The Launch Pad, the affectionate term for The Larry Friedman Center for Entrepreneurship, has helped students turn their business ideas into reality with mentorship and coaching. Randy Benitez ’27, a BSBA – Entrepreneurship student was the first online student to join The Launch Pad. You can read Benitez’s story about pitching his product, ReWriter, and placing third in Sharkfest 2025.
Currently, more than 30 online students are receiving guidance on their entrepreneurial plans from The Launch Pad’s Director, Dr. Jeff Binczyk. Read on to learn more about how other JWU Online students are utilizing the services offered in The Launch Pad.
Charmaine Patterson ’27, from Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, is a BSBA – Business Administration student in the Food / Consumer Products industry track. Patterson has over a decade of experience in the food and beverage industry and is dedicated to the food justice movement.
“The Launch Pad is an excellent opportunity to gain mentorship, expand my network, refine some of my business strategies and attract investors or partners. The mentorship I have received from Dr. Binczyk has been game changing. In such a brief time, I have been able to see my ideas from different angles and anticipate challenges. His feedback has especially helped me focus on my vision and stay motivated.
“My ultimate goal is to open a contemporary Southern-style restaurant that pays homage to my grandmother, culture, and family traditions. Additionally, I have a business concept to create innovative and functional products from plant-based food waste that could positively benefit people’s lives and the planet.
“I chose to study at Johnson & Wales online because I needed a learning environment where I could easily balance my personal life and entrepreneurial pursuits. I love JWU’s reputation for hands-on and industry focused learning, which enables me to immediately apply new knowledge to my business ventures.”
Starlisha Keith ’27, a B.S. – Digital Marketing and Social Media student from Texas, is in the nonprofit industry track. Keith wants to teach young adults the trades, including carpentry, electrical, roofing and other construction work. She plans to have students build sustainable greenhouses in food deserts across the United States and eventually overseas.
“The encouragement alone is helping me! To have someone of Dr. Binczyk’s prestigious level say, ‘Look at your design. You have a fantastic idea here. Let’s go about making sure that you have your paperwork in order.’
“We’re getting a business plan set up and making sure that I’m dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s. I want to make sure that when I graduate my business is up and running, and it has the paperwork that is needed for me to apply for the grants and to ask for the donations.”
Derrick J. Ford ’26, a student in the MBA – Event Leadership program, lives in Philadelphia. Spanning two industry tracks — Consumer Products and also Services — Ford is merging his background in producing engaging event experiences with his passion for cultural programming and community focused spaces.
“I plan to open Philadelphia’s first vinyl record store and juice bar hybrid — Blk & Brwn Vinyl & Juice — celebrating Black and Brown artistry, promoting wellness, and fostering community connection. Blk & Brwn Vinyl & Juice will be a space where cultural pride meets health-conscious living — a place where someone can discover a rare soul record, enjoy a fresh cold-pressed juice, and connect with neighbors in a meaningful way.
“Completing my MBA at JWU Online will give me the strategic, financial, and leadership skills to not only excel in hospitality management but successfully launch and scale my own business ventures. Working closely with Dr. Jeff Binczyk through the Launch Pad, I’m gaining hands-on, step-by-step support in building the foundation of my business. Dr. Binczyk provides targeted, actionable guidance that helps me make clear, informed decisions for my business.”
Indigo Robinson ’25, from Cincinnati, Ohio, is an M.S. – Nutrition graduate in the Consumer Products industry track. She is a dietetic technician at her local pediatric hospital (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center).
“I’m building my business, ‘Chewable Media,’ which provides a digital consulting service that creates culturally responsive, visually appealing and easy-to-understand nutrition education materials. Designed with the end user in mind, these materials make nutrition education more accessible and actionable for communities with low health/nutrition literacy.
“The Launch Pad is helping me craft an idea that is likely to succeed. Dr. Binczyk is patient and kind with me and my ideas — he does a wonderful job combining constructive feedback with helping to build my confidence in the entrepreneurial world. I have never started a business before and Dr. Binczyk is breaking it down into small, manageable pieces so that I am set up for success.”
Nicole Ferraro ’26, a Bergen County, New Jersey native also in the M.S. – Nutrition program, is in the Food / Consumer Products Track. Her passion for working out and eating better led to her interest in learning about nutrition and fitness. Ferraro is creating a low-calorie, low-sugar, high-protein cookie that people can consume as a healthy snack.
“Nicole and I are kind of workout freaks, and we bonded initially over how horrible protein snacks taste,” says Binczyk. “We started bringing up brands that we each have tried and hated. Clearly there’s a problem and she is trying to solve it.”
Using Qualtrics software supplied by the university, Ferraro sent out queries and obtained 23 responses about respondents’ daily protein consumption and preferences for a protein snack product. During a recent online meeting, Ferraro and Binczyk parsed the survey data to determine a primary and secondary market and brainstormed how they would price and place the products.
Binczyk advised Ferraro to focus on getting more responses to the survey and to develop her prototype — a delicious protein cookie with the right macro balance (ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fat and other necessary nutrients).
At a later stage, Ferraro will receive help from a JWU professor to test and establish the product’s nutritional profile. Other university staff will help her build a website wireframe, package her product and even distribute “emergency” packs to students studying for finals.
We can’t wait to see who among these bright stars will pitch their projects at Sharkfest 2026!
How To Join The Launch Pad
To learn more about the entrepreneurial mentoring and coaching available to all JWU and JWU Online Students, you can read our blog, Nurturing Entrepreneurial JWU Online Students Through The Launch Pad. Students interested in joining The Launch Pad can simply sign up for a free consultation.
