Thinking Inside the Box

On October 11, students in our Entrepreneurship Studies program took a trip to Scott’s Addition for a hands-on learning experience at Stephen Gould, the largest independent custom product and packaging solutions provider in the United States. This type of opportunity brings classroom lessons to life and is one among many partnerships the program’s students have participated in with other local companies such as Capital One and The Martin Agency over the last few years.

“Our Entrepreneurship program allows our students to step outside of their required curriculum and engage with local businesses and entrepreneurs,” Melissa Freed, Upper School academic dean and faculty guide for the program, said. “They get to learn universally valued skills like collaboration, design iteration, and public speaking, which students strengthen with every partnership they participate in.”

The recent trip to Stephen Gould included an in-depth discussion with Steward parent Michael Falcone, head collaborator at the organization’s Richmond branch. He explained the company’s business model and gave students an overview of the different brands his branch has been involved with, from Rosetta Stone to Rolex.

“I think learning to collaborate with people and being able to communicate well is an art in itself,” Mr. Falcone told the group of students. “If you stay committed to moving in a positive direction with other people, you’ll be amazed with the results.” He credits relationship-building to be the foundation of Stephen Gould’s success as a global enterprise since expanding their business from manufacturing boxes to “becoming a turnkey source for marketing and purchasing projects.”

Jacob Credle ’21, who is an intern in Steward’s marketing department, wrote about his experience: 

“The day was filled with many important lessons, but the one that impacted me most is the idea that everything in the packaging business is multifaceted. Packaging is literally never one sided. But figuratively, packaging requires so many more moving parts than most people realize. There are people who design the components that house the product, people who design the shape and functionality of the box, and people who design the artwork that goes on, or inside, the box. The Stephen Gould employees we spoke to all emphasized that since they began working in packaging, they haven’t been able to go to the store without thinking about how their purchases are packaged.”

After touring Stephen Gould’s design studio, Mr. Falcone posed a challenge to the group: prototype a premium “thank you” box for VIP customers of custom menswear company Alton Lane. Each box required three items: a thank you message, a $100 gift card, and a token of appreciation. The catch? The per-box budget needed to be under $16, accounting for producing the box, fulfillment, and the cost of the box’s contents.

Students spent one month testing designs and business plans before reconvening on November 18, when they pitched their prototypes to Mr. Falcone and three of his associates in Steward’s very own Boardroom. Each group presented on why they chose their unique token of appreciation and how it aligned with Alton Lane branding, which they researched using the company’s website and marketing materials. The winning group — comprising Anya Bhargava ’21, George Goldstein ’21, Michael Magnano ’20, Sachin Sanjay ’20, Emory Sutton ’20, and Cole Tyler ’23 — designed a box that housed a bottle opener etched with Alton Lane’s logo and a custom ID number to convey how special each customer is.

“That sort of touch makes people feel like they’re really part of something,” one of the Stephen Gould associates said following the winning team’s pitch. “Every customer has a different need, and we like that you spoke to the need of feeling included.”

In the spring, students in the Entrepreneurship Studies program will have another opportunity to partner with an outside group to test their business acumen, this time with Sandbox, a Richmond-based consulting group. Steward will also send a group of Entrepreneurship students to the ninth annual Tom Tom Founders Summit and Festival in Charlottesville to pitch their ideas among some of Virginia’s most innovative thinkers.