CUEED launches new initiative to help entrepreneurs grow, create jobs
May 18, 2009
The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED) kicked off a nine-month initiative, the New Jersey Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative (EPI), on May 15 to help 50 entrepreneurs grow their businesses in eight north Jersey counties. The program will support the business-owners through training, one-on-one counseling, networking opportunities and access to local financial resources.“The goal is for these entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level,” said Jeffrey Robinson, PhD, Assistant Professor Management and Global Business at Rutgers Business School. “Ultimately we believe this initiative will create jobs in New Jersey.”The 50 entrepreneurs gathered at the Paul Robeson Center at the Rutgers Newark campus were excited to get started. “This is exactly what I need right now to get my business going,” said Kermick Santos, who operates a Fun Bus in Essex county, which he described as a gym in a bus which is rented out for parties and events. “This is a job I do on the side, but I see the potential to make this my full-time deal and I need to learn how,” he said.Ann Biddle, owner of Stories in Motion, a dance studio and boutique also believed her concept was close to taking off. “I started this idea to have parents and their children take dancing together and people love it,” she said. “I am looking forward to this program helping me execute the idea,” said Biddle. The project was designed to develop first generation-owned businesses, which are susceptible to failure because they do not have the business training and connections to start and grow their businesses. A first generation entrepreneur is defined as someone who does not have a family history of formal entrepreneurship. Examples of the 50 types of businesses that are being supported include: consulting, restaurants, construction and retail. The New Jersey Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative (EPI) is sponsored by The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development at Rutgers Business School in partnership with The Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Greater Newark Business Development Consortium, and Rutgers-Newark Small Business Development Center.Counties being served by the project in the north Jersey region include: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Union, Sussex, and Warren. Funding is being provided by the North Jersey Partners through a grant provided by U.S. DOL Employment and Training Administration.Rutgers Business School focuses on delivering the business, science, and technology credentials that global employers demand. With the direction of its world-class research centers like CUEED, Rutgers Business School maintains its standing as a premier business school with a deep commitment to contributing to economic development.
