
Describe an experience you’ve had with a student that made you feel excited about educating the next generation in your field.
“For me, the best feeling is helping my students get a job and be successful in their career. Often times I get emails from students who say that they applied methods I taught them in their current positions. It makes me so happy to hear from them and know that I contributed to their success.”
What’s your favorite thing about being on campus on a typical Wednesday?
“I love the atmosphere and nature on campus. I enjoy taking moments to myself and walking through certain stops on campus — especially by the pond behind the Engineering Building, I enjoy looking for turtles in that lake when walking back from picking up coffee.”
What is your area of expertise?
“One of mine is sensory marketing. I study how the environment and the effects influence value perceptions and shopping behavior. Another area is more quantitative. I develop scales so other researchers can use them in their surveys. I also work with new technologies. I’m currently studying how augmented reality (AR) affects consumer experiences.”
What is one thing you wish people knew about your academic discipline or your research focus?
“Marketing is not just sales or advertising. It’s not only for creative people, it involves a lot of math and writing that you wouldn’t think of. There are so many subsections of marketing and one of them is marketing research, which drives everything else. If you don’t know who your consumers are, then you do not know how to get them in the door and to buy your product.”
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Story by:
Chad Wittmann, senior journalism major
Photography by:
Nicole Cier, senior writing arts major
#PROFspective: Marketing & Management Major Kylie Kieffer
Today, we speak with Kylie Kieffer, a senior marketing and management major from Hamilton, NJ (Mercer County) who lives off campus in a house with Rowan athletes. Kylie will share her#PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University student and how she got the most out of her college experience as a […]
#PROFspective: Political Science Major Arthur Andrew Bautista
Today we speak with Arthur Andrew Bautista, a junior political science major originally from the Philippines, who commutes to Rowan from Washington Township, Gloucester County. Arthur will share his #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University international student and how he’s getting the most out of his college experience as a Rowan Prof. […]
#PROFspective: Communications Studies Major Troi Foster
Today we speak with Troi Foster, a senior communications studies major from East Orange, Essex County, who lives on campus as a resident assistant in Mimosa Hall. Troi will share her #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University student and how she’s getting the most out of her college experience as a Rowan Prof. Name: […]