FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- University of Saint Francis business students Garrett Harvey, Koree Terrell, Logan Rehrer and Emerson Ueber created the plan for Cougar Stop Shop, the winning plan in the university's sixth annual Business Plan Competition.
The plan for Cougar Stop Shop, a small convenience store at the university to provide students a convenient alternative for purchasing toiletries, snacks and beverages, got the judges’ nod and $2,000 top prize, to be used as the plan creators see fit.
Nathan Scully and Brendton Williams earned the $1,000 second-place prize for E-Z Shop, a mobile application allowing users a more pleasant and efficient shopping experience. The $500 third-place prize went to Morgan Braun and Grace Geha for Game Day Café, a permanent football stadium concession stand consolidating all food options in one location to provide convenience for fans.
The first and third place teams both took home an additional kudo and $250 stipend in the Franciscan Award, which recognized the incorporation of Franciscan values into the business design.
Serving as judges were Dennis Tratnyek and Keith Davis with Star Financial; Jay Leonard with Preferred Automotive Group; Dick Teets of Steel Dynamics Inc.; Mike Kelly with Caliente; Gwyn Eastom with BKD CPAs and Advisors; and Josh Burkhardt with Beers Mallers Backs & Salin LLP.
This competition focuses upon the viability of each business plan, its likelihood of becoming a start-up and its integration of core values that contribute to profitability and the good of the world community. Participation is voluntary and co-curricular, integrating business planning, marketing and financial statements for students.
The Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership sponsors the competition, which is open to all majors.
The University of Saint Francis, founded in 1890 as a comprehensive university in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, offers more than 60 undergraduate and 14 graduate programs in five schools: The School of Health Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership, School of Professional Studies and School of Creative Arts. It enrolls more than 2,300 students from a broad geographic region. The university has a regional campus in Crown Point, Ind.
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