SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University’s Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator is working on several new projects.

John Golden, director of the SEA and a business professor, said one effort is a company called Impress Digital Badges, which provides proof of certain skills a person may have.

Golden said the idea came from talking to employers trying to determine what skills they are looking for in employees. Some of the skills can be taught in classes, but some cannot be taught in normal classes. Additionally, it is hard to prove that a person has these skills.

With the badges, people can test for them and earn them. Potential employers can click on a link and see the person has the badge.

The project will be rolled out on campus in certain programs before expanding.

“We’re looking at a lot of different clients to market this,” Golden said.

The SEA gives resources to entrepreneurs and students who are interested in starting businesses.

The SEA also is working on a company called Rock Roast, which is a student-run coffee company. Golden said the coffee is fair trade and organic, and proceeds from the coffee will fund student trips abroad.

Golden said the company is trying to get AVI, which does food service for SRU, and Aramark, which does food for the Slippery Rock School District, on board.

The SEA is working with the Slippery Rock Rotary Club for a project in Uganda that will focus on sustainable farming.

Rikaza Rizwan, a senior finance and management major from Sri Lanka, is in charge of the Uganda project. She said the project will plant and grow crops to feed students at the school. The excess crops could be sold for the school’s profit.

The Start Farming program tries to bring newer farming techniques to older farmers as well as attract younger people to farming.

Brock Danneker, the junior business sustainable management major in charge of the program, said the program is working with Penn State University to help run some workshops for farmers.

The SEA Veterans Outreach will be holding a resource fair March 29.

Elizabeth Rippee, the senior accounting and finance major in charge of the program, said several community groups have expressed an interest in attending the fair.

“We’re getting a lot of positive feedback,” Rippee of Harmony said.

A big part of the SEA is the “idea lab.” Every new client to the SEA goes through the lab.

Cory Heim, a senior sustainable management major from Cleveland, is in charge of the lab.

“It’s like the front door,” Heim said.

New clients come in and the lab does an assessment to determine the client’s needs and it also starts working on a webpage for the client and helps with marketing. In addition to helping new businesses, Heim said, the lab helps existing businesses problem solve.

Kailey Hazlett, a senior marketing major from Saxonburg, is in charge of the SEA’s marketing team. She said the focus of marketing is getting attention to the companies. The team also works on developing webpages and social media accounts for the SEA and the companies.

For the past few years, the SEA has been working on developing a shared kitchen in the Slippery Rock area. This is a commercial kitchen that small entrepreneurs and farmers can share to prepare food for retail sale.

Golden said the SEA is still researching what would be the most effective use for the kitchen in the area.

The SEA has 17 interns. Each one of them manages one of the projects.

Anyone interested in the SEA may contact Golden at john.golden@sru.edu, send an e-mail sea@sru.edu or visit the website at www.seasru.com.