With the assistance of Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad, another business has opened its doors in Downtown Kent.

University Chiropractic and Wellness, located on Route 59, opened on Jan. 12 and is owned by Ayham Abuzeid and Ashley Kline. The office is located within minutes of Kent State’s campus and offers an array of services including chiropractic care, massage therapy and advice on living a healthy lifestyle.

Kline, a Kent State graduate student and her husband, Abuzeid, decided they wanted to create a business and were both interested in pursuing choices in the chiropractic field.

“We wanted to invest in some kind of business that does good for people, and chiropractic care has helped my life immensely,” Kline said.

As a Kent State student, Kline was looking for some guidance for the marketing and public relations aspect of the business when she found Blackstone LaunchPad.

“I just came across it one day on a whim and found it through the website,” Kline said. “I thought it would be a great thing to get involved in.”

Blackstone LaunchPad is a free service that assists students, faculty, staff and alumni of Kent State with potential business ideas or current businesses. They offer guidance in marketing and funding as well.

Blackstone LaunchPad is a grant program funded by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.  It has several locations including four in northeast Ohio and a range of states across the U.S.

Although Kent State is a third partner, the university does not receive profits from Blackstone LaunchPad or any of the businesses that have become successful through its guidance.

“The two main goals of the program are to create more jobs in the region and also to inspire entrepreneurship as a career path,” said Zach Mikrut, senior marketing manager at Blackstone LaunchPad.

Kline came to Blackstone LaunchPad in early January and talked with Mikrut and Kate Harmon, associate director of Blackstone LaunchPad, about different ways to get more involved in the Kent community.

“We were talking about ways of them partnering with community entities so they can start to get embedded within the community,” Harmon said.

While Kline only met with Blackstone LaunchPad once, she said she would recommend it to anyone looking to start a business.

“They play a big part in the success because obviously marketing is arguably one of the most important parts of any business plan,” Kline said. “They have given me some really concrete advice on what to do with marketing so it definitely contributes to the success.”

Blackstone LaunchPad is a grant program funded by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. It has several locations including four in northeast Ohio and a range of states across the U.S.

Although Kent State is a third partner, the university does not receive profits from Blackstone LaunchPad or any of the businesses that have become successful through its guidance.

Contact Kate Schwanke at [email protected].