NSU student incubator cultivating future entrepreneurs

Nicholls State University has unveiled a new laboratory designed to help student business owners cultivate their businesses in a controlled incubator on the school’s campus.

“It’s an exciting time for our students and our area’s entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Ken Chadwick, of NSU Business Administration’s Department of Management and Marketing, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Wednesday.

The lab is the brainchild of Dr. Tom Bryant, the Bollinger Endowed chair in Entrepreneurship.

As one of the primary grant writers for the student incubator, Chadwick said the $75,000 laboratory is a great asset to NSU’s College of Business. The lab is a part of the state’s Small and Emerging Business Development (SBDC) program.

“With the help of the South Louisiana Economic Council on the campus, we are able to open the doors to incubator, which will be known as the EntreLab. It will allow the students on the campus from all majors to become working entrepreneurs,” Chadwick said.

Formed in 1983, SLEC is a regionally-focused economic development agency serving the parishes of Assumption, Lafourche, St. Mary and Terrebonne. The agency provides industrial assistance and program designed to create economic growth for the Bayou Region, according to SLEC spokesman Charles Gaiennie.

The laboratory is a comprehensive service center, giving students all they need to start a business, Chadwick said. It is equipped for up to eight companies, providing software, office cubicles, a business telephone and a computer workstation and printer.

Students also have access to a portable projector and notebook computer for making presentations, he said.

A new security system is being installed and, once complete, will allow tenants access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, he noted.

“The EntreLab is an incredible resource for new student companies. With the extensive resources and its connection to the College of Business, students entrepreneurs will be able to hit the ground running,” Chadwick added.

NSU’s College of Business and Technology is accepting applications for students interested in starting a business. In addition to access to the lab, fellow students and instructors will be available to lend advice.

“We hope enrollment exceeds availability,” Chadwick said.

A number of students have expressed an early interest in the lab, including Gaiennie’s son, Andrew.

The 21-year-old’s business, “J is for Jobs,” is geared toward finding employment in the community for fellow students.

“The labor deficit was high where people couldn’t get a job and employers were not able to keep employees. A large number of students on campus said they couldn’t find jobs,” Andrew Gaiennie said. “But a large number of companies in the area are willing to hire students; they just need to know where to look. That’s where I come in.”

The young entrepreneur has been around the business industry since he was 16 years old, working closely with his father. The NSU junior said he transferred from the engineering program at Louisiana Technical College in Ruston because Nicholls offered a better program.

Chadwick said the incubator is not a permanent home for student businesses; each business is expected to grow and move on. The time frame for every business varies, depending solely on the owner’s progress, he said.

“Once the businesses begin to turn a profit the companies can move to a more permanent location, allowing others to move in. The main goal of the lab is to enhance economic development in Terrebonne and surrounding parishes,” he emphasized.

The campus incubator is available to Nicholls alumni as well, he noted.

For more information, contact NSU’s College of Business and Technology at (985) 448-4211.