HIGHER EDUCATION
Bergen Community College Students Help Entrepreneurs
‘ Real-life experience ’
By Diane C . Walsh Acting Editor
When Eli Amdur learned about the new Bergen County Business Resource Network that uses county college students to help entrepreneurs , he figured it would probably give him a few useful tips .
“ I had no idea what a high level this was going to be ,” he said . A consultant with more than 25 years of experience running his own business coaching firm , Amdur ’ s curiosity soon turned to admiration . He was bowled over by the two students assigned to him , Adela Mancka and Michael Tisselano . They revamped his website , making it much more functional and user friendly , and gave him a social media presence for the first time .
Now this self-described “ old line businessman ,” who used to rely on word-of-mouth and referrals , is getting leads online . “ I don ’ t think you could ask for any better results ,” he said .
Eli Amdur Coaching Advisory LLC is one of the more than 200 businesses from across Bergen County benefiting from the initiative . It grew out of the recommendations from the economic recovery task force created by Eric M . Friedman , Ph . D ., president of Bergen Community College . The taskforce , which began meeting shortly after Friedman took office in 2021 , serves in an advisory capacity to him , creating and implementing strategies that position the institution as a catalyst for recovery from the pandemic .
Bergen County partnered with the college to provide funding and resources to make the business network a reality . Friedman said the taskforce understood his vision of the college as an engine for economic development .
“ I ’ m grateful that our Bergen County government partners have embraced the opportunity to collaborate on the institution ’ s economic
“ I ’ m especially proud of our students , who are using what they have learned to make a demonstrated impact in the communities where we live ,”
development work . I ’ m especially proud of our students , who are using what they have learned to make a demonstrated impact in the communities where we live ,” Friedman said .
Tisselano said working with Amdur and other clients was an experience unlike any other . “ This program gave me more real-life business experience than some students would get in the real world ,” he said . Tisselano graduated from the community college in 2020 with a business administration degree . He is now studying at
Bergen County Executive James J . Tedesco III , Bergen Community College President Eric M . Friedman , Ph . D ., and the small business support specialists .
Photo : Bergen Community College
Rutgers University with a double major in marketing and management .
Bergen Community College is the largest institution of its kind in the state . More than 13,000 students are enrolled at its campuses in Paramus , Hackensack and Lyndhurst . The college offers associate degrees , certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields .
Friedman describes it as a comprehensive institution with programs running the gamut from arts and science to economics to nursing . But he stressed the school ’ s mission focuses on workforce training with a strong emphasis on economic development .
He credits Dorothy Blakeslee , chair of the college board of trustees , for “ inspiring me right out of the gate ” to have the college realize its potential as an engine for economic development . Friedman recalled conversations even before he took over the president ’ s office in which Blakeslee stressed the pivotal role the college could assume .
Studies by the U . S . Small Business Administration supported the academics ’ concerns that local business faced a daunting task trying to claw its way back from the devastation of the pandemic . Federal researchers found entrepreneurs in Bergen County suffered some of the most extreme effects of the pandemic because they are part of the greater New York metropolitan area . It was hit hard due to population density , proportion of minority-owned businesses and unavoidable , prolonged lockdowns .
Friedman is proud of the partnership that developed with Bergen County Executive James Tedesco III , the county commissioners , Joanne Cimiluca , director of the county Division of Economic Development , and Tammy Molinelli , executive director of the Bergen
County Workforce Development Board . The college president also cited one of his own staff , Linda Caruso , manager of the business accelerator for entrepreneurs , as an instrumental part of the team that launched the program . Caruso was recently honored as an “ Economic Recovery Champion ” by Friedman .
The county provided an initial $ 90,000 grant and special training for the college students to launch the program . “ In Bergen County , small business is the heart of both our economy and community ,” Tedesco said at a recent press conference where he pledged additional support for the program . “ My administration remains committed to doing everything in its power to help
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