News, Sports and Opinion from Hastings College
As the sun sank lower into the sky, all of the students on the bus were sleeping. But Dani Schwinn ‘12 always had trouble sleeping on buses, and Adam Schwinn ’12 had a lot on his mind, so they were still wide awake. The couple sat at the front of the bus, chatting with Dr. Judy Hall and Dr. Vicki Valentine on the ride through Mexico on the way to Belize, a part of their J-Term class.
The guidance they received changed both of their lives. [Read more...]
We’ve all heard the name. Hastings College students are quick to become familiar with the locally started Eileen’s Colossal Cookies, thanks to free 6-inch cookies that are given to every student visitor on campus courtesy of the Admissions Office. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the area who hasn’t tried one of Eileen’s 12 cookie flavors.
But this Hastings company strikes more than just a chord with locals. The business can be found in 7 states and 12 locations around the country. No one could’ve expected this cookie craze, not even Eileen Harman herself.
“It’s kind of hard to believe,” Harman said. “It was something I didn’t have a vision for that big.”
Harman’s company first began out of her kitchen basement in 1982, where she baked, decorated, and sold cookies. She had taken a cake-decorating course with the intent of baking cakes for her sons’ birthdays, but Harman was inspired to take on this business venture after noticing a shop in Omaha with decorated cookies.
Eileen Harman opens the first Eileen’s Colossal Cookies store in downtown Hastings on October 1, 1983.
“I thought, well a lot of people decorate cakes at home, why don’t I try decorated cookies?” Harman said.
As a promotional tool, Harman offered free delivery for her services. She even dressed in a cookie monster outfit, if requested. This turned out to be just as popular with the adults, as it was with children.
As demand grew, a year and a half later Harman decided to open up her own shop in downtown Hastings. The West 2nd Street location was opened on October 1, 1983 and still operates today. But Harman didn’t stop there. She opened another shop in Grand Island in 1987, followed by a third location in Kearney in 1991.
Eileen notes that because of the excellent quality and reasonable price that is offered for her products, the business perked the interest of several people. In 1994, Eileen’s Cookies began franchising. A franchise occurs when one party grants another party the right to use its trademark and business system to produce and market a good under certain specification.
Cheyenne, Wyoming became the first to franchise Eileen’s Colossal Cookies in 1994. They were soon followed by Lincoln in 1995 and Omaha in 1996. Today, Eileen’s Colossal Cookies can be found in Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and even Texas. Two new locations have will be opening in 2013. Cedar Park, Texas had their debut in March and Casper, Wyoming will begin business in June.
With the expansions, Eileen enlisted the help of her sons- Gabe and Tony. Both Gabe and Tony are business graduates from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and have both come back to work for the family company.
“They’re smart, and have the very best interest of our business in mind, Harman said.”
Since 2006, Tony has been the Franchise Director, overseeing the various stores across the Midwest. Since 2009, Gabe has been the manager of the Hastings branch of Eileen’s Cookies and has worked heavily in fundraising endeavors.
As business continues to increase and change, there is one thing that has continued to remain consistent- the customers.
“It’s been a great feeling seeing customers I had, who now have children that are our customers, and even grandkids,” Harman said.
Harman plans to keep those generations coming and happy as more stores are developed. And as for young entrepreneurs, who dream of starting their own business like Eileen’s Cookies, Harman’s advice all about time investment.
Eileen Harman delivers cookies to children in her classic Cookie Monster costume.
“Just because you own your own business, doesn’t mean you’ll make a lot of money right away,” Harman said. “Be prepared to work hard.”
32 years and 17 stores later, it’s evident Harman has taken these words to heart as the Eileen’s Cookies continues to do colossal business.
While most people will be focusing on their finals during the last week of the semester, something else looms in the background once finals are over: packing and moving out. This can sometimes be nearly as stressful for students as the finals they have to take. To help lower the stress levels for students during finals week, HC Media got some tips on cleaning and moving out from Lori Hergott, director of housing. [Read more...]
One of President Obama’s pillars of his platform last election was to reform the immigration policy currently enforced by the U.S. With the introduction of the Bill for Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, Obama and his bipartisan “Gang of Eight” have taken the first step toward addressing this issue. The 844-page bill describes its intention is for comprehensive immigration reform. [Read more...]
The Hastings College Board of Trustees has approved the demolition of the Steinhart Hall of Science. A timeline for this demolition has yet to be determined and it is unclear what the space will be used for after the demolition is finished. [Read more...]
The Who’s Who Award and Bronco Award, the school’s highest non-academic award, has been a Hastings College tradition which recognize the top seniors on campus. The Bronco Award was first established in 1924 and is selected from the Who’s Who winners. All of the award recipients are selected by a secret student-faculty committee which makes its selections based on outstanding contributions of nominees selected by the campus community through a voting process [Read more...]
During Earth Week at Hastings College, the Student Environmental Action Coalition, SEAC, sponsored multiple events promoting sustainability and a cleaner environment. One of the events hosted was a meal at Sodexo that was completely meatless. Tony Shepard, the Food Manager at Sodexo, was apart of a majority of the planning process. [Read more...]
On Friday May 3rd Hastings College celebrated the life of John Clarke. Clarke was a Lincoln Police officer who passed away after a workout on March 1st the event was called “Jump shots for John” and it took place at Hastings College Lynn Farrel arena beginning at 5:30 with a meal that was served with admission to the event. [Read more...]
Nathan Richardson (guitar) and Nate Skinner (drums) are members of the Tri-City hardcore band, Lighthouses.
