In recognition of National Entrepreneurship Week (Feb. 11-17), the University of New Hampshire is celebrating the innovative startups driving the state and country’s economy – paying special tribute to those who began their journey on campus with support from the 彼得T. 保罗创业中心 (EC)和 New Hampshire Small 业务 Development Center (NHSBDC).
“创业, 其核心是, 是解决问题的,约书亚·西尔说, interim director of the 主要研究 Entrepreneurship Center. “在我的角色里, I work with students from across the university who are motivated to solve a problem with a spark of an idea. The great thing about the Entrepreneurship Center is that no matter where someone might be in the development of their idea, we have the resources to meet them right where they are and help them advance from concept to commercialization.”
问问Galen Hand就知道了，他是 NOCA饮料, a New England-based beverage company. His ties to the university made it easy for him to return to campus in 2019 for help from Cheryl Parker, brewery manager and professor in agriculture, 营养和粮食系统. Parker supported Hand by inviting him to participate in engaging and informative discussions with business leaders focusing on the challenges and opportunities for startups. 这些谈话, along with resources available through the EC and NHSBDC, have helped NOCA饮料 expand its sales footprint from regional to national.
“The University of New Hampshire has played a huge role in the development and growth of NOCA饮料,汉德说. “We (Galen and his fellow co-founders) knew what we wanted to do but would not have been able to get there without the support of Parker's guidance or the generous donors from my network of 主要研究 alumni. I would encourage anyone thinking about starting a business to check the resources available at the university – it will save you a lot of time and frustration.”
NOCA饮料 is currently sold in 25 states, including New Hampshire. 当地人可以在 市场购物篮.
Connor Roelke ’15 tells a similar story, as he too established his company, Nobl饮料，在校园里. He intentionally took a semester off from his business administration/marketing major to register for the 2015 保罗J. 霍洛威奖竞赛. 在比赛的几个月里, in which judges test and review work, his nitro cold brew coffee maker was born. Though he came in third place in the competition, his company has thrived in the years since, and his coffee is now served in more than 600 retail locations across New England, 包括咖啡馆, 餐馆和工作场所. Nobl offers its coffee on draft and in cans and has expanded to other beverages outside of coffee, 也。.
“When I initially entered this idea of a coffee production and distribution company to Holloway, I wasn’t really expecting to do anything with it. But the feedback was so good that I decided, you know what, let’s at least try,” Roelke says. “I think being an entrepreneur is having that crazy drive to do something, 然后从这里开始 ... falling off a cliff and hopefully sticking the landing.”
But entrepreneurship does not stop with students. As a part of the university’s core, it extends to faculty. 主要研究的扩展 马林克莱德, 社区志愿者州专家, 还有海莉·安德罗齐, wildlife conservation state specialist, became the 2021 Innovators of the Year as the driving force behind 自然追星, one of several successful mission-driven not-for-profit 主要研究 spinouts.
自然追星, which began in 2013 as a collaboration between 主要研究 Extension and The Stewardship Network in the Great Lakes region, links outdoor enthusiasts with volunteer opportunities at places they love by sharing events that help forests, 沿海生态系统, 社区和野生动物. 从那时起, 5人以上,000 volunteers have connected with 200-plus environmental groups through the company’s website to clean rivers, 恢复野生动物栖息地, 维持轨迹, plant trees and do environmental research in New England.
The New Hampshire Small 业务 Development Center, a leading resource for business advising and education for small businesses in the Granite State, plays a vital role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“创业 allows people to achieve their dreams,” says Liz Gray, NHSBDC state director. “在我的角色里 I get to be an advisor as individuals start and grow their businesses, develop wealth for their families and make their communities more vibrant. It’s the small businesses that make a different, creating jobs and drawing people to downtown areas.”
To learn more about entrepreneurship at 主要研究, please visit our EC or NHSBDC in person or online.
