2 minute read
SMART MOVES
TRAILBLAZER and GU marketing major Jeremy Whisenton receives the donorfunded MOSAIC Diversity Scholarship. Thank you for giving.
Advertisement
The candies in glass jars glisten like little chunks of rainbow. Tasty, yet low in sugar, Jerbear Gummy Bears signal “happy” to children and “healthy” to their parents. They bring a smile to their creator’s face too, especially when he recounts their beginnings . . .
Jeremy Whisenton ’22, then a 16-year-old diabetic, devised the recipe in response to his mom’s not-sotasty attempts. His curiosity and drive for improved results moved him to experiment with batch after batch. Seven attempts paved the way for his signature recipe. He debuted the treats at a school event. People liked them. Buoyed by that success, he then sold the gelatin-based, preservative-free bites at local fairs and community events.
Today, five years later, Jeremy manages Jerbear Gummy Bears and More from Greenville University, where he majors in marketing, hosts a radio show on WGRN, captains an esports team, and participates
in Joyous Chaos, GU’s improvisational comedy troupe. While these activities often bring him to the SMART Center on Greenville’s historic town square, his entrepreneurial pursuits make him truly fit in there.
The SMART Center showcases a unique collaboration between GU, its visionary donors, and the greater Greenville community. The Center’s multi-use spaces accommodate learning and productivity aimed at adding value to the local economy. Jeremy is among the entrepreneurs, business professionals, and students who frequent the Center. He works his gummy-bear magic on the third level in a fully equipped test kitchen. The commercial appliances and generous preparation areas have helped him realize efficiencies that translate into greater profitability.
Jeremy has also expanded his professional network. He understands how conversations turn into relationships, and relationships turn into business-growth opportunities. Since arriving in Greenville, Jeremy has received invitations to vendor shows and recommendations on where to sell Jerbears. It helps that market realities work in his favor: “Low-sugar candy that still tastes good is rare,” he says.
One can say the same about the innovative university-donorcommunity collaboration that fuels learning and productivity at the SMART Center—rare, perhaps, but oh so good.
VISIONARIES FROM THE CLASS OF ‘52
Career schoolteacher Marie (Clouse ’52) Owen didn’t know Jeremy Whisenton by name, but she knew passionate pursuit when she saw it. She knew curiosity paved the way for deep learning, and she knew that students benefit from teachers who impart values as much as they impart skills and knowledge. Marie’s experience as a student at Greenville College helped her know these things. When she included GU in her estate plan, she ensured similar experiences for Jeremy and others who frequent the SMART Center.
Forgeman Don Jones ’52 didn’t know Jeremy either, but he knew the delight of turning a vision like Jeremy’s into a plan and then working that plan to achieve a thriving enterprise. Don challenged the GU community and its students to dream big. He made GU’s acquisition of the SMART Center possible and applauded the Center’s entrepreneurial connections.
