MAHWAH, N.J. (April 13, 2021) Volvo Car USA is partnering with Bergen Community College’s (Bergen) culinary program to open and operate a corporate café at Volvo Cars’ new Americas headquarters in Mahwah, New Jersey, named Alex’s Café.
Alex’s Café is named after Alexandra “Alex” Scott who raised money to support pediatric cancer research by starting a lemonade stand at four years old amid her own cancer battle. Her spirit and determination inspired others to support her cause. When she passed away at the age 8, she had raised $1 million, which Volvo Cars helped achieve. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) was then born and has evolved into a national fundraising movement. Today, ALSF is one of the leading funders of pediatric cancer research in the U.S. and Canada raising more than $200 million so far, funding over 1,000 research projects and providing programs to families affected by childhood cancer. A portion of every Volvo sold in the United States is donated to ALSF and all lemonade sales at Alex’s Café will go toward the organization.
The partnership between Bergen and Volvo Car USA is a unique opportunity to provide real-world culinary experience to the college’s students. Bergen will host certain culinary classes on Volvo’s campus and allow students to practice and apply their learnings out of the commercial kitchen and dining room.
Volvo employees have partnered with Bergen’s educators to develop opportunities for students to learn real-time kitchen and menu management, product development, customer service, restaurant technology, and more.
“We are ecstatic at the opportunity to partner with our neighbors to bring Alex’s Café to life at our new Americas Headquarters,” said Anders Gustafsson, President and CEO of Volvo Car USA. “We believe our people will learn as much from the students as we hope they’ll learn from this experience.”
“As part of this collaborative partnership, Bergen students have the opportunity to work with one of the world’s most recognizable brands and gain practical experience,” Bergen President Eric M. Friedman said. “This represents a reflection of our mission as a community college to put students on a path for success by developing pipelines to employment.”
The college’s hotel and restaurant management programs prepare students for careers in the leisure and hospitality industry - one of New Jersey’s nine key employment sectors. Bergen’s academic offerings in these areas include culinary arts, hospitality and events planning.
About Volvo Car USA
Volvo Car USA LLC (VCUSA), (www.volvocars.com/us) is a subsidiary of Volvo Car Group of Gothenburg, Sweden. VCUSA manufactures vehicles for the global market and provides vehicle importation, marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States. For more information please refer to the VCUSA media website at: http://www.media.volvocars.com/us.
About Bergen Community College
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.
