Winter break was anything but relaxing for Adam Green and Michael Squires, two Syracuse University students and the managers of one of Marshall Street’s newest businesses.

Created and managed by Green and Squires, who are both junior finance and entrepreneurship majors in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, Insomnia Cookies now offers fresh-baked cookies for purchase in the store or by delivery, along with Tasti-D-Lite, a frozen dessert restaurant run out of the same building.

‘When there’s warm, fresh baked cookies with milk, people can’t resist them,’ said Green.

The business opened Nov. 30, 2004, and offered just Tasti-D-Lite, but the managers completed preparations for Insomnia Cookies over the break and are now open for business.

They offer six of their chocolate chip, chocolate chunk, oatmeal raisin, double peanut butter or chocolate macadamia nut cookies for around $5.50, as well as Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, milk and Tasti-D-Lite. They plan to add brownies in a week.

The success that Green and Squires have had in getting the business running has attracted attention from other students, who support their efforts.

‘People like the concept that it’s students; it’s intriguing,’ Green said. ‘They like to see us succeed, because then they see they can do it, too.’

Running both Tasti-D-Lite and Insomnia Cookies out of the same building has confused some customers, Green said, but has also been a huge challenge for the managers.

‘If it’s confusing for the customers, it’s 10 times more confusing for us,’ Green said.

Managing the deliveries of their products, finalizing the details of the businesses and communicating with a call-in delivery system that is based in Manhattan has made the transition to spring semester a stressful one for Squires and Green.

‘There’s a lot to getting this place up and running,’ Squires said.

Dealing with business partners in Manhattan, N.Y., and local contractors was a business challenge that college classes couldn’t prepare them for, Green said.

‘The most satisfying part is that Mike and I saw it through from the very beginning,’ Green said. ‘It’s real life application compared with a classroom situation.’

Although dealing with malfunctioning ovens and a cash register that plays the ‘Cookie Monster Song’ has, at times, frustrated and tired Squires and Green, they said the experience has been well worth it.

‘When people come in and tell us how much they like the product, that’s really rewarding,’ Green said.

Employing other college students has also been a positive experience, Squires and Green said, since they worked to establish a professional atmosphere which also allowed employees to have fun.

Aaron Silver, a third-year architecture student, tried peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies.

‘The best thing about them is that they’re warm and soft on the inside,’ Silver said. ‘They’re great.’

Published on January 23, 2005 at 12:00 pm