T H E O ’ PA K E O D Y S S E Y
A NEWSLETTER POWERED BY O’PAKE
2020 FALL EDITION
NEWSLETTER Page 2
A Letter From the Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Rodney S. Ridley, Sr.
Page 3 Turning Adversity Into Opportunity With Jim Kouzes
Page 5 Founding Sponsor, PepsiCo, Provides Experiential Learning Opportunity for O’Pake Fellow
Page 9 Fostering Leadership in the Reading Area
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T h e C e n t e r p i e c e o f C o l l e g e To w n e :
4 0 1 Pe n n St . By Ashley Abbey The Reading CollegeTowne strategy is paving the way for the future of Alvernia and the City of Reading. Alvernia has entrusted the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship to be the main catalyst for CollegeTowne and to oversee the partnerships and collaborations that will strengthen the local economy downtown. Alvernia leads by example with the purchase of a vacant building, 401 Penn St., and hope that other higher education institutes will follow suit and collaborate.
While the Reading Area Community College is already downtown, 401 Penn St. is Alvernia University’s first physical presence in downtown. Under the leadership of Dr. Rodney S. Ridley, associate provost, vice president and chief operating officer of the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, the O’Pake Institute will act as driving force for economic redevelopment in Downtown Reading and spread the spirit of entrepreneurship throughout campus and the community.
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O’PAKE NEWSLETTER
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2020 FALL EDITION
A LETTER FROM THE COO As a leader of an entrepreneurial organization, I am always fascinated by where great ideas originate. What was the spark or epiphany that leads the way? If you as a reader of this letter are anything like me, you want to know where the epiphany for CollegeTowne and subsequently the new O’Pake Institute came from, especially since it is the reason for the redesigned O’Pake Institute. The CollegeTowne strategy originated from President John R. Loyack, so in a recent meeting, I had the chance to ask, “When you came into town, how did you see this? What was the spark that gave you the epiphany of the CollegeTowne initiative?” According to Loyack, this epiphany was during his interview with Alvernia’s Presidential Search Committee. There was some sort of inclement weather that had them held up together for hours. As everyone does, he discussed his past accomplishments, most notably at King’s College, where he was a central part of a revitalization of downtown Wilkes-Barre. It was in those discussions, where the enthusiastic reaction of those community leaders he spoke with, that he began to realize that the Reading community, the university and condition of the downtown were ripe for the kind of redevelopment and economic revitalization efforts he had previously done. The critical aspect was that this time he would be in charge. With the right team, resources and partnerships he could intentionally do what he had done previously but on a grander scale and more effectively. So how does that relate to the new O’Pake Institute? Loyack developed this hypothesis when he and I were both located in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Loyack’s focus had been
building purchase and academic development at King’s College, and mine was entrepreneurship and economic development at Wilkes University. Loyack saw all the buildings in Downtown Reading and presented his epiphany and thus, brought me into the mix to combine our expertise. The reform of O’Pake was really the final missing ingredient. As a member of the Reading Downtown Improvement District Authority, Berks County Convention Center Authority, Berks County Economic Development and the City of Reading Strategic Plan Committees, and Berks County Strategic Plan Committee, I have observed many
conversations surrounding the disposition of the City of Reading and Berks County. I have been learning about what they were founded upon, the state they are currently in and where they hope to be in the future. I shortly discovered that in order to create sustainable change with the CollegeTowne initiative, a secure level of interconnectedness must continue and grow between all these committees going forward. The other component that had to be ready was the university itself. I give President Loyack all the credit in the world for treading in the realm of city redevelop-
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ment. Once these types of projects become a success, people tend to look back and say it was streamlined and seamless. However, the logistical elements are exponential and, thus, the conversation could have crossed boundaries in a university atmosphere. The promise of O’Pake is this newly open door that we have the chance to walk through. Our goals are multifaceted. We plan to facilitate synergy in Berks County in the committees aforementioned along with partnering with several prominent entities in and outside of the community. The goal is for O’Pake be a catalyst in bringing everyone to the table and modeling intentional behavior that others are hopefully willing to mimic. So far we have partnerships with Kutztown University’s Small Business Development Center, SCORE, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce, Berks County Community Foundation, Jump Start Incubator, Lehigh Valley Angel Investors, the Reading Downtown Improvement District, FisherBroyles, The Institute at Wilkes University, Ballard Spahr LLP and TreMonti Consulting. Another important relationship that is coming down the pipeline is with Alvernia’s Holleran Center. Holleran’s wheelhouse is service learning and nonprofit services, and ours is economic development, entrepreneurship and experiential learning. With that, the underserved in the community will be Powered by O’Pake with Service by Holleran in a culturally diverse and culturally sensitive way. Vice President, Associate Provost at Alvernia University & Chief Operating Officer at the OPake Institute
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2020Summer FALL EDITION 2018 Edition
T U R N I N G A DV E R S I T Y I N TO O P P O RT U N I T Y With Jim Kouzes By Michelle Lehman The COVID-19 pandemic forced leaders to challenge the process. Jim Kouzes, coauthor with Barry Posner of the award-winning “The Leadership Challenge” and Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University led a virtual discussion for the O’Pake’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) in May. The presentation titled ‘Turning Adversity Into Opportunity,’ provided a space for leaders to reflect on their own style. Don Schalk, a distinguished leader himself and the director of CEL, knew that Kouzes could shine light on leading during a pandemic. “[Kouzes] had previously spoken at Alvernia in 2017. He is a well-respected international author and speaker and ranked by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top five educators on leadership in the world. With the pandemic challenging leaders, the topic
helped leaders frame the situation in context and helped reiterate that the five principles his research have determined are key to success are still true,” said Schalk. During the discussion that attracted over 30 local business professionals, Kouzes was asked if the pandemic would change The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®, which Kouzes researched and explained in his book. Kouzes responded that The Five Practices (Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart) will stay consistent. According to Kouzes, “the content of leadership has not changed, the context has—and in some cases, changed dramatically.” The participants also discussed the importance of having a shared vision during times of uncertainty, caring for a team and remembering to say thank you. “In these challenging times, understand-
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ing employee concerns, showing you care and tapping into innovation are key to moving forward. As above, the principles all are the same and should be used in context in our current environment,” said Schalk. Alvernia University, Tompkins Financial VIST Bank, RKL, Kozloff Stoudt Attorneys at Law, Mosteller & Associates, Optimize for Growth and the O'Pake Institute are proud to sponsor CEL. CEL hosts six educational programs on relevant business topics per year. For more information regarding CEL, contact Donald Schalk at donald.schalk@ alvernia.edu.
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2020 FALL EDITION
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ADDRESSING WORKPLACE BIAS DURING COVID-19 consider transforming our mindsets. It was encouraged to celebrate the small victories in the workplace, whether those To combat the fear that the pandemic victories are occurring online or safely in has caused in the workplace, O’Pake’s person. Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Barrett also recommended a remote (CEL) hosted a seminar on July 29 work agreement with employees. She with speakers from local businesses explained that an environment of trust to ameliorate some of the uneasiness with checkpoints in the recovery plan regarding reopening. for all employees of the business should The three speakers were Brian Boland from Kozloff Stoudt Attorneys; Chester be cultivated. The checkpoints do not have to be specifically COVID-focused Mosteller from Mosteller & Associates; but can also include general work and Paula Barrett from RKL LLP, all satisfaction. located in Berks County, Pa. In addition to roadblocks with These professionals shared their reopening, unintended biases in the honest opinions about a variety of workplace have also been brought to the topics, primarily focusing on returning surface during COVID-19. Mosteller to the workplace and social injustice made an integral point when the topic of that has resurfaced during COVID-19. diversity came up in the seminar. Some of the overarching topics “If you think there is no unintended included legal risks of reopening and bias in the workplace, I urge you to best practices for adopting an online think again. Unintended bias is seen working environment with the focus throughout our lives, workforce and of the seminar being challenging the how each of us views the world,” said unintended biases in today’s social Mosteller. climate, among others. Mosteller further explained that Due to the nature of the topics, there were several side questions and concerns for there to be a fair and equitable that followed the discussion. There could workplace, then a company should have been designated seminars touching seek out unintended bias that may be impacting the company culture and on each of them, but due to the hour time frame, many of the issues could not employees’ ability to perform at their best. be covered. There is a competitive nature in hiring If there’s one piece of advice for employees, and how new and old businesses getting through this everemployees obey each company’s own set changing climate, it is that employees of updated guidelines in 2020. Mosteller in all areas of the hierarchy can benefit urged that there might be some from feeling that they are appreciated, especially when faced with a plethora of employers who will not implement these new workplace changes. To establish a dramatic changes. “We have to celebrate in the moment,” connection with employees in a business, they must first be the employer of choice said Barrett. and not employer of necessity. To summarize one of the major openIn addition to the efforts made by ended questions regarding returning to businesses in Berks County, Alvernia’s everyday life and work, it was generally Office of Multicultural Engagement recommended that we all should By Anastasia Tomko
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strives to incorporate the core missions of the university through events and thought-provoking dialogue in all situations. Through this service, the Alvernia community, including O’Pake, can ensure facilitation of inclusivity and promote open and honest communication. As the process of reopening continues to occur and change in the business landscape, consider addressing these topics with your own team directly to help ease any tension or uneasiness. For more information regarding CEL or on upcoming events, contact Don Schalk at donald.schalk@alvernia.edu. For information regarding Alvernia’s COVID-19 guidelines, go to https:// www.alvernia.edu/health-alerts.
NEWSLETTER STAFF Editor-in-Chief Sarah Matarella, Graduate Assistant of Communications
Creative Director Michelle Lehman, Director of Student & Client Services
External Communications Committee Ashley Abbey, Graduate Assistant of Student and Client Services Angelina Davis, Graduate Assistant of Marketing Anastasia Tomko, Communications Fellow Erin Irey, Marketing Fellow Leah Kemper, Communications Fellow Victor de Avila, Communications Fellow McKenzy Lilliock, Human Resources Fellow Max Horn, Marketing Fellow
O’PAKE NEWSLETTER
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2020 FALL EDITION
PEPSICO PROVIDES EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING TO O’PAKE FELLOW FELLOW SPOT-
Erin Irey, O’Pake Marketing Fellow By Angelina Davis Since January 2019, PepsiCo has been the official beverage supplier of Alvernia University and recently became a founding sponsor of the O’Pake Institute. This has led to the creation of new experiential learning opportunities for Alvernia students through the O’Pake Fellows Program. Pepsi’s team will work directly with students in the areas of marketing, sales and foodservice. This opportunity will provide them with real-world experiences from a highly ranked international company. This academic year, marketing fellow Erin Irey was awarded the opportunity to work with PepsiCo. She will serve as Alvernia University’s food services liaison as well as aid in the development and implementation of a marketing plan for the promotion of Pepsi
product sales and campus activities. “I am looking forward to gaining real-world marketing experience that will help me grow both personally and professionally,” said Irey. An arrangement of tasks will be assigned to Irey to ensure her minimum 10 hours in the Fellows Program is filled. Some of her requirements will include assisting in the development of programs and events. Irey will also participate as a member of a marketing committee to develop a campus-wide marketing plan for programs and events. Furthermore, Irey will help with preparation and ongoing monitoring of a marketing budget, as well as attend weekly dining services management meetings and participate as an active member of the management team. She will serve as a liaison between both the university and PepsiCo to report directly to the soon-to-be-assigned PepsiCo 5
representative, maintaining a record of Pepsi’s presence on campus. “What prompted me to accept was because this is an amazing opportunity to further develop my skills,” said Irey. By the end of the 2020-21 academic year, Irey will be collecting and analyzing data in order to provide a report of results from her projects for the university and PepsiCo. She will end each semester with an oral summary report of marketing activities to show her progression through her internship. “Overall, I hope to gain knowledge and experience that I can take with me in my future endeavors,” said Irey. The opportunity that O’Pake and PepsiCo will provide Irey with success beneficial to her resume and knowledge to use upon her grad uation in the spring at Alvernia University as she enters the marketing field as a young professional.
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401 PENN STREET (CONTINUED) Ridley emphasized the importance of the university’s integration into the downtown as a way to “rethink, reimagine and purposely change regional higher education institutes and how they interact with the community.” Colleges and universities serve as allies for reenergizing urban areas, drawing in student consumers and contributing to a healthy ecosystem for small businesses. Thus, Alvernia facilitating the combination of student housing and academic programs in the building encourages student living and learning downtown. Furthermore, the presence of students will then reenergize the local community and its businesses. As the centerpiece of CollegeTowne, 401 Penn St. will host an array of new and expanded programming, including, engineering, business, communications, e-sports, extracurricular activities and the O’Pake Institute's business incubator, ultimately linking the campus to Downtown Reading.
"Purchasing the 401 Penn St. building makes Alvernia University a true resident of Downtown Reading, making the whole CollegeTowne initiative real,” said Ridley. The 260,000-square-foot building is being renovated over the course of this year. Ridley explained that the goal for next year is to be actively using about a third of the building for the O’Pake business incubator, engineering courses and student housing. In the years after that, the entire building will be developed out to house academic programing such as engineering, business, communications and e-sports and additional student housing. In addition to the student-powered business incubator, a creative space for the O’Pake Fellows Program will be located in the reengineered office. The institute will actively be recruiting tenants for the business incubator space starting June 2021. The goal of extending the incubator space to the community is to encourage
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business incubator clients to graduate and launch them into the city of Reading along with the facilitation of student experiential learning. “The students will have exposure to Downtown Reading and the culture. Experiencing a more urban area will help them grow personally and professionally,” said Michelle Lehman, director of student and client services. It is anticipated that the building will open in 2021. Building a college town from scratch can take up to 10 years, but Alvernia’s strategy of purchasing preexisting vacant buildings has expedited the completion time for Reading CollegeTo wne. Alvernia has been true to its Franciscan mission of transforming students and the community, with programs like Reading Collegiate Scholars and College Readiness Programs, the South Reading Youth Initiative and other community programs. Reading CollegeTowne is merely an expansion of this mission.
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2020 FALL EDITION
GRCA PARTNERS WITH O’PAKE ON BEGINNING PHASES OF DOWNTOWN KITCHEN INCUBATOR By Erin Irey
The highly sought-out kitchen incubator model has been set in motion due to efforts in place by the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) and the O’Pake Institute. “Everyone agrees that it’s needed, it’s been requested over the years to have a commercial kitchen space. Adding the business guidance and assistance on top of that really elevates it from being usable kitchen space to creating sustainable businesses. It’s really exciting to think about it and have a partner in Alvernia University and the O’Pake Institute. It adds the depth that’s needed to make the idea become more real,” said Aaron Gantz, executive director of Downtown Revitalization, who works with the GRCA. The ultimate goal is to establish the licensed commercial space that is certified for food production into the Downtown Reading area. Gantz has been exploring this model with O’Pake and what it could look like in the greater Reading community. “It’s been really cool looking at other models around the country and figuring out the best model for our community,” said Gantz. She further explained the impact of establishing a kitchen incubator adds another point of destination in Downtown Reading. The space is meant to serve as a pipeline for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Berks County so that they will be able to explore their business model or food production processes while seeking out a more permanent location for
the furute. According to Gantz, this initiative is still in the exploratory phase. “This has been an idea that’s always been out there in our community. The partnership makes it much more real, and adding the programming behind it and resources makes it a better fit for our community,” said Gantz. Leah Kemper, communications fellow at O’Pake, is the lead on the kitchen incubator project. From her extensive research on the topic, she foresees that the kitchen incubator will be a success, as it will help restaurants to start up in Downtown Reading. “Allowing food entrepreneurs to move into booths will allow the word to get out about their startup businesses. It will be convenient for those in the community to stop by and support new startups,” said Kemper. She added that another part of the kitchen incubator will be the commercial test kitchens, which will be affordable, professional kitchens that aspiring entrepreneurs in the community can rent. 7
“This would be very convenient if they are making large quantities of food to sell. Currently, there are few commercial test kitchens in the area, so having this option for the community will be very helpful,” said Kemper. This project began in June, soon after Kemper became a fellow. Prior to taking on this project, she had never even heard of the term “kitchen incubator.” After learning more about it from Dr. Rodney Ridley, vice president, associate provost and chief operating officer of O’Pake, and conducting her own research on the topic, she conveyed that she knows a lot more about it now. Her biggest takeaway from working on this project is that an idea such as the kitchen incubator can come a long way with research as well as help from other people who support it. Kemper also reflected that being involved with the beginning stages of developing the kitchen incubator has been a worthwhile experiential learning opportunity. In the future, Kemper plans on being involved in marketing the kitchen incubator network to Berks County.
O’PAKE NEWSLETTER
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2020 FALL EDITION
LATEST NEWS
SCAN THIS QR CODE for instant access to all of the O’Pake Institute’s press releases.
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O’PAKE NEWSLETTER
VOL. 2
2020 FALL EDITION
FOSTERING LEADERSHIP IN THE READING AREA By Sarah Matarella
Leadership is a topic that is widely misunderstood. Is it a skill, a personality trait, a position, a title? O’Pake’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) is working toward not only defining leadership but also facilitating it in the City of Reading and Berks County. With the revamped O’Pake Institute, CEL is also making a pivot to interact with Reading and the surrounding community through the CollegeTowne initiative to influence entrepreneurs to expand upon their business leadership skills, which will ultimately drive economic growth downtown. This is being executed via academia, economic development and service by Alvernia University, the O’Pake Institute and the Holleran Center. “The leadership has been wonderful, and we can be a leader in a different way now because of our investment in Downtown Reading and having myself, Dr. Ridley, and Rudy Ruth engaged in different roles to be able to take leadership to a new level,” said John R. Loyack, president of Alvernia University. CEL is at the core of those plans. Don Schalk, director of the CEL, works toward developing partnerships with key regional organizations and to gain clients through O’Pake for Alvernia students in the Fellows Program to engage in experiential learning. Furthermore, through the CollegeTowne initiative, Alvernia,
O’Pake and Holleran are looking to partner with entrepreneurs and businesses across all industries that are willing to fill the array of vacant properties in Downtown Reading. “I think Reading has a lot to offer, such as the arts, the movie theatre, etc., but there is no one who takes advantage of it. As we redo vacant buildings and bring more people into the downtown, it’ll create a whole different vibe. That will then attract other business owners and hopefully we will be housing some out of the business incubator, and that will help with that process as well,” said Loyack. It’s also part of O’Pake’s mission to help and encourage entrepreneurship and with that, CEL holds six seminars per year for small businesses in addition to offering business incubator services through the O’Pake Institute at an affordable rate. “One of the challenges is that small and medium-size companies don’t have a lot of money to invest in professional development. CEL provides a form for them to send their management team to those sessions to get professional development at a cost-effective rate and to network with other people and other companies to create a network to share different ideas,” said Schalk. When O’Pake moves into 401 Penn St. in Downtown Reading in June of 2021, the goal is for businesses to have streamlined access to everything O’Pake has to offer, including office space and conference rooms. 9
Alvernia is also working with the Lehigh Valley Angel Investor Network to create more funding opportunities for entrepreneurs. Nearly half of their existing members are from the Reading area, so in turn, the sense of community downtown will expand even further. “Frankly, if we do a good job by ensuring microgrants and microloans in the beginning so that businesses can do prototypes and the types of things they need to do to get to the funding stage, there will be an affinity created there for Reading that will create a natural pathway for businesses to stay. ...It starts with incubating in the city and creating an environment,” said Loyack. O’Pake’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship and professional development, and CEL is part of that mission. The goal is to improve entrepreneurs’ leadership skills to drive economic growth. There’s a large majority of people who believe they may not be fit to be leaders, but part of CEL’s goal is to change that belief. Every person can build a leader inside of them, whether it’s on a small or grand scale. “It’s important how we interact with Reading, the community and CollegeTowne in how we can influence more people to become leaders, to become involved in the community ... and how we can leverage our resources and expertise in the leadership area to make the community a better place to live and to be economically sustainable as we look to the future,” said Schalk.
O’PAKE NEWSLETTER
2020 FALL EDITION
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THE O’PAKE RETREAT
By Michelle Lehman The first annual O’Pake Institute Staff and Fellow retreat took place in August. The staff engaged in team-building activities while following all COVID-19 guidelines. The team started by goal setting for 2021. Small groups took each of the five goal categories and identified tasks that would lead to a successful year. This exercise encouraged the staff and O’Pake fellows to find the “why” behind their roles. “My experience at the first annual retreat was super beneficial. I finally got to meet everyone in person and got to participate in several activities that bound us together as a team,” said Angelina Davis, graduate assistant of marketing. Then it was time to get active! The team set off for a virtual scavenger hunt. A few of the missions included handstand push-ups, using the team to spell out O’Pake and find-
ing a location to take a photo of two team members reenacting the famous Jack and Rose scene from Titanic. As a result, the team built trust, shared memories and had many laughs. The day ended with a presentation on Biomimicry, or an empathetic, interconnected understanding of how life works and ultimately where everyone fits in. The team learned a few lessons about plants, followed by planting their own seeds.
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O’PAKE NEWSLETTER
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2020 FALL EDITION
CHECK IT OUT The director of student and client services and 21 Fellows call the 2nd floor of the Franco Library home. The space was designed to accommodate social distancing requirements and inspire creativity. A few of the fellows favorite features are the media suite, including a green screen, soft light and camera, the coffee station, table ping pong, and the quote wall. “Our workspace environment enables me to maximize creativity and stay productive in a quiet area on campus. Another important aspect the office offers is the ability to collaborate on projects with fellows, graduate assistants and senior leadership,” said Victor de Avila, communications fellow. Although this space is home now, the fellow team and staff are expected to move their operations to 401 Penn Street in 2021.
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to see how the fellows get creative in their new space.
Franco Library Room 204 & 405
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O’PAKE NEWSLETTER
Vol. 2
2020 FALL EDITION
GAINING TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCES By Michelle Lehman
The O’Pake Institute provides undergraduate and graduate students at Alvernia with hands-on experiential learning opportunities through the O’Pake Fellows Program. This engaged learning process occurs when students are linked with local entrepreneurs and small or established businesses. Experiential learning, or the “learn by doing” model, challenges students to step outside of their comfort zones, convert theory to practice, and grow both personally and professionally. In turn, local businesses receive high-quality services that can be transformational to their business ventures. Ashley Abbey, graduate assistant
of student and client services, experienced student experiential learning firsthand. Now, she is sharing the opportunity with other students in the program. “I encourage real-world experiential learning by providing a safe space for fellows to learn and practice new skills. I always try to make sure that fellows don’t feel alone in their journey, that we are always with them, ready to help and learn beside them,” said Abbey. As a graduate assistant, Abbey is responsible for managing a team of undergraduate fellows in working on traditional and digital marketing projects. In addition, she’s responsible for cultivating and maintaining a creative workplace culture.
CONTACT US Rodney S. Ridley Sr., Ph.D. V.P., Assoc. Provost & Chief Operating Officer (610) 790-2961 rodney.ridley@alvernia.edu
Donald Schalk
Director of Business and Corporate Development Director for the Center of Entrepreneurial Leadership (610) 685-3254 donald.schalk@alvernia.edu
Michelle Lehman
Director of Student and Client Service (610) 790-2960 Michelle.lehman@alvernia.edu
FOLLOW US & STAY ENGAGED! 12
There are currently over 15 undergraduate fellows in the program who work with Abbey and three other graduate assistants. Anastasia Tomko, the very first fellow in the program, reflected upon her experience thus far. “My academic focus is on writing, but through this program I was exposed to different areas of business, marketing and branding. This allowed me to step outside my comfort zone,” said Tomko when asked about her experience. If you’re interested in learning more about the experiential learning opportunities at the O’Pake Institute, contact Michelle Lehman, director of student and client services, at michelle.lehman@alvernia.edu.