Smith Undergrads Visit Local Social Entrepreneur

Undergraduates in the Social Innovation Fellows (SIF) program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business visited social entrepreneur Eugene Faison, CEO and founder of DGridEnergy LLC, at the Muirkirk Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of the District of Columbia in Beltsville, Md., on Sept. 27, 2016.

Faison shared his journey to becoming a social entrepreneur and explained the business strategy and purpose of DGridEnergy's "Solar Cool Cube"- a self-contained, solar-powered, walk-in cooling system that allows communities access to refrigeration even if they are off "DGrid." The Solar Cool Cube is optimized for organizations like health ministries or agricultural firms needing to keep medicines or food cold, a particularly important problem in many parts of the developing world that lack a reliable "Cold Chain." DGridEnergy's plans call for expansion into several international markets. SIF Faculty Champion David Kirsch is hopeful that SIF teams will be working with Faison to help plan and execute his market entry strategy.

Following the tour of the Solar Cool Cube, the SIF cohort was treated to a complete tour of the specialty and ethnic crops being grown at the Muirkirk research station. Muirkirk Farm’s harvests are so successful that in 2013 it provided specialty greens including kale, Chinese cabbage and collards to programs across the District of Columbia, including a donation of almost 1,000 pounds of food to non-profits for distribution to underserved D.C. citizens.

“All that, and we made it back in time for dinner! It's amazing how close we are on campus to such interesting destinations,” added Professor Kirsch.

SIF features an interactive consulting experience, an optional internship and co-curricular programming aimed at developing skills in the areas of sustainability, social enterprise/entrepreneurship, impact investing, marketing, and new media. Students leave the program with a deep understanding of how to apply their business skills toward addressing issues of social and environmental importance in large and small organizations alike. This is a highly interactive, experiential, and dynamic program.

Applications for Social Innovation Fellows for 2017-18 will open December 2016. The Smith School offers 15 unique Fellows programs. For more details on all of them, go to the Smith Fellows website.

- Claudia Donnelly, Smith Undergraduate Program