The university has partnered with a local company whose mission is to build up local businesses that support sustainable growth and communities, fostering ties between the campus and budding sustainability-minded entrepreneurs.
University alumnus Dave Feldman founded The Bethesda Green Business Incubator in 2009 to advise and support local green businesses as they emerge, and this fall he looked to the university for help.
Brian Darmondy, the university's associate vice president for research and economic development, said the university's wide variety of available resources, including the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute and the Energy Research Center, are primed to help businesses that are part of the Incubator with their start-up processes.
"It's a broad set of resources that we have at the university," said Darmody, adding university officials will likely attend business meetings with the young D.C.-metropolitan companies growing in the incubator, including Aquabarrel, which manufactures rain-collecting barrels, and BKind Organic and Natural Vending.
In addition, Darmody said some companies would be invited to entrepreneurial office hours at the university to get advice on growing their businesses.
Asher Epstein, the director of the business school's Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, said a lot of the research being conducted at the university could give researchers an opportunity to showcase their work outside of College Park while teaching business owners crucial information.
"It's beneficial to both sides to understand how to take our knowledge at the university and apply it to the public sector," said Epstein, who also advises one of the companies in the Incubator.
Epstein added the partnership could benefit the university because many of the growing businesses could offer spots to graduates or create products, like electric-car charging stations or environmentally-friendly cleaning products, the university could use.
"There are a lot of benefits that could materialize from this type of partnership," Epstein said.
The partnership further emphasizes the university's commitment to sustainability on- and off-campus, he added.
"Clearly the university, as well as the organization, is focused on issues of sustainability," Epstein said. "A lot of our objectives are nicely aligned."
Darmody said although a lot of business incubators have ties to universities, this institution was a good match because it shares Bethesda Green's interest in sustainable businesses.
"The university is seen as a leader in sustainability, so there has been alignment," Darmody said. "We've developed some history of working with companies and we're also trying to develop initiatives for a green economy."
Incubator manager Robert Snyder said it became clear when the company began talking to the university in the fall that the mutual commitment to sustainable businesses between the university and his company would spur a productive partnership.
"I can say that what we felt in having discussions with the university was there were a lot of complementary interests we both had," Snyder said. "We saw so many things we could do together."
Snyder said although the papers haven't been signed yet to make the partnership official, some of its effects can already be seen, adding one of the businesses in the Incubator has already hired interns and assistant researchers from the university.
"We believe we can contribute to College Park as a place for interns and a place for companies that develop from College Park to grow," Snyder said. "This partnership is a way for Bethesda Green Incubator to utilize the incredible resources the university has."
saravia at umdbk dot com
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article! Log in to Comment
You must be logged in to comment on an article. Not already a member? Register now