March 19, 2007 -- Rider Students Help Local Youngsters Learn About Business

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer, Dr. Randal Pinkett, winner of the “The Apprentice Season Four” television show, and 34 Rider University students will support Trenton area junior high school students as they test their entrepreneurial skills at the 11th annual Minding Our Business (MOB) Market Fair on Saturday, March 31.

About 100 youngsters will sell their products in the gymnasium of PJ Hill Elementary School as part of MOB, a community outreach program of Rider’s College of Business Administration.

Eleven MOB business teams will be represented sporting catchy names such as “Beat’s  and Treats,” “Crazy Crewz Games & Food,” “Easterlicious,” “Tasty-N-Spectacular,” and “The Real Deal.”

“The program encourages youth development through entrepreneurship, education and mentoring,” said Dr. Sigfredo Hernandez, associate professor of marketing and founder of the MOB program.  “This is their chance to run a business, make money and develop great communication skills.”

Rider students serve as mentors to the youngsters.  Each mentor must participate in a weekend training session.

“The kids make all of the decisions about their business plans,” said Hernandez.  “The mentors are simply there to facilitate and guide them on the right path.  Our students learn valuable lessons in mentoring and facilitating teams. This is the event that all of the kids and mentors look forward to.”

Hernandez hopes to recruit even more student mentors from Rider for next year’s MOB program – his goal is 50 mentors. Since 1996, MOB has trained and mentored more than 800 students, ages 10 to 14, in starting and running their own businesses.