From Classroom to Business Owner: Susan Kolesar Starts New Chapter in South Plainfield

October 12, 2026 - 12:40

Susan Kolesar spent years standing in front of students, guiding lessons and managing classrooms. Now she stands at the head of two companies she built herself. The South Plainfield resident retired from teaching and moved straight into entrepreneurship, launching a pair of businesses that draw on skills she sharpened in education.

Her path was not a sudden break. Teaching had given her practice in planning, communication, and solving problems with limited resources. Those habits translated well when she began writing business plans and meeting with clients. What changed was the audience. Instead of students, she now answers to customers, vendors, and partners who expect results on a schedule.

Kolesar describes the shift as both freeing and demanding. Running a company means no bell rings at the end of the day. Decisions about pricing, hiring, and growth land on her desk. She says the classroom taught her to stay calm when plans fall apart, a lesson she uses often now.

Her two ventures serve different markets, but she approaches both with the same focus on clear communication and steady follow through. Local business contacts say she has been willing to ask questions and learn from people with more experience.

For Kolesar, retirement did not mean slowing down. It meant trading one kind of responsibility for another. She now spends her days building something of her own, applying decades of teaching experience to a second career she did not expect to find.