2019 LYCOMING COLLEGE LC MAGAZINE SPRING

Inventing the wheels… for a solar coffee cart Lycoming’s Warrior Coffee Project, the Center for Energy and the Future, and the entrepreneurship program are collaborating on a new initiative this spring: creating a solar-powered coffee cart. “We are running a business, and like any business, we need to continually revolutionize it,” comments Payne about the Warrior Coffee Project. “We want to buy and sell as much coffee as possible from the farmers in the Dominican Republic, so my colleagues and I began brainstorming additional ways for us to sell the coffee right here on campus and in Williamsport.” Currently, if someone on campus wants a cup of Warrior Coffee, they have to walk to the dining hall or Café 1812 during normal hours of operation. But what if there’s no time to step away from the office, or a coffee break is desired during a late night study session? That’s how the concept of a mobile coffee cart was devised. “With a mobile cart, we can deliver the coffee when and where it is needed,” Payne says. “But it also requires a mobile source of power, and that’s where collaborative efforts with Jonathan Williamson and his work with solar technology through the Center for Energy and the Future came into play.” In order to bring the coffee cart to fruition, students enrolled in the Entrepreneurial Finance course will conduct market research, develop a campaign and video about the coffee cart, and pitch it to a committee before launching a crowdfunding initiative to help finance the project. The cart itself is being designed and built by Jim Cresko, a local entrepreneur, and the students will advise on the design. Once ready for use, the students will also staff the cart, collaborate with Parkhurst Dining Services, and keep track of revenues. “Faculty will guide the students, but ultimately this is an entrepreneurial initiative driven entirely by our students,” says Marshall Welch III, Stanley ’80 and Jolene Hall ’80 Sloter Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship. The coffee cart is expected to be ready for use in fall 2019, allowing students to sell coffee throughout campus, at College events both on and off campus, and even at special events in downtown Williamsport. Entrepreneur Studies at Lycoming Co 16 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2019 SPRING MAGAZINE