Evanston Graduates Win $10K Entrepreneurship Competition at UW |  
|
 |
Feb. 26, 2007 -- As veteran part-time employees of the National Forest Service, Jeff Smith and Nick Norris know the damage a wildfire can do to homeowners' properties.
Many nights the two 2001 Evanston High School graduates and University of Wyoming students would talk about how they could help property owners avoid potentially disastrous results from a forest fire.
Smith, a management information systems senior, and Norris, who graduated last May with a degree in geography/geographical information system, developed a plant to create their own company, Firewise Forest Management. Last Friday the two students' presentation was judged the best among five other competitors in the annual $10K Entrepreneurship Competition sponsored by the UW College of Business.
The $10K Entrepreneurship Competition, open to all UW students, encourages students to act on their talents, ideas, and energy to produce tomorrow's businesses. Smith and Norris won the top $10,000 prize, plus a $2,500 bonus for a progress report that the judges approve and a one-year, rent-free stay in the Wyoming Technology Business Center (WTBC) to help get their business started.
Smith and Norris' Firewise Forest Management is a service company that provides wildfire hazard mitigation to homeowners by creating a defensive space around property to alleviate possible damage caused by fire.
Smith and Norris have four and five years experience, respectively, with the forest service and have fought wildfires in the past. Smith has worked for the forest service in Uinta County and Norris with the Bridger Teton National Forest.
Smith says their business will target property owners who may have a cabin in the mountains, homes near the forest or new homes in subdivisions that may be surrounded by a tree- lined area.
"What we would do is submit a bid to the homeowner for fuels removal from around the property and give them a protective property analysis," he says. "We provide a safety service to homeowners' lives and property."
They were awarded the top prize by John Jackson, UW College of Business Department of Management and Marketing chairman and surprise guest, U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi of Gillette. Enzi is a member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship in the U.S. Senate. He gave brief remarks touting small business in Wyoming and told how the $10K competition can help UW students start their own companies and hire local employees to keep businesses in the state.
Smith is the son of Jeff and Betty Smith of Laramie and Norris' parents are Linda and Tracy Norris of Gillette.
Other awards also were presented after a panel of judges selected the winning team.
Second place went to H.S.S. Mecates that produces mecates, a type of horse rein. Team leader is Heather Grimm, animal and veterinary sciences senior, Dumont, Colo., also plans to produce a complete line of horse tack. Her business partner is Sean Cannady, also of Dumont. The team was awarded the runner-up prize of $5,000 and won the best presentation award, which carries a $1,000 award.
David Kiren, accounting senior from Diamondville, presented Chip 'n Dip that placed third in the competition. His business creation is a snack bar that allows customers to select their favorite chip and dip combination for a quick, fresh snack. Kiren won a $2,500 third place prize and had the most creative plan for an additional $1,000.
The final three student enterprises all earned runner-up status. They are:
Narcotics Explosives Detection a company that develops a product to detect narcotics and explosives to reduce drug trafficking and enhance user safety. Team leader is Michelle Bohanan, masters of business administration (M.B.A.) candidate from Cheyenne. Assisting were Alicia Beedle, Sioux Fall, S.D., Heather Fleck, Laramie, and Shane Stricker, Torrington, all M.B.A. students.
Platte Valley Decoy Company that markets collapsible full-body goose decoys that appeal to hunters for their realistic looks, low-cost and ease of use. Team leader is Jack Robbins, business administration junior, Laramie.
Verge OmniMedia LLC, a multimedia company that specializes in the delivery of student-produced content on the World Wide Web. Team leader is Ron Bronson Jr., social science senior, Plainfield, N.J. Also on the team were UW students Emre Insel, civil engineering master's candidate from Ankara, Turkey and Richard Semaan, mechanical engineering doctoral candidate from Beirut, Lebanon.
The UW College of Business, WTBC, Woodson Family Foundation, Carl and Marcia Lee and First Interstate BancSystem Foundation sponsor the entrepreneurial competition.
Photo
Business Tips -- U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi discusses the winning business plan developed by University of Wyoming students Nick Norris, left, and Jeff Smith, both of Evanston. The pair developed a business plan for FireWise Forest Management, a service company that provides wildfire hazard mitigation to homeowners. The plan won first place in the annual $10K Entrepreneurship Competition, sponsored by the UW College of Business. (UW Photo)
Posted on Monday, February 26, 2007
|
