JWU center spurring next generation of entrepreneurs

COURTESY JWU
NEW FRONTIERS: John F. Robitaille, executive in residence at the Larry Friedman International Center for Entrepreneurship, says that both the state and the country could benefit from a rekindled spirit of entrepreneurship.
COURTESY JWU NEW FRONTIERS: John F. Robitaille, executive in residence at the Larry Friedman International Center for Entrepreneurship, says that both the state and the country could benefit from a rekindled spirit of entrepreneurship.

John F. Robitaille was a small-business owner before running for governor in 2010, and served as the senior adviser of communications for former Rhode Island Gov. Donald L. Carcieri. He has been an entrepreneur, starting three businesses in his career. As the Executive in Residence at the Larry Friedman International Center for Entrepreneurship at Johnson & Wales University, he sees college-level entrepreneurship as a means to provide students more options after graduation.
He believes the state could do more to encourage people to start their own business and is a strong advocate for the small-business community.

PBN: How long has the university had an entrepreneurial program and how has it changed?
ROBITAILLE: We’ve had a center for entrepreneurship here for more than 20 years, and the course offerings have been around for a while.
Here at the Larry Friedman International Center for Entrepreneurship, we’re going to take what the students have learned in the classroom and transform their ideas into viable commercial enterprises. As important, we also work to help transform students into successful entrepreneurs. We call that the transformation model. Students are taught financing, marketing, research and advertising and are put to the test.
Any student that attends this university who has an entrepreneurial spirit, whether they want to open up a cupcake store or something in the technology field, are welcomed to seek advice at the center.

PBN: What makes someone an entrepreneur?
ROBITAILLE: One of the things that we believe and must impress upon the students is that we encourage entrepreneurship; we don’t want to make it sound like it’s easy. Not everyone who tries it is going to be successful. You have to have the ability to bounce back from failure and learn from that. We put a lot of focus on the individual development of the student to prepare them. They must understand themselves, believe in themselves and realize that they’ll make mistakes. They will need resilience, determination and focus to keep moving forward. You have to have the business acumen to know when not to get in over your head. PBN: Why is entrepreneurship so important?
ROBITAILLE: What this country and what this state need are job creators, people who are willing to step out there and rekindle that spirit of entrepreneurship. I think the greatest stimulant to the economy is the resurgence of small businesses. A lot of these students have the ability to start a small business with the help of their family and friends.

PBN: Are most of the ideas you see from students technology-related?
ROBITAILLE: At the center, we work with students from all academic majors. Some students are starting their own little businesses in their dorm rooms, especially technology students. They are getting together with some friends and working on an idea and thinking of running their own business.

- Advertisement -

PBN: How does the center help?
ROBITAILLE: We’ve got some great resources here at the university, starting with our faculty members with years of experience in business. We have close business relationships with the Small Business Development Center and SCORE (“Counselors to America’s Small Business,” formerly known as the Service Corps of Retired Executives). These are experienced, retired executives who want to help. We also have alumni who want to help our students. It’s a matter of connecting the dots, and we act as a systems integrator. We are a place where students can come to get good advice and the resources they need, including consultants and access to venture capital, when they’re ready. PBN: Tell us about your first annual “Be Your Own Boss” day.
ROBITAILLE: Experiential learning is the hallmark of Johnson & Wales University. When we decided to host an entrepreneurial day, we reached out to the College of Business to get students involved in branding and marketing the event. We created a team who worked with us for 11 weeks. They created the brand, the logo, the agenda, the promotions, the Quick Response code, everything. They knew how to market to students, to people their age. They developed a thorough event plan, even developing their own marketing agency to promote the event. The student participation exceeded all our expectations.

PBN: It sounds like a high level of student involvement.
ROBITAILLE: The university encourages internships and DWE (Directed Work Experience) teams that gain real-world experience. Last year, we had a team of finance and accounting students work with the city of Newport.

PBN: Tell us about the “Shark Tank” competition similar to the television show, where students competed for a $5,000 grand prize.
ROBITAILLE: The winner of our shark-tank competition, Timothy Silva, has moved into the International Center for Entrepreneurship, and we’re helping him incubate his business. He wants to develop a food truck that runs on biodiesel fuel. The business will be vertically integrated, and he will use local and organic food. He is also reaching out to solar companies to explore the use of solar panels to power lighting and some of the equipment. By winning the competition, he received a $5,000 support package. He will be at the center for two rigorous terms. … Our goal is to have multiple student ventures being incubated here at the same time. •

INTERVIEW
John F. Robitaille
POSITION: Executive in residence, Larry Friedman International Center for Entrepreneurship, Johnson & Wales University
BACKGROUND: Robitaille first served in the U.S. Army for six years before working as an employee-relations manager for Frito Lay. In 1981 he became the area manager for labor relations at Continental Can Company for five years before acting as the general manager at Total Communications. He founded Perspective Communications in 1987 as its president and CEO. In 2008, he became the senior adviser to Gov. Donald L. Carcieri. In 2010, he was the Republican Party candidate for governor, losing to independent Lincoln D. Chafee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in business, Providence College, 1970; master’s degree in human-resource management, University of Utah, 1976
FIRST JOB: Working at a service station pumping gas, fixing flats and tuning up engines, when he was 15
RESIDENCE: Portsmouth
AGE: 63

No posts to display