SPRINGFIELD – Teams of Western New England University entrepreneurship students from the Colleges of Business and Engineering are developing products that will be manufactured by Goodwill clients at their Cottage Street manufacturing facility. A great design for a good cause was the impetus for several new products developed by students in the cross-disciplinary Product Innovation and Development course.
This spring, the first of these projects, the Chewy Dog Toy, will hit store shelves throughout the region and be sold online. The majority of the proceeds will go toward hiring more Goodwill employees.
“This idea came out of a collaborative effort,” explained team leader and engineering senior Matthew Roberts. “My team has eight students, four each from the Colleges of Business and Engineering. We brainstormed, met with Goodwill managers, did some market research and testing, and we determined these chewy dog toys were a viable product,” Roberts added.
“The students from Western New England have found a really creative way to recycle some of our donations that can’t be sold in the thrift stores,” says Emily Bastia of Goodwill Industries. “It’s helping Goodwill to sell its own products from recycled materials, and in the process, creating employment opportunities for our clients.”
Three more products; a tote bag, specialty coasters made from old record albums, and Goodlets, small leather bracelets made from recycled belts, may soon follow.
“Goodwill has always been a leader in creating opportunities for their clients who are people in our community having difficulty finding employment,” says Dr. Glenn Vallee, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering. “The students worked with the Goodwill staff to research and develop products made entirely from recycled materials. The T-shirts used to make these dog toys were all donated by the public, and Goodwill often has to pay to dispose of the shirts they can’t sell. The dog toys will be produced by the Goodwill clients.”
