Baker College business students win third regional award

Business, marketing assistance assisted local company

FLINT, Mich. — Baker College of Flint business students earned the first-runner-up award for the second year in a row at the Enactus U.S. regional competition for their work with St. Luke N.E.W. (North End Women) Life Enterprises, Inc.

The Baker College Enactus team was judged on the results of the team’s business assistance to N.E.W. Life that makes medical scrub uniforms, hospital gowns, and accessories for the healthcare industry. It’s an initiative to train unemployed women in Flint to become self-sufficient providers for their families.

Baker students and faculty devoted nearly 2,500 hours to the initiative during the past year. They developed N.E.W. Life’s strategic and business plans and mission statement, and assisted in the areas of accounting, sales, marketing communication, supply chain management, and production. This included creating systems to track raw materials, inventory, shipping and productivity.

“These students have made a dramatic impact on St. Luke N.E.W. Life Enterprises, which is reflected in our success at Enactus competitions,” said Cynthia Delbridge, Baker College faculty advisor to the Baker team. “Last year as first-time Enactus participants, the students won regional Rookie-of-the-Year and first-runner-up awards. This year, they followed up by developing and implementing solid marketing and production plans that have a local impact. These achievements demonstrate that Baker College provides a competitive, real-world business education to its students.”

Delbridge said that the business assistance provided to N.E.W. Life is available to organizations through Baker’s Small Business Center in Flint. Because of the depth, scope and community impact of the N.E.W. Life project, the Baker Enactus team chose N.E.W. Life for its annual project in order to provide additional support. 

Enactus is an international program that mobilizes collegians to power human progress through entrepreneurism. Participating students at 1,600 colleges worldwide apply business concepts to develop community projects, transform lives, and shape a better, more sustainable world.

At the April 13 regional competition in Chicago, Baker team members gave a 22-minute presentation to a panel of judges before an audience. The Baker team was in Enactus’ ninth league, competing against teams from Mount Mercy University (Iowa), Canisius College (N.Y.), University of Illinois at Chicago (Ill.), Missouri State University (Mo.), and Midway College (Ky.).

Baker College of Flint Enactus team members are business students Adam Gaffka, Ardelia Bailey, and Jamie Giampa of Flint; DaRon Hairston and Joe Basor, Grand Blanc; Deryl Lee, Burton; Thomas Greer, Kingston; and Shandra Luchenbill, Auburn Hills.

Students from Baker College of Owosso’s digital media design program redesigned the N.E.W. Life web site, www.stlukenewlifectr.com, to allow for online sales and donations. They are Amanda Eineder Stary, Williamston; Brieann Banas, Corunna; Jessica Start, Novi; Bradley Wirostek, Elsie; and Matthew Frieling and Emolly Lang, Owosso.

Faculty who assisted the students are Melodie Bolt and Bruce Buckner from the Flint campus and Angela Ariss and Travis Perdue from the Owosso campus.

“These achievements continue to demonstrate that the current, relevant and valuable business education at Baker College of Flint competes favorably with leading universities and colleges,” said Dr. John Cote, Ph.D., dean of business administration at Baker College of Flint.

The Baker team received a $1,500 grant last fall from the Walmart Women’s Economic Empowerment Project Partnership in support of the N.E.W. Life project. Walmart’s Sam Walton founded Enactus. The team is in competition for one of 10 grants to be awarded late May.

The 2012 grant, combined with team donations, paid for many of the marketing activities, such as printing brochures, upgrading the website, creating sales kits, and implementing an email campaign, and also replaced cardboard templates with plastic templates as patterns for garment pieces.

For more information about the Baker College of Flint Enactus team, contact Cynthia Delbridge at (810) 766-4130 or cynthia.delbridge@baker.edu.

For information about Baker’s business consulting services, including free annual seminars, contact the Baker College of Flint Small Business Center, (810) 766-4334 or SBC@baker.edu. Assistance is available in the areas of accounting, marketing, management, human resources, strategic planning, operations analysis and logistics.

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. It is a nonprofit higher education institution, serving more than 40,000 students on 12 campuses and in three satellite locations. Baker grants certificates and associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, health sciences, education and human services, and various technical fields, as well as a doctorate of business administration. As a career college, the Baker College system is pleased to report that 97 percent of its available graduates are employed. For more information about Baker College, please check out our website at www.baker.edu.

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