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It’s no joke that Huemor Designs in Farmingdale, New York, looks to hire graduates from Adelphi.

What if your best friend from Adelphi became your business partner? What if your favorite Adelphi professor connected you to a job in your dream industry or helped you recruit fellow alumni to your company?

For a growing number of Adelphi alumni, these are far from mere fantasies. They are encapsulations of how the network they created as students has fueled them as professionals—and how it continues to nurture today’s students. 

It’s no joke that Huemor Designs in Farmingdale, New York, looks to hire graduates from Adelphi. After all, that’s where founders Michael Cleary ’11, Jeff Gapinski ’11 and Danielle Taylor ’11 got their start. Soon after graduation, the graphic designers pooled their talents to start the creative design agency as a supplement to their full-time employment. In little time, the demand for Huemor’s work became so great that they left their other jobs.

Two years later, Ms. Taylor has departed to pursue higher education, but Mr. Cleary and Mr. Gapinski are still together building a growing list of clients, an expanding payroll and new office space (growing from 550 to 1,750 sq. feet). They’ve just won their first industry award for their design work on the Martin de Tours custom clothing website.

What was the hardest thing about starting a business with your college pal? “The division of labor” both agree. Fortunately, Mr. Gapinski’s expertise in the technical aspects of Web design is complemented by Mr. Cleary’s focus on the visual elements. They collaborate to bring in clients. Recently, they were tapped to develop a social networking platform for athletes. Huemor also employs Craig Jones ’11 for Internet marketing and Crissy Bilardello ’13, a graphic designer.

 
Crissy Bilardello ’13

Crissy Bilardello ’13

 
 Michael Cleary ’11

Michael Cleary ’11

 
Jeff Gapinski ’11

Jeff Gapinski ’11

 
Craig Jones ’11

Craig Jones ’11

This piece appeared in the Adelphi University Magazine Spring 2014 edition.

For further information, please contact:

Todd Wilson
Strategic Communications Director 
p – 516.237.8634
e – twilson@adelphi.edu

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