Business

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
Andrew M. Seder on Facebook   |   @TLAndrewSeder on Twitter

Hoping to give local entrepreneurs and college students a chance to learn from those who have successfully launched their own ventures, Clarks Summit native Stephen Douglass is bringing a StartUp Scramble to the area next week.

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Scott Carey sits with some of the drums he’s reconditioned at his Breaker Boy Drums and Percussion workshop in Wilkes-Barre. Carey will be participating in a StartUp Scramble at the University of Scranton, which is geared to allow entrepreneurs to share ideas and success stories.

S. John Wilkin/The Times Leader

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Douglass

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Want to go?

The StartUp Scramble will be hosted on the fifth floor of Brennan Hall of the Kania School of Management at The University of Scranton. Space is limited to 60 attendees and registration is $75, or $40 for full-time students. Entry can be purchased at www.nepa.startupscramble.com.

Featuring presentations from startup owners who have been on the ground floor, such as Kris Jones, founder of Pepperjam, and Peter Kamali of meetup.com, the three-day retreat gives those who want to start a business or who are in the early stages a chance to hear voices of experience.

Scott Carey, a 23-year-old King’s College graduate, is among those signed up for the program. He started Breaker Boy Drums a year ago and is looking for information about growing his drum reconditioning business.

“I think it’s a great tool for entrepreneurs,” Carey said. “Not just those who want to start up a business, but for those who are in the first year too.”

Carey said he couldn’t pass up a program like this being offered so close to home.

“I was born and raised in this area. I’ve seen it go through various things, but as a citizen of this area it would be great to build this area up instead of moving away,” said Carey, a 2005 graduate of Meyers High School and a Wilkes-Barre resident.

Douglass, 27, founder of Young Impact, a company he describes as “an interactive edutainment company,” said the program has been held elsewhere, most recently in Washington, D.C.

“This is a community building event,” Douglass said. He said the aim is to take concepts and ideas and “create ventures from scratch in 54 hours.”

Jarod Grossman, who attends Drew University in Madison, N.J. and lives in Shavertown, will be at the program looking for ideas on starting a business. The 20-year-old Wyoming Seminary graduate has a dual major in chemistry and environmental science. He said he has some ideas for businesses involving his areas of study.

“I think stuff involving the environment is really big right now,” Grossman said. “I just think I’m going to learn a lot and meet some people to help get me started in my career.” He sees the July 30 through Aug. 1 program as a way to not only learn tricks of the trade but also to network and make connections he may be able to call on in the future.

Participants also will be able to get advice from local specialists, including Brian Petula, an attorney who specializes in business startups and also teaches at Marywood University, and Karla Porter, director of Workforce Development and Human Resources for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber.

Porter said this kind of an event could lead to great things for the area.