Alumni and friends of Antioch College will be pleased to learn that Sam Edwards, Class of 2018, used the opportunity afforded by his Senior Capstone Research Project this year to revitalize C-Shop at Antioch College! A Political Economy major, Sam has blended an interest in public policy with previous experience in food services and management. He spent his last co-op term conducting research on worker-owned businesses. Reflecting on numerous interviews he carried out over the past year, he made the decision to employ an experiential model of research for his Senior Capstone that enabled him to apply what he had learned to the reestablishment of a beloved Antioch institution.
C-shop has existed in various forms for decades. It’s management structure has been handed down from person to person since the College’s independence in 2010. A number of projects have grown out of the efforts of a variety of committed students and presently include Community Meeting coverage, campus events catering, and a new Late-Night service institute last week. Kevin McGruder, Associate Professor of History and an entrepreneur in his own right, provided invaluable advice and assisted with a business plan workshop. Nevertheless, the success of the effort reflects the time and energy that Sam and other dedicated students (Lindsay Browne, Kat Thomas, et al) have dedicated to the business development side of the venture. Sam reports that he has learned a considerable amount by drafting contracts, floating business models, and advancing proposals for financial assistance.
In projects to come, C-shop hopes to be able to offer a stipend for team members, a mobile coffee cart, and eventually even a café in the Weston Hall Student Center. To keep the ball rolling, Sam has applied for the Winning Victories Scholarship that provides funding for alumni projects. If successful with that effort, he hopes to cover costs to train individuals in the second level of servsafe, cover costs for equipment upgrades, and work on brand promotion. He hopes to continue this work up to a year after his graduation date.
Interested parties and catering requests can be directed to: c-shop@antiochcollege.edu
