Winners of 2012-13 West Virginia Statewide Collegiate Business Plan
With a record number of participating schools and entries, the 2012-13 West Virginia Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition was a huge success. Out of 141 teams, two winners each were awarded $10,000 in prize money, and a surprise investment in one of the featured products capped the finals competition.
The big cash awards went to two, one-person West Virginia University teams: Randi Dove of Oceana, W.Va., for Randi Dove Farms in the Lifestyle & Innovation category; and Eric Watkins of Morgantown, W.Va., for Dub V Safe Ride in the Hospitality & Tourism category.
Additionally, a surprise investment was announced in EZReader, a product outlined in a business plan by Racheal Fetty and Caleb Greathouse of Glenville State College. EZ Reader is an election ballot review reader and represents a quicker and simpler method of reading election ballots, helping to ensure votes are counted easily and correctly. The $10,000 investment was announced by the INNOVA Commercialization Group, the private equity investment arm of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation in Fairmont, W.Va. The investment is contingent upon the company completing due diligence requirements.
The statewide business plan competition affords college students around the state the unique opportunity to make a business idea come to life with the support of state institutions of higher education and seasoned business professionals from around the country. For this year’s competition, there were 90 entries in the Lifestyle & Innovation category and 51 entries in the Hospitality & Tourism category. A total of 677 teams from 14 different West Virginia colleges and universities have participated in the seven years of statewide competition. Click to read more.