On April 8, the Edward Attman and Mildred Cohen Attman Enterprise Hatchery, providing resources for early-stage entrepreneurs, will have its official ribbon cutting ceremony. The facility serves as a launching point for student entrepreneurs; business coaching, mentoring, consulting and strategizing are all part of the student entrepreneur experience within the hatchery. It’s a true extension of the classroom.

The Attman Enterprise Hatchery provides more than just a home for early stage ventures. Research stations are fully equipped with computer and Internet access, as well as a workspace for prototypes, models and equipment. Student entrepreneurs have access to state-of-the-art conference and huddle rooms in the center’s main suite of offices.

This new space expands the Entrepreneurial Opportunity Center’s physical footprint. The hatchery program is based on an award-winning model for the development of pre-revenue ventures that allows for a number of business models to be tested by an emerging entrepreneur. This early testing can dramatically improve the viability of a new enterprise.

Established with a generous gift from the Attmans, the hatchery plays an important support role for entrepreneurs in a critical stage of development, helping to turn entrepreneurial visions into reality.

In 1946, Edward Attman founded Acme Paper, one of the largest distributors of janitorial supplies, disposable goods, foodservice and industrial equipment, and retail and custom packaging in the Mid-Atlantic region. The company, headquartered in Savage, Md., also has a distribution center in Richmond, Va. 

Edward Attman received an A.A. degree in 1940 and a B.S. in 1942 from the University of Baltimore, while his wife Mildred Cohen Attman received an A.A. in 1942 from the University.