Saint Peter’s University Student Business Consulting Competition with Hudson County Chamber of Commerce as Partner

JERSEY CITY, N.J….Saint Peter’s University hosted the finals of a student business consulting competition on April 23. The competition is the culmination of a collaborative program called TOWN & GOWN between the Chamber and Saint Peter’s. During the semester students enrolled in a senior business seminar served as consultants to small business members of the Chamber. Nine teams of students competed in the finals of TOWN & GOWN, and the other participating businesses in project include J. Foster Imagery, Art House Productions, Jet Vacations, Singularity, LLC, North Hudson Community Action Corporation and CHAS Home Care. The top three student-consulting groups were #1. Courtney Sloane Design, #2. Otterstedt Insurance, #3. Andrea McKenna Decorative.

The goal of the TOWN & GOWN program is to provide consulting experience to students while also providing valuable insights to small business owners. “We hope this collaboration helps our small and local business members gain insights on strategic opportunities to grow their businesses,” said Maria Nieves, the Chamber’s President and CEO. “As a Chamber we’re constantly looking for ways to provide our members with valuable resources. Here the resources are the talented business students at Saint Peter’s University.”

“This partnership between the university and the business community is unique because it gives real life business experience to our students, while the businesses gain the valuable insights of millennials,” said Dr. Karl Alorbi, Chair of the Department of Business Administration. Faculty members Ray Butkus, Chanaz Gargouri and Joe Gilkey did an excellent job teaching the students and supervising the projects.

“I hope you continue these relationships in the future, as I am sure many of our students can benefit from the collaboration and networking opportunities that this program yields. We are looking forward to the continued success of the Town and Gown program in years to come!” said Saint Peter’s University President Gene Cornacchia in his closing  remarks.

Provident Bank was the sponsor of this year’s Town & Gown program and awards reception, and the program was also supported by the Ignite Institute of Saint Peter’s University.