Giving Back is Second Nature to Entrepreneur Edwin Feliciano ’82

Edwin Feliciano ’82 got his first business lessons at his father’s side. “My dad had a little variety storefront in Passaic,” he reminisces. “When I was five or six years old, he would take me to Mulberry Street in New York to purchase items for the store. My job was to keep quiet and listen while he negotiated with his suppliers.” 

The elder Feliciano was committed to preparing his son for the real world. “We didn’t have a lot of money, but somehow he managed to buy a cold water flat in Passaic,” Feliciano says of his father. “It had seven or eight units, and he had to do most of the upkeep. One day, he told me that it was my lucky day – that I would go in alone to collect the rent. I was only 13, but he wanted to be sure that I could take care of things if something ever happened to him.” 

Feliciano’s parents also taught him the importance of giving back to the community. “Both of my parents volunteered at our church,” he says. “Dad was always ready to help someone find a job when they needed it. My mom taught Sunday school. We were always encouraged to invite friends over for Sunday dinner – some days I think she fed half the neighborhood! They taught me how to work hard and how to give generously.”

A wrestling scholarship at West Chester University sent Feliciano out of state for college, but not for long. “I wanted to be close to home,” he says. He took a break from school and six months later he enrolled at Montclair, leaning into full-time study alongside full-time work. 

“Montclair was so different then,” he recalls. “There were maybe 400 students in the entire business program. My classes always seemed to be on the top floor of Partridge Hall. When the elevator wasn’t working – which was often – it was a challenge to get to class on time.”

In 1982, he graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration.

Feliciano tried corporate life, with jobs at companies like Goya Foods and Richter Brothers, Inc., but he wasn’t cut out to work for others. By the time he was 23 Feliciano had purchased his first investment property and earned licenses to sell, appraise, and broker real estate. By 30, he was married to the love of his life, Mimi. The pair began working on a shared vision of the future. “Mimi is wonderful,” he says. “We balance each other out. We make a good team. Together we started building something of our own.”

In 2001, the couple took over the Lincoln Park Healthcare Center, a family-owned company, and built it into an industry frontrunner in short-term rehabilitation care. “There was definitely a learning curve,” he says. They introduced the JDT Medical Rehabilitation Center and Villa, a new model in health care facility design, which not only transformed short-term rehabilitation care in New Jersey but also set a new national standard of excellence. In 2012, they sold JDT and established FEM Real Estate LLC, which owns, manages and invests in commercial real estate throughout the United States.

While expanding on his parents’ lessons in business, the Felicianos also expanded on his family’s tradition of generosity – which has long included support for Montclair. In 2012, the couple established the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship at Montclair State University. Their philanthropy was recognized twice that year, at the Chilton Medical Center Foundation Gala and with the University’s Carpe Diem Award. In 2015 the ribbon was cut on the new School of Business building. The School was officially renamed in their honor. 

They are generous with their time as well, with Mimi serving as a member of the Feliciano School of Business Advisory Board and Edwin sharing his wisdom as a guest lecturer. “I teach students about the realities of owning a business,” he says. 

Feliciano has also been busy merging his two passions: education and faith. He has already seen to the building of three facilities in Guatemala, including a church in the western side of the country that includes 12 classrooms as well as a mezzanine that seats 1,000, another church on the outskirts of the jungle to the east, and a community and medical center. “I provide the funding and the residents provide the craftsmanship,” he says. 

With those projects well underway, he is turning his attention to education there. “Guatemalan schools generally stop at the sixth grade,” he explains. “I want to change that. My goal, my vision, is to provide local access to a Montclair education.” 

When Feliciano is speaking with students, he often refers to what he calls the “Ten Essential Vitamins of Life.” They are his tips to attaining joy and, as you might imagine, hard work and giving back are high on the list. “Be present, get involved, practice contentment,” he says. “And keep moving forward.”

He also encourages students – and fellow alumni – to support their alma mater. “Don’t forget where you came from once you become successful,” he advises. “Montclair gave us an outstanding education and helped us create a solid foundation for our careers, and for our lives. It is important to give back to support the next generation. So many of our students rely on financial aid. Our contributions make a real difference in their lives.”