From the ground up: inaugural “Roots Market” draws dozens of budding Rowan business people

The Rowan Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship welcomed dozens of student and alumni businesses to the inaugural Rowan Roots Market Nov. 4, celebrating the creative, community-minded spirit taking root among Rowan’s small business community.

RCIE Director Jessica Vattima said the event within Business Hall hosted nearly 40 student- and alumni- owned businesses and, limited only by space, could have taken many more.

“We had 80 applicants and accepted 37,” Vattima said. “They are all Rowan-grown, hidden gems from across campus.”

The event featured creators from across Rowan’s colleges – bakers, artists, authors, engineers and designers – each bringing their unique craft and entrepreneurial spirit to market. Drawing nearly 400 attendees throughout the day, several vendors sold out of product, some just three hours after the doors opened.

Vattima said RCIE offers more than 150 annual programs – from mentorship opportunities and guest lectures to business competitions and an accelerator program – and serves as the hub of entrepreneurship and innovation at Rowan, helping students move from idea stage to launch, growth and funding.

That cross-campus entrepreneurial spirit has long been championed by President Ali Houshmand and the value of it, as well as its success, has been consistently reflected in rankings by The Princeton Review. Last November, the magazine ranked the program #37 nationally, a 13-spot boost in four years, and #4 in the Northeast.

The Rowan Roots Market brought that spirit to life in a display of creativity, purpose and giving back to the community.

For MBA student Jacqueline DeLorenzo, founder of Molly’s Matcha, community connection means donating a portion of profits to organizations that care for animals. Her business, named for her Boston terrier Molly, sells a variety of beneficial green tea beverages made with matcha.

“Compared to green tea bags, with matcha you’re consuming the ground tea, and it’s very healthful,” DeLorenzo said.

Senior writing arts major Yvonne Taylor, founder and “head caker” at Sweet Thang Boutique Cakery in Eastampton, sells gourmet, seasonal, scratch-made baked goods in a business she started with her grandmother.

Offering samples of dark chocolate sea salt ganache cupcakes, Taylor said a portion of her profits supports Goddard Home Health agency in Burlington and she hopes to one day employ formerly incarcerated women re-entering the workforce.

“We want to impact the prison population and help prevent recidivism among women after their release,” Taylor said.

Julian Doroteo, a 2022 entrepreneurship alumnus and co-founder of Shears Hair Studio, started his business while an undergraduate and used RCIE resources such as the Startup Opportunity Fund to help open his Bridgeton salon. At the Rowan Roots Market, Doroteo and members of his team offered haircuts to attendees.

“Just seeing all of the student small businesses reminded us of how we started and how far we’ve come,” Doroteo said.