| By Robbie Chulick, ’13 Two
local entrepreneurs discussed how they started their own businesses
with St. Bonaventure’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) on Wednesday,
Sept. 12.  Frank
Jester, who owns Jester’s Hot Rod Garage, and his son Adam, a 2002 St. Bonaventure graduate who owns a
computer networking business, are Olean, N.Y., entrepreneurs. They spoke to SIFE students in the Murphy Professional Building on campus, then went out to a parking lot behind Plassmann Hall to see part of Frank’s business -- about 10 classic hot rods.
The Entrepreneurship Club, a subdivision of SIFE, sponsored the event.
Matt O’Connell, co-president of the Entrepreneurship Club, said the
presentation helped students realize that business dreams do come true
through hard work, passion and dedication. “These
guys have amazing stories to tell,” he said. “We hope to get more
people interested in not just owning their own business, but show how
other people have realized their dreams.” O’Connell, a junior marketing major, is also an entrepreneur himself. He started his own DJ business six years ago. Dr.
Todd Palmer, associate professor of management at St. Bonaventure and SIFE faculty adviser, said the organization also offers a
variety of other services to local and international communities
throughout the year.Examples include the local Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which provides free income tax preparation for low- and moderate-income taxpayers; and the Bahamas Entrepreneurship Service
Trip (BEST), which provides a variety of financial literacy and computer
training to working adults in the Bahamas. SIFE also works with students in local after-school programs. ______________ About the University:
Inspired for more than 150 years by the Catholic Franciscan values of
individual dignity, community inclusiveness, and service, St.
Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and
creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and
innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and
the diverse world around them. | 
Frank Jester explains the restoration process. | 
Pierre Balthazard, dean of the School of Business at St. Bonaventure, joins Frank Jester inside a classic hot rod. | 
Another classic car from Jester's Hot Rod Garage. |
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