Two Champlain College International Business students, Paxton Hall ‘14 and George Taylor Bentz ‘14, think they have found a niche on campus for a new late night coffee joint. They plan to open Wednesday, Feb. 15 in the IDX Student Life Center.

‘The Lodge,' (named in honor of the College's mascot - Chauncey T. Beaver and to reflect a ski lodge theme) will replace the former ‘G2G' (Good to Go) mini-store located adjacent to Fireside Lounge. Hall and Bentz say The Lodge will offer more hours than Sodexo's Jazzman's Cafe in Hauke Family Center which is generally open only during the day Monday through Friday.

"The Lodge will supply another great option for food during the day and provide an on-campus place to refuel for late-night studying," Hall said. Hours for The Lodge will be: Monday -Wednesday 8:45 a.m. - midnight; Thursday - Friday 8:45 a.m. - 1 a.m.; Saturday - 11 a.m. - 1 a.m.; and Sunday - 11 a.m. - midnight. The other goal of the new business is to attract more Champlain students to take advantage of the Fireside Lounge, game area and as a place to gather and study, especially in the evening.

Student organizers say The Lodge will offer more than just coffee and typical snacks - they will have products from local businesses such as The Skinny Pancake, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Myer's Bagels, and Vermont Smoke and Cure. The Lodge will also serve as a platform for Bring Your Own Business (BYOBiz) and other student-owned businesses to sell their products. Among the offerings: handcrafted Bee Cozy hats by Shelby Dickinson ‘14 and BorderLine Designs screen printed shirts by Brian Culmo ‘15 - targeted to the Champlain student demographic.

Hall and Benzt have assembled a team of Champlain students to help run and manage the business, taking advantage of the diverse skill sets of students majoring in business, marketing, communications, and graphic design. "We all hail from all different areas of study and together will create a balanced team with a common purpose," Hall explained.

Members of The Lodge Team are:

• George Taylor Bentz '14 International Business - CEO President of Operations and Benefit Oversight

• Paxton Hall '14 International Business, owner of PaxTunz - CEO President of Finance and Growth

• Marley Jaffe '14 Computer and Digital Forensics - Technology manager

• Sasha Darovskikh '15 Communications - Marketing manager

• Devin Carter '14 Graphic Design - Promotions manager

• Kaity Roberts '15 Business - manager of Operations

• Shelby Dickinson '14 Psychology and Social Work, owner of Bee Cozy - Entrepreneurial Relations Manager

• Macy Mangekian '14 Accounting - Accounting manager

• Jillian Conner '15 Environmental Science - Benefit Oversight Director

This on-campus business is unique because it was created and is run entirely by students. It works to benefit these students as they learn how to run a business while still in school. "It's just another way to foster and encourage entrepreneurship on campus," said Hall, who also runs his own ski tuning company, PaxTunz, through Champlain's BYOBiz program. The Lodge is a Vermont Licensed Benefit Corporation, benefitting Champlain students, and giving back to the community and local businesses.

After the new business settles in, The Lodge will look into hosting events, inviting more businesses to participate, and continue to provide more opportunities for young entrepreneurs to get exposure on campus.

There is also a Facebook page devoted to The Lodge https://www.facebook.com/TheLodgeVT and fans can follow it on Twitter @TheLodgeVT. For more information and to check out the thematic menu, visit the web site at http://www.thelodgevt.com/