Jackson-Rainey Business Plan Competition Brings Out the Best in COB 300
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Where can you find products ranging from a machine that cleans water dirtied by hydraulic fracturing to a Poo Pawket used to make dog walking experiences more enjoyable? In COB 300, Integrated Functional Systems, students develop their own business plans that market a wide variety of products and services. Judges selected the top five business plans, which were presented by the student teams on March 21.
Chief Judge Don Rainey began the competition by describing the COB 300 class as “a rite of passage for the students.” Each team then had 15 minutes to pitch their product or service, after which the six judges asked questions on each business plan.
The judges included General Partner at Grotech Capital Ventures Rainey; CFO of ICA Farmville, LLC, Warren Coleman; Senior Vice President at Autobytel Bret Dunlap; Vice President of Business Development at Cooley LLP Katherine Ferguson; former Senior Vice President of Forbes Development and LBJ Limited, Lois Forbes; and Justin Quaglia, who works in Leveraged Finance Sales for Goldman Sachs & Co. Judge Wayne Jackson was unable to attend the event.
The first place winner and recipient of $6,000 was Genesis Water Restoration. The team members include Matthew Deters, Kyle Giordano, Stelios Hadjichristodoulou, Rachel Hamrick, Sarah Medve, and Jason Tate. Genesis Water Restoration also received the Idea Award for their company that “manufactures a machine that cleans water dirtied in the hydraulic fracturing process.”
The second place winner and recipient of $5,000 was SkEye Aerial Surveillance, LLC. The team members include Brad Buchner, Georgia Martin, Danny Bulas, Larkeem Jackson, Alisa Fayyad, Sarah Quinn, and Mary Redmond. SkEye Aerial Surveillance, LLC also received the Team Award for their company that supplies aerial surveillance equipment such as drones and blimps.
The third place winner and recipient of $4,000 was Tone Down Technologies, LLC. The team members include Alexander Santoliquido, Rebecca Brintzenhofe, Kathryn Wade, Shannon Borowski, and Justin Mills. Tone Down Technologies, LLC is an environmentally friendly company that manufactures the “un-printer” called the Papyrus X, which removes ink from paper so that it can be reused.
The fourth place winner and recipient of $3,000 was Ruff Merchandise, LLC. The team members include Timothy
Redshaw, Daniel Cochrane, Chad McGirr, Shelia Porter, Madeleine Bourne, and Brianne Adkins. Ruff Merchandise, LLC, manufactures “an innovative product to dog owners looking to improve their walking experience” called the Poo Pawket.
The fifth place winner and recipient of $2,000 was Solum Green Flooring, LLC. The team members include Zack Jackson, Eric Sites, Michael Conley, Mike Parzych, Anh Nguyen, and Taylor Bailey. Solum Green Flooring, LLC, is a company that repurposes wood shipping pallets as hardwood flooring.
There were also six MVP Awards for $1,000 for individual students. The winners include Matthew Deters, Justin Mills, Taylor Bailey, Zack Jackson, Daniel Cochrane, and Larkeem Jackson. The second Ferguson Top Female Award was given to Alisa Fayyad by judge and award sponsor, Katherine Ferguson.
Congratulations to all of the teams who competed and thank you to the judges, family, friends, and faculty who attended the competition!
To see pictures from the competition, please visit the College of Business Facebook page.
