Steve Lehrhoff \u201896 credits Montclair State with bringing a lot of great things into his life. \u201cMontclair State gave me a whole network and opened doors for me,\u201d he said. To name just a few of those things, Steve worked with life-changing mentors, developed professional experience through internships, and participated in the Disney College Program, where he met his wife. <\/p>\n
Lehrhoff grew up nearby and initially went to a different college. When he transferred to Montclair State, he found himself immersed in a community where \u201ceverybody cares so much about how they\u2019re doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Steve majored in Commercial Recreation, which was part of the School of Business. Professors Jack Samuels and Sue Westin were two of the most influential professors Lehrhoff worked with as a student. The Commercial Recreation program was a small, niche program, which led to a close, family-like environment for students and faculty in it. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Commercial Recreation program was spectacular,\u201d Lehrhoff said. \u201cThere were so many opportunities.\u201d He fondly recalled one trip where the students in the program went to Vermont to learn about the ski industry. Some of the classes he took were management and public speaking courses, both skills that he uses today at the helm of Olive That and More!, his artisan olive oil and vinegar shop. While he was a student, Lehrhoff balanced his full class schedule with various off-campus jobs. He always had a job during college \u2013 at one point, he managed a snowboard shop and at another, worked for a caterer. The time spent in these jobs helped him build business acumen and grow a strong professional network.<\/p>\n
One year of Lehrhoff\u2019s Montclair State career was spent in Walt Disney World as part of the Disney College program. The Disney College program gives college students the opportunity to live and work in one of Disney\u2019s parks for a semester, interning while taking courses. That year, seven Montclair State students were chosen to participate in the program, including Lehrhoff, who was the only male student chosen. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was absolutely spectacular \u2013 the whole Disney program,\u201d Lehrhoff recalled. He worked in Epcot Center, the busiest part of the park, for two months. He enjoyed his time there so much that he opted to take another semester in Disney World, extending his time there to one year.<\/p>\n
After graduating, Lehrhoff took a job with Clear Channel Entertainment and later became the band tour manager for Elton John. With Elton John and his band, Lehrhoff traveled the world. He jokes that he \u201cate his way around the world,\u201d exposing himself to various world cuisines and experiences. Still, Montclair held a place in his heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraveling the world has given me more of a love for Montclair, New Jersey,\u201d he said. When he left the job with Elton John, Lehrhoff had the opportunity to go into business in the town he loves. Olive That and More! opened in 2012 and since then, Lehrhoff and his wife have become a fixture in the Montclair specialty foods scene. \u201cThere\u2019s so much the town has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lehrhoff credits his success to the opportunities afforded to him at Montclair State. \u201cPay attention to your professors \u2013 they\u2019re trying to assist you,\u201d he advises current students. \u201cMontclair State gave you the opportunity to learn if you wanted it. It\u2019s helpful if you want the help.\u201d He stresses that opportunities are cultivated, not just handed out, and Montclair State is a place where determined students can be successful. <\/p>\n
His relationship with the University continues today. \u201cI never thought that I\u2019d be returning to Montclair State daily to pick up my son from daycare,\u201d he said. He was recently back on campus to take a tour and speak with Dr. Samuels’ class. \u201cThe parking situation is different,\u201d he said, noting the first difference he saw between Montclair State when he attended and Montclair State today. \u201c100% different.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Steve Lehrhoff \u201896 credits Montclair State with bringing a lot of great things into his life. \u201cMontclair State gave me a whole network and opened doors for me,\u201d he said. To name just a few of those things, Steve worked with life-changing mentors, developed professional experience through internships, and participated in the Disney College Program, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":111916,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-262_feliciano-center-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/entrepreneur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}