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KINGSTON — Amy Hartman Roccograndi and Robyn Ruckle know running a small business isn’t easy.
They launched Reaching Beyond Limits, a day program for adults with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, in March 2015 with just one client.
In November, the business moved from its location in the Gateway Shopping Center in Edwardsville to a spot three times larger. The new site at 310 Market St. in Kingston allowed the business to double its clientele — from 17 to 38 people — in a short period of time.
As the business grew, Hartman Roccograndi and Ruckle dedicated their limited time and funds to providing unique and engaging daily programs for their expanding clientele.
Help couldn’t have come at a better time.
Students from the Department of Mass Communications and Design at Misericordia University recently created marketing materials for Reaching Beyond Limits, including a brochure, website, promotional video and logo — all at no cost. The service learning project was part of the Powerful, Persuasive Marketing Design class, a special topics course for upperclassmen.
“We kind of give them free rein because the only marketing we had was through word of mouth,” said Ruckle. “We didn’t have anything.”
Assistant Professor Rachel Urbanowicz, who has a background in marketing communication design, said she had extensive experience working with startup businesses and was able to guide students in what kinds of projects they created for Reaching Beyond Limits.
Students Erin Dougherty, of Dallas, and Christa Porasky, of Falls, aided in graphics and logo design; Matthew Gromala, of Pittston Township, wrote content for the brochure, website and PowerPoint presentation; Matthew Scanlon, of Breezy Point, N.Y., created a promotional video; and Melanie Quintanilla, of Hasbrough Heights, N.J. designed the website.
Urbanowicz said Dougherty and Porasky designed between 15 and 20 logos, but none matched the feel of the business. Hartman Roccograndi said a photo of staff members’ chalk-drawn artwork provided the missing puzzle piece.
“The first few (logos) that we looked at, they were nice, but they were very corporate,” said Hartman Roccograndi. “We were trying to look for something that represented our personality better, and then they just nailed it on the head. We love it.”
Throughout the semester the students worked directly with Hartman Roccograndi and Ruckle, as well as the staff and clients. The students were able to gain real-world experience while working independently, which provided them with not only a learning opportunity, but portfolio material to show potential employers as well.
“It was definitely a challenge because it was the first time ever I was working with a client,” said Scanlon. “… I felt pressure to make sure I did a good job. I wanted to do a good job because I love this company. My mom spent a lot of time working with people with autism so it was a very important topic for me.”
Gromala, who writes for the campus newspaper The Highlander, said the project helped him gain skills in areas with which he wasn’t familiar, like copywriting.
“Any writing experience, anything that can help me sharpen my writing, make adjustments to it, could open up other avenues for work I could do in the future,” he said.
Hartman Roccograndi said having these materials has been helpful already — in addition to promoting the video on YouTube, she said they’ve used the PowerPoint presentation in a recent meeting.
“I would say it’s definitely a weight off our shoulders,” she said.