In spring 2023, a group of determined entrepreneurs gathered at Dothan’s Health Center South for an intensive launchpad program. Among them was Marteen Lewis, owner of Earthly Wellness Bar, who came seeking guidance to expand her vision of owning a medical spa. After six weeks of Saturdays in the bootcamp classroom, Marteen stood beaming with confidence as she accepted an award. “After learning about being consistent, following a plan, [and] making sure you give your clients an experience… I feel like my vision of owning a med spa could actually get brought to reality,” she said​. Next to her stood Wanda Helms, founder of Vonnie’s Shed thrift boutique, who won the Eagle Award for her scalable business idea. Wanda reflected that the bootcamp “gave me confidence and [changed] my mindset to thinking like an entrepreneur… knowing that what I’m doing can work”​. These personal stories capture the heart and value of the Dothan Community Entrepreneurship Bootcamp – a 12-month program (6-week bootcamp, 18-week mentorship, 14-week consulting) designed to empower disadvantaged community members through business ownership​.

This collaboration – co-hosted by Troy University and UAB’s Heersink Institute – reflects the spirit of the Sullivan Foundation’s mission to foster servant leadership and economic empowerment. Like the Sullivan Ignite Retreats or Study Abroad programs that inspire young changemakers, the bootcamp immerses its participants in real-world problem-solving. Over the year, entrepreneurs in the program receive hands-on training from seasoned faculty and mentors, practical consulting on their ventures, and the chance to network with community supporters. The bootcamp’s stated goals – to foster new ventures by individuals facing hardship; to help existing disadvantaged-owned businesses grow; to develop both the entrepreneur and the enterprise; and to celebrate those who succeed – align closely with the Foundation’s creed of “service above self”​.

A Year of Learning and Support

The program unfolds in three phases over 12 months. Participants begin with an intensive six-week Boot Camp, held one Saturday a week each spring, where they learn core business skills: from market research and operations to marketing and basic accounting​. This classroom phase is taught by Troy Sorrell College of Business faculty and visiting experts – seasoned entrepreneurs, UAB instructors, and community leaders. After the bootcamp sessions, each entrepreneur enters a mentorship period of 18 weeks, pairing them with volunteer business mentors for guidance and accountability. Finally comes a 14-week consulting phase, during which students from Troy’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) work directly with the entrepreneurs on practical tasks (from financial projections to social media campaigns). An end-of-year pitch competition and ceremony offers prizes and certificates to recognize progress.

  • Six-week Bootcamp: Weekly sessions covering idea development, market understanding, profit models, operations, marketing and more​.
  • 18-week Mentorship: One-on-one guidance as entrepreneurs apply learning to their own plans.
  • 14-week Consulting: Troy students and advisors provide specialized help (research, funding strategy, marketing) tailored to each venture.

This three-phase structure “fosters the creation of new, profitable ventures by those facing economic or other disadvantages”​, while also strengthening existing small businesses. The curriculum was adapted from a University of Notre Dame program, with local partners including the Dothan-area Entrepreneurship Council and health-centered organizations​. As Heersink Institute founder Dr. Marnix Heersink’s own vision of innovation reminds us, tackling the root causes of poverty – “the social determinants of health” – can mean empowering people to be job-creators, not just job-seekers​. In this way, the bootcamp addresses community needs and brings economic empowerment to the Wiregrass region.

From Ideas to Awards: Entrepreneurs’ Journeys

By April 2023, the inaugural bootcamp cohort had turned ideas into tangible business plans. Participants included a diverse group – from home-based artisans to retail shop owners – all united by determination. On graduation day, certificates were handed out and special awards celebrated those who showed vision and grit. Four awards highlighted outstanding efforts: Marteen Lewis earned the Audacity Award for her bold but untested idea (a medical spa), Wanda Helms took the Eagle Award for the existing business most likely to “soar to new heights,” and others like Amaiyia Holmes (mobile laundry) and Sabrina Walker (fitness wear) earned awards for their innovative ideas.

Marteen’s own words illustrate why she joined the program: “I saw this intense course was being offered… I needed help on the business management side,” she explained​. After six weeks, she felt equipped to “be consistent, follow a plan… and give clients an experience” – concrete lessons that turned her entrepreneurial dreams into plans. Wanda’s story is similar: she attended to “go to the next level” but “didn’t really know where to start”​. The bootcamp taught her confidence and the mindset of an entrepreneur – outcomes she describes as transformational. Their classmates’ stories were equally inspiring: one participant used prize funding to pay off business debt, another secured a microloan with help from mentors. Together, the graduates formed a supportive network that Tarra Black (UAB Dothan director) hopes will continue beyond the program​. As she observed, the greatest success was “the networking and relationships built amongst the class” – friendships that could outlast any one workshop​.

Partnerships Powering Change

This entrepreneurial initiative is truly a team effort. Troy University’s IDEA Bank and Sorrell College of Business joined forces with UAB’s Marnix E. Heersink Institute (for Biomedical Innovation) and community organizations to make the bootcamp possible​. From its October 2022 launch – announced during a UAB leadership roundtable in Dothan – the program was envisioned as a “12-month intervention” for the region. Funding and vision came from the Heersink family’s philanthropy, which has already transformed medical education and infrastructure at UAB. Dr. Pillay of the Heersink Institute noted that addressing social determinants like poverty is key to the institute’s mission​. By partnering with Troy, UAB extended its reach from health to local entrepreneurship.

Local civic partners also joined in. The Dothan Area Chamber’s Entrepreneurship Council and the Lee County Economic Development team helped recruit participants. Sorrell College’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) – under Director Juliana Bolivar – took charge of curriculum development. Even the Alabama campus of the University of Notre Dame contributed program materials. As Troy’s IDEA Bank director Lynne George recalled, “this started as an IDEA Bank partnership, but has evolved tremendously” thanks to these collaborations​. The role of faculty and mentors was crucial: Sorrell professors (Edwards, Blankenship, Todd, Voss) led sessions, and guest speakers ranged from Mayor Saliba to tech entrepreneurs like Rick Jenkins​.

Together, these partners shared a belief that entrepreneurship can transform lives. The bootcamp team keeps track of progress and outcomes, aiming to “measure and track…performance of entrepreneurs and their ventures” as part of the program’s design​. In fact, a sign of success was seeing graduates like Wanda reflect on a more confident future – outcomes the Sullivan Foundation also appreciates. As the UAB news release notes, “Heersink’s vision and the dedicated efforts…have illuminated a path of hope and empowerment for the entrepreneurship community in South Alabama”​. The Bootcamp is a testament to what collaborative, values-driven investment can achieve in a community.

Students as Changemakers

Troy University has even turned this program into a learning lab. In late 2024, the Sorrell SBDC launched a new pilot that brings Troy students into the mix as consultants. Five juniors and seniors – from finance, computer science, business management and communications majors – were selected to work directly with the bootcamp entrepreneurs. Led by SBDC Director Juliana Bolivar and Katherine Zobre of Founders Playground, these students received training in business consulting and then spent ten weeks applying their skills to help local ventures​. Their work ranged from building social-media content to refining business plans, giving entrepreneurs extra support and giving students hands-on experience. As Bolivar explained, the program “empowers the next generation of business leaders while providing local entrepreneurs with tailored, practical support”​. By bridging classroom theory and community practice, the pilot benefits “both our students and the community at large”​.

This student engagement echoes the spirit of Sullivan Foundation programs, which inspire young leaders to tackle real problems. For example, Sullivan Fellows Program is a multi-year leadership program in which students collaborate on social impact projects​, and our Ignite Retreats immerse students in changemaking workshops (over 1,500 have attended in the past 15 years​). Just as the Sullivan Fellows Program and Ignite Retreats encourage students to “change the world” as purpose-driven graduates​, Troy’s bootcamp pilot shows how students themselves can become mentors and innovators. It underscores the Sullivan Network philosophy that campuses and communities can learn from each other – that our universities are not ivory towers but engines for “community impact and mentorship.” The Foundation’s alumni network is similarly encouraged to stay involved, whether as Fellow mentors or Ignite facilitators, because “students who have…an entrepreneurial spirit” are exactly the ones the Sullivan Foundation seeks to support​.

A Sullivan Network School in Action

Troy University has been a Sullivan Foundation Network School since 2016, joining a national coalition of colleges committed to service above self​. As such, Sullivan Awards are a well-known tradition on Troy’s campuses: each year Troy honors students and faculty “for their excellence of character, humanitarian service and spiritual qualities,” as Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr. explained at the 2025 Sullivan Awards ceremony​. These awards – created in 1890 – recognize leaders “with noble character and hearts of a humble servant”​. In that same spirit, the Community Entrepreneurship Bootcamp cultivates servant-leaders by meeting people “where they are,” helping them lift themselves and their neighbors through enterprise.

References

Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation. (2022, October 31). Heersink Institute launches Dothan Entrepreneurship Program. UAB News. Retrieved from https://www.uab.edu/news/research/item/13361-heersink-institute-launches-dothan-entrepreneurship-program

Sullivan Foundation. (n.d.). About the Sullivan Foundation. Retrieved April 24, 2025, from https://sullivanfdn.org/about/

Sullivan Foundation. (n.d.). Ignite Retreats. Retrieved April 24, 2025, from https://sullivanfdn.org/ignite/

Sullivan Foundation. (n.d.). Sullivan Fellows Program Overview. Retrieved April 24, 2025, from https://sullivanfdn.org/fellows/

Troy University. (2023, April 18). Inaugural Dothan Community Entrepreneurship Bootcamp a success. Troy Today. Retrieved from https://today.troy.edu/news/inaugural-dothan-community-entrepreneurship-bootcamp-a-success/

Troy University. (2024, October 10). SBDC launches student consulting pilot for bootcamp graduates. Troy Today. Retrieved from https://today.troy.edu/news/sbdc-bootcamp-pilot/

Troy University. (2025, April 9). Troy University honors Sullivan Award recipients. Troy Today. Retrieved from https://today.troy.edu/news/troy-university-honors-2025-sullivan-award-recipients/

UAB News. (2023, April 10). Entrepreneurs complete first Heersink Institute Bootcamp in Dothan. Retrieved from https://www.uab.edu/news/community/item/13502-entrepreneurs-complete-first-heersink-institute-bootcamp-in-dothan

Back to all News items.