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Anne Collins
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The road to uniting senior Erik Hibbard’s passion with a business idea was a winding one. From high school to community college, culinary school to a potential craft-brewing career, finding the right role in an ocean of possibilities proved a challenge. During his time at Salem State, the marketing major found a connection between his love of the outdoors and his skills as a communicator. His new company, Steward Outdoor, gives consumers an organic, locally produced option for outdoor apparel. Items are shipped in biodegradable, recycled and re-usable boxes, and two percent of the company’s sales benefit environmental nonprofit organizations.
A Barnstable native, Hibbard took frequent road trips with his family to hike the New Hampshire mountains, an activity he continues to cherish into young adulthood. When he came to Salem State, he thought he might someday work in marketing for an outdoor apparel company. But in a weather and climate course that illustrated the consequences of climate change, he came to understand the need for companies standing up for the environment. “We saw images of glaciers quickly receding…seeing terrible things happening to places that I love made a big impact,” he said.
While he admits that being an entrepreneur while still in school has its challenges, he insists that the advantages are huge. “You’re basically in a business incubator on campus, full of people with a huge variety of expertise.”
Professors from the Bertolon School of Business were always willing to offer advice on everything from business law to supply chain management. “I’d stay after class and just pick a professor’s brain… there’s a ton of know-how to starting a business, and they know these things from experience.”
With vendor connections made, non-profit partnerships secured and production ready to begin, Steward Outdoor is set to launch this summer – once Hibbard wraps his Salem State career as a member of the class of 2016.
Discover more on Steward Outdoor's website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.