Washington Adventist University Enactus Team Applies Business Strategies to Local Businesses with Notable Results
Takoma Park, MD (March 10, 2015) Washington Adventist University (WAU) students who serve the community as members of the university’s Enactus Team are making a difference in the local business community. The students are applying their knowledge of business strategies and best practices to small Takoma Park businesses, with notable results.
The team recently hosted a Small Business Seminar for local business owners at the Takoma Park Community Center. They offered presentations on how to develop branding, create strategic marketing plans for maximum results, and use social media.
In the past year, the team’s Flower Facelift project – supported by a $1,500 grant from the “Sam’s Club Step Up for Small Business” project — helped small business owners in the Long Branch area to boost sales through marketing and improved operations.
“I am very proud of our students’ efforts and the results they’ve achieved,” said Kimberly S. Pichot, chair of the WAU Business Department. “Last year, the WAU Enactus team started helping the nearby Rainbow Coin Laundry, which was struggling to stay afloat. Since the team rebranded the business, painted and cleaned the store, and helped the owner attract some media attention, the enterprise is currently breaking even and on the path to success.”
The students also worked on a Job Quest project, in conjunction with Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington and Walmart, which provided the team with a $1,500 grant as part of its “Walmart Women’s Economic Empowerment” project to help unemployed and underemployed individuals find and land jobs. Two years ago, at the 2013 Enactus Nationals competition, the team won 3rd place and $4,000 from Walmart to help support the project.
Working with women-owned businesses in the Long Branch area of Takoma Park, the WAU Enactus team used another $1,500 grant – this one from Coca Cola’s “Uncap Opportunities for Women” project — to help the owners of such businesses as El Golfo Restaurant on Flower Avenue with the marketing of the restaurant’s events during the year.
“Washington Adventist University has long been considered a gateway to service, and the students who volunteer their time as members of our Enactus team see the benefits of that service first hand,” said Pichot. “It’s a great opportunity for them to gain valuable experience in entrepreneurship, marketing and management, while helping our local businesses boost their sales and increase profitability.
The university’s Enactus team is part of an international non-profit organization that brings student, academic and business leaders together to develop projects that improve the quality of life for people in need by applying business concepts. The WAU team has volunteered more than 3,700 hours of time.
Nationwide, there are 518 Enactus teams with more than 17,000 students, working on more than 2,000 community team projects.
For more information about the WAU Enactus team, contact Professor Kimberly Pichot at kspichot@wau.edu.
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Washington Adventist University is Montgomery County’s only four-year private college. Part of the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education, Washington Adventist University has been educating college students since 1904 on a 19-acre campus in suburban Takoma Park, close to the nation’s capital. Approximately 1,100 students of all faiths participate in the university’s eight graduate and 32 undergraduate programs. The 2014 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Washington Adventist University among the best regional colleges in the north.
Media Contacts:
Angie Crews, 301-891-4134, acrews@wau.edu
Donna Bigler, 240-286-1169, dbigler@wu.edu