Alumni Corner
ALUMNI ENTREPRENEURS: Uday Bali (environmental engineering/ bachelor’s/2008)
owner of Bali Learning Center in Merced Kelvin Do (economics/bachelor’s/2009)
owner of The New Heart Café in San Jose Jose Carlo Elamparo (world cultures and history/ bachelor’s/2009)
co-founder of Stance Trader Inc., in Los Angeles James Pugh (political science/ bachelor’s/2010)
co-founder of Dad’s Jerky in San Diego Janna Rodriguez (mechanical engineering/ bachelor’s /2012)
owner of J&R Tacos in Merced Eric Shorr (environmental engineering/ bachelor’s /2008)
owner of Nameless Designs in Haifa, Israel Matthew Tolbirt (political science/ bachelor’s /2010)
founder and managing partner of One Key Ventures in Tracy Kurt Winbigler (literatures and cultures/ bachelor’s /2009)
owner of Coffee Bandits in Merced
26
FALL 2013 | UC MERCED MAGAZINE
OUR ENTREPENEURS
O
ne of the hallmarks of a UC Merced education is the opportunity to help build the campus – forming student organizations, athletic groups, student government — and paving the way for future generations of students. UC Merced encourages students to take on the challenge of starting up new enterprises, so it’s no surprise that several of our students took that entrepreneurial attitude and put it to work. AJ Watkins Take AJ Watkins, for example. As a student at UC Merced, she had big dreams to travel but struggled to find a job that would help her save money to fly across the country. Watkins created her own business – Candy Lei Industries – making and selling candy leis to graduating students at high schools and junior high schools throughout the Bay Area. Time and time again she sold out of leis at each event – her customers seeking that last-minute gift to honor their graduates at an important milestone in their lives. At $5 per candy lei, her customers bought three or four for their graduate, making demand far outweigh her handmade supply. Although she didn’t end up traveling to New York, she did treat herself to a back-toschool shopping spree in Las Vegas and took notes to help her business grow even more the next year. Hiring two local junior high students the following summer, Watkins visited 15 schools and learned the importance of planning ahead – as she continued to sell out of leis as fast as she made them. Harsimran (Simran) Singh Harsimran (Simran) Singh is the founder and president of Tiger Trans Inc., a transportation logistics company based in Turlock. Singh tried a couple of different ventures before attending UC Merced as a transfer student from Modesto Junior College, but when the opportunity to start Tiger Trans presented itself while he was still a student, Singh jumped. His father had been a truck driver, and Singh knew the business, the challenges and the opportunities well.
BY HEATHER BUCKNER director of alumni relations
As the business began to grow, Singh recruited fellow classmate David Lopez to help him on the business-side of things, in addition to his good friend Bhagdeep Gill, who was also living in Turlock. Since graduating from UC Merced, Singh has further grown the business, working with 27 trucks to haul products across the country and into Canada and expanding to hire UC Merced students as summer interns. He hopes to continue building an internship program for UC Merced students as part of his business. Efferman Ezell, Derrick Gellidon, Matt Szeto Another alumni venture came to fruition this past summer in the form of a mobile beverage company called Blendid. Three friends, Efferman Ezell, Derrick Gellidon and Matt Szeto, a UC Irvine graduate, set out to fill a gap they perceived in the market. Blendid specializes in dessert-inspired drinks that offer a healthier alternative to actual sweets. With flavors like Banana Cream Pie, Mango Sticky Rice and S’mores, it’s hard to believe they might actually be good for you, but they pack a punch of protein and natural sweetness. All the drinks are less than 300 calories and are made with almond milk and ricotta cheese to maximize protein and create that creamy shake texture. The owners also try to use fresh, locally-grown produce from Central Valley- and San Francisco-area farmers. For example, they’ve contracted with J. Marchini Farms in Le Grand for the pumpkin in their Pumpkin Pie shakes. Since their grand opening in August 2013, the trio has already hired two part-time staff members and hopes to hire even more to help them meet the growing needs of their small business. They’re also planning trips back to Merced to share their product with UC Merced students. UC Merced is proud of the dozen or so alumni who have ventured out to start their own businesses around the Valley, the state and the world.