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'Venture Creation' Success Story

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Suter ('06) Leverages Coursework into Career

Cory Suter ('06) almost didn't take MGT 472. He was a senior when the Venture Creation course was re-established under professor Carol Hamilton, and he joined the class on a whim, a week late. This fall, Suter returned to campus to tell the current cohort how this class led to his successful business, BioNeighbors Sustainable Homes, and how students can leverage their class work into a career.

A Winding Path to Success

It wasn't a straight path, Hamilton emphasized to the juniors and seniors who heard Suter's speech. "Entrepreneurship isn't like scheduling your classes for next semester. It isn't a direct line where you do this, this, and this, and you'll succeed,"Suter's first 'cool roof' project was his own home. she told them. "It's often nebulous, and that's why I love having you hear Cory's experience."

Nebulous? Yes, Suter says, but he's quick to add the word "fun." His company installs cool roofs and green roofs in Philadelphia, an idea that emerged after a series of dead ends. First, Suter signed on with Teach For America after graduation. When that wasn't a good fit, he worked in part-time construction and retail management, not sure what he wanted to try next. Then, he realized his home needed a new roof.

Suter had researched the concept of green roofing in MGT 472. It was only a small part of his business plan for BioNeighbors Alternative Fuel Station, but he remembered the dramatic claims of green roof proponents: by applying a special paint or installing a few plants, a building owner could save big on utility costs.

Yet, he couldn't find anybody in Philadelphia to install one.  

Eventually, one small contractor was willing to help Suter experiment on his own roof. He chose a cool roof, which meant painting over black tar with special white paint called elastomeric. Suter: Invest "energy and grit" if there's no money.The polymer reflects 86 percent of the sun's heat away from the building, Suter said, which makes it feel noticeably cooler in the house. This experience got Suter thinking about the thousands of Philadelphia row house owners who were running air conditioners endlessly and replacing their black-tarred roofs every few years. Wouldn't they want to save on utility costs? Triple their roof life? Improve air quality? Be green?

No Money? No Problem.

He didn't have any investors, but he didn't need them. "There's an alternative path," he told undergraduates. "You don't have to be wealthy. You can be just out of college and start your business as a 'capital-lite venture.' Instead of money, you invest energy and grit." As for naysayers who warn this type of business takes too The BioNeighbors Vision: All green roofs in Philly.long to get going? Suter counters with a list of positives: more time to experiment with your idea, low debt load, and flexibility to make independent decisions.

Thanks to his semester in MGT 472, he already had a trademark on the BioNeighbors name and a logo that a JMU friend had designed. He printed business cards and started talking about his services. Before long, his auto mechanic hired him for two roofs. He networked with sustainable business groups, went to tradeshows, earned a certification, and partnered with a few traditional roofing firms. More jobs came in.

BioNeighbors marketing was still limited to business cards, a website, and networking, but the business was doing well--so well that Suter was able to quit his part-time job as a manager at a thrift store and focus on BioNeighbors full time. To keep costs low, he asked contractors for free crushed brick, hired friends to help with bigger jobs, and trained ex-convicts as part of a city grant program.

Hamilton applauded this creativity. "Notice Cory's resourcefulness," she told students. "The way he's finding labor, working late at night, bartering for materials, this is the kind of ingenuity many business owners must have."

The Pay-Off

By the fall of 2009, Suter had installed eleven green roofs, 25 cool roof coatings, and was planning to double these numbers by the end of 2010.  "BioNeighbors is now the most prolific residential green roof installer in Philadelphia,"  Suter said , and he's doing something he truly believes in. "I still care more about the community than about the bottom line. That's my vision. It inspires me to do the work, and it inspires those who work with me."

Learn More

  • View the PowerPoint slides that accompanied Suter's speech, including pictures of his work and advice for undergraduates.