WYOMISSING, Pa. — The Penn State Berks Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development (CEED) Center hosted its annual Student Enterprise Award ceremony on March 25.  The award provides seed money to support enterprising and innovative students and allow them to utilize their Penn State Berks education to become entrepreneurs.  

Universal Angled Handle — featuring team members Kathryn Kundrat, Ariella McNally, Joseph Paterski, Braden Ritter, Zachary Schlegel and Nathan Vreeland — earned $375 for its assistive device that helps individuals with arthritis or wrist injuries. Streamline Charging — represented by Braden Ritter, Zachary Schlegel and Nathan Vreeland — also received $375 in funding for its flexible and affordable electric vehicle (EV) charging solution. 

Berks seniors Justin Keel and Valeria Pena Dominguez and adult learner Brandon Everett all earned $250 in funding for their respective projects. Keel’s project focused on high-end car detailing, Pena Dominguez’s project entailed creating a virtual Mexican restaurant, and Everett’s project, Bapanada, provides plant-based, Latin food catering.  

About the Flemming CEED Center 

The Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Center (CEED) Center was established in the fall of 2011 as part of the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building. Its mission is to inspire an entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking in the Penn State Berks community. The CEED Center fosters economic growth and development in the Greater Reading area through technology-based solutions, human capital development, and enterprise creation. It provides student entrepreneurs with an incubator in which to develop their startup ideas and mentoring from faculty, as well as volunteers from the local business community.

The CEED Center’s programs include the Customer Discovery Lab, Creativity Training Workshops, 3D Printing Workshops, Speaker Series, the STEM Business Idea Challenge, and the Student Enterprise Award. For more information, contact Sadan Kulturel-Konak, director of the CEED Center, at sxk70@psu.edu.