Campus Dining Today Spring 2021 - 30

An entrepreneur
shows off her
product at
ELEMENTS.

	From Passion to Dream
to Entrepreneurship
		

North Carolina A&T provides a platform for entrepreneurs

North Carolina A&T State University
Campus Enterprises

ELEMENTS, North Carolina Agricultural and
Technical State University's campus convenience
store, has served as a venue for student, faculty,
and staff entrepreneurs to sell hand-crafted
products including cupcakes, skin care, and
candles since 2018.
According to Campus Enterprises, this initiative
aims to provide a platform of opportunities for
young entrepreneurs, particularly students.
Alexandria Marrow, a senior marketing student
at NC A&T, expressed her gratitude in her
partnership with ELEMENTS. Her business, a
line of all-natural cupcakes called Sweets by
Alexandria, has been sold in ELEMENTS since
2018.
" I feel super blessed and fortunate to have been
able to share my product with the NC A&T
community and forever grateful for everyone's
support, " Marrow said. " None of it would have
been possible without the customers. "

COMMERCE AND
C O M M U N I T Y S U CC E S S
In a 2018 study by the University of Alabama
at Birmingham's Collat School of Business,
associate professor of marketing Donald Lund,
Ph.D., discussed the impact of community
engagement on retail operations, saying,
" Community engagement and personal
relationships will continue to be a strategic
advantage for local retailers as they adapt to the
changing retail landscape.

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CAMPUS DINING TODAY | En treprene urship

Our message to local retailers is simple: Build
stronger relationships with your customers,
and get engaged with the local community.
This research establishes community
engagement as an important resource that
builds both stronger relationships with
consumers and allows the retailer to more
effectively compete with online retailers. "
For ELEMENTS, the entrepreneur initiative
will serve as a gateway for the campus
community-including students, faculty, staff,
parents, and visitors-to become entrenched
in the products of local businesses and
provides not only an economic incentive, but
also a means of connecting peers by word-ofmouth.
" I feel like having these entrepreneurs offers
engagement both on and off-campus because
their fellow Aggies get to see them running
their own business, " said NC A&T student
Essence Turner. " NC A&T makes starting a
business accessible for others and they are
serving as a template for other schools in how
to build up their students and give back. "
" These businesses are a testament to the
dedication, creativity, tenacity, and savvy
that is cultivated here at NC A&T, " said store
manager Jamye Schofield.
Marrow reflected on her experience and how
the partnership with ELEMENTS has impacted
her business and her customers.
Campus Dining Today Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Campus Dining Today Spring 2021
