York College of Pennsylvania’s GCCI Launches New Podcast and Networking Series
The first Listeners Lunch featuring a brand new York College of Pennsylvania podcast is about to get underway.
At the Center is York College’s Graham Center for Collaborative Innovation (GCCI) new podcast endeavor.
The podcast series and accompanying networking events, including the Listener Lunches and live episode recording sessions, align with GCCI’s mission of promoting and supporting cross-disciplinary exploration and ingenuity that spans academic disciplines, bridges the university and local business community, and centers student learning and engagement.
“The podcast series showcases local resources, expertise and models for innovative partnerships to help creative individuals move ideas to implementation,” explains Tamara Sniad, PhD, Executive Director of the GCCI and host of At the Center. “The in-person events bring together professionals and students from different disciplines and sectors - industry, community, and higher education — to explore potential connections and collaborations.”
More than 60 business owners, community members, York College students, faculty, and staff met at Marketview Arts on Sept. 30 in downtown York to network and participate in the first live recording of the podcast.
The episode, “How I Got Here,” highlighted three local entrepreneurs: Sidd Pawar, Ph.D, Co-Founder and CEO of Envision Biomedical; Jermaine Carroll, Owner of MaineCourse Mobile; and Jakayra Simpson (aka “Ky the Chemist”), Founder, CEO, and Visionary of STEAM Sneakerheads. They shared their stories of starting their companies, lessons they have learned, and advice they have for prospective and new business owners.
The panelists talked about resilience, adaptability, relationships, and resources that supported their launch and longevity. All three emphasized the importance of developing a network and leveraging all available support for new and young businesses.
According to Simpson, “building a network” was essential for her business. She stressed the importance of utilizing community resources such as Penn State Legal Clinic which offers free consulting to start-up businesses. Agreeing, Pawar encouraged the audience to make as many connections as they can “because those connections are what will come back and help you later in your career.”
Carroll and Pawar shared that York College’s J.D. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship played a role in their success, building assets and establishing productive and lasting relationships. “You'd be amazed how many resources there are, if you only start looking.” offered Pawar. Leveraging these, he explained, are important to allow business owners to focus on what they do best. Carroll echoed this sentiment, sharing that he tends to prioritize the culinary aspects of his job and leave the bookkeeping to others, simply putting “outsource. It's well needed.”
The entrepreneurs also discussed resilience and adaptability. Pawar explained that his company started making optical resources but, to be competitive, has expanded to create a variety of medical devices. Carrol has expanded his food truck business into catering and selling his Prime-87 sauces, and Simpson started with STEAM workshops and has recently begun offering art kits and activity books that creatively blend science, art, and culture.
Before ending the podcast, Carroll, Pawar, and Simpson took questions from the audience. Participants asked about a day in their lives as entrepreneurs, their strategies for attracting employees, and their future goals.
In addition to the panelists, this event showcased seven local food vendors: including Russy’s Sweet Treats, Reverie Cafe of York, On the Bun, Sweet Mama’s Mambo Sauce, Wired Chef, and Morales Kitchen. The event was also offered in coordination with the Bloom Business Empowerment Center, launching their YoCo Minority Enterprise Development week.
Coming Up: The next At the Center podcast episode explores effective partnerships and will highlight a long-standing and productive collaboration between two York College faculty members, Greg Foy, Ph.D and Ashley Earle, Ph.D and MRG Labs, the first tenant to move into York College’s Knowledge Park.
Following this episode, GCCI will host its first Listeners Lunch on Oct. 24 at the Deihl House, located on King Mills Road. Reservations are required.
