Best Business Idea Competition Prize Winners
Published: February 25, 2019 | Read Time: 3 minutes
The results of the 13th Annual Best Business Idea and Opportunity Quest Competitions are in and the winners have been determined! The event was sponsored by the SUU Small Business Development Center, Regional Services and School of Business, Southwest Technical College, Staheli West, Leavitt Group, Cedar City Chamber of Commerce, TouchMD, Hughes and Associates, Kohler & Eyre, Cedar City Economic Development, PlumbersStock.com, Construction Monitor, and the Women’s Business Center. Many imaginative and promising business ideas were submitted for judging. Eleven finalists were chosen to present their business idea to the panel of judges. Based upon those presentations the winners were chosen.
| Award | Prize | Recipient | Business Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | $5,000 | Cassidy Wilson (SUU student) | Cassie’s Crepes – food cart catering to SUU students |
| 2nd Place | $3,000 | R Bryce Bennett & Merrell Heaton | Smart Pest Club – online subscription service for pest control |
| 3rd Place | $1,000 | Jenna Duncan (SUU student) | Geode Swimwear – modest and affordable swimsuit line |
| Honorable Mention | $500 | Benjamin Bryant (SUU student) | Connecting businesses with their leads |
| Honorable Mention | $500 | Leisa Jaime | Dog training center |
| Award | Prize | Recipient | Business Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | $4,000 | Benjamin Bryant (SUU student) | Connecting businesses with their leads |
| 2nd Place | $1,000 | Cassidy Wilson (SUU student) | Cassie’s Crepes – food cart catering to SUU students |
| 3rd Place | $750 | Jenna Duncan (SUU student) | Geode Swimwear – modest and affordable swimsuit line |
Note: an additional $2,000 in prize money was personally donated by Steve Lindsley for the Opportunity Quest competition.
As can be seen, the winners’ ideas covered a wide range of business possibilities. All represent very practical and innovative business ideas, with very bright prospects for the future. Many of the winning ideas were submitted by SUU students.
The mutual purpose of each of the sponsors of this competition is to support the development of small businesses in the Tri-County area (Iron, Beaver and Garfield Counties), and to promote healthy economic development with more jobs and an increased tax revenue base. With the integration of community resources and the talent of our own successful entrepreneurs, we can help more and more small companies get started and successfully grow.
The mission of the SUU Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is improving people’s lives through small business success. The SBDC is located within the SUU Business Resource Center (BRC), which opened its doors in April of 2009 as a “one stop shop” business resource center and incubator to provide necessary support and counseling services for smaller businesses. The SUU Business Resource Center and partners are located at 510 West 800 South in Cedar City. The SBDC and BRC provide counseling and support services, as well as help with financing alternatives (including micro loan programs), business partnering facilitation, marketing, government contracting assistance and more.
Craig Isom, Executive Director of the SUU Business Resource Center and Small Business Development Center said, “It is very rewarding to see the response to the competition challenge. There’s lots of talent in our community and many untapped ideas and opportunities. We’re happy to see so many great ideas and to have the level of interest we have in this kind of event. What’s most rewarding is seeing so many different resources come together (university, public and private) for a very important and common cause. We extend our thanks to all who participated. Now we just have to keep the ball rolling and support the launch of some new, successful businesses, and build upon this start to increased community partnership.”
Learn more about the SUU Small Business Development Center.
Tags: School of Business
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