Wilkes University Student Britton Heim of Roebuck, Pa., Researches Family Businesses in Northeast Pennsylvania

2015 May 8

Britton Heim of Roebuck, Pa., is one of five Wilkes University students who are engaged in an ongoing research project with three University professors. In conjunction with the Family Business Alliance at Wilkes University, the researchers are studying family businesses in northeast Pennsylvania. Heim, a sophomore entrepreneurship major, assists with field interviews and data analysis. The faculty researchers are Morgan Clevenger, assistant professor of entrepreneurship; Ellen Newell, assistant professor of psychology; and Jeffrey Alves, professor of entrepreneurship and dean of the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership. Also assisting is Lanie Jordan, executive director of the Family Business Alliance at Wilkes University.

As part of the study, pre-alert postcards were mailed to 5,000 businesses in Bedford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties. Companies interested in the study can complete online or hard copy surveys, or may opt to participate in face-to-face interviews. The interviews are conducted by Wilkes students, who work in pairs to visit with the CEO or designee of a company and explore questions related to the business' culture, governance and decision-making procedures.

The research began in fall 2014 as part of Clevenger's Entrepreneurship 201 class, "Nature and Essence of Entrepreneurship," during which current and former business alliance members were interviewed. For both spring and fall 2015, Clevenger and Newell are co-teaching an independent study class, "Research in Entrepreneurship," in which high-performing students are invited to assist with the research.

"Wilkes University continues to emphasize excellence in our academic programs, including faculty-supervised research by our students," said Alves. "Our faculty and students will be able to help family-owned businesses address today's most pressing needs."

Other students involved in the research are Kate Thomas, a senior marketing and management major from Schuykill Haven, Pa., who serves as project manager; David Graff, a sophomore integrated media major from Pittston, Pa., who serves as brand manager; and fellow field interviewers and data analysts Jamie Seyler, a junior marketing and management major from Pine Bush, N.Y., and Nicole Santorelli, a junior entrepreneurship major from Hillsborough, N.J. The students presented their preliminary results at the Global Landscapes Conference, hosted at King's College on April 16-17, 2015.