Three teams of young entrepreneurs from Sierra Nevada College competed at the annual Jalé and Warren Trepp Business Plan Competition for $6,000 in cash prizes.
This event is one of the most exciting celebrations of the academic year at SNC Tahoe. After each team presented 20-minute oral presentations to a panel of judges and a public audience of more than 100 people, the room waited in anticipation for the announcement of the winners.
First Place and $4,000 went to Change, a card to eliminate coin change in Canada, presented by Ted Porter, Grant Furlan and Freddy McCarthy; Second Place and $1,250 went to Chaperone by Tektor, an electronic safety system for equine facilities, presented by Megan McClintock and Joie Rhein; and Third place and $750 went to Warrior Adventure Rapport, a therapeutic program for veterans with PTSD, presented by Jason Maynez, Kyle Rockwell, Nick Galantowicz and David Phelps.
Also presenting at the competition was Stitches-on-the-Go, a kit for emergency stitches targeted for military and outdoor adventure uses, presented by Andrew Clifton and Steven Jenab.
Teams are Mentored and Judged by Seasoned Entrepreneurs and Faculty
A panel of local entrepreneurs and business leaders, including Roland Schumann, Madylon Meiling, Meredith Williams, and Scott Levy, judged the live presentations. Barry Golombik, Ted Parkhill, Jameson Stafford and Tim Olesnavage of Elevate Blue, Steve Lenzi, Vanessa Franking and Robin Holman also provided judging and feedback on the written business plans submitted in advance of Tuesday night’s competition.
The student business plans being presented at the Trepp competition are a result of a months-long planning process. Mentors include SNC Tahoe’s business faculty and advisors such as Tim Cohee, the program director for the college’s Ski Business and Resort Management program, as well as faculty and instructors in the Entrepreneurship major. Some students began the idea generation process in professor Rick Winfield’s Creating Entrepreneurial Ventures class last semester.
All four teams plan to submit plans to the statewide D.W. Reynolds Governors Cup Business Plan Competition, which will take place in April.
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Sierra Nevada College is located on the shores of Lake Tahoe and in the heart of the Sierra Nevada, SNC Tahoe is Nevada’s only accredited private four-year college. With a focus on four core themes (entrepreneurial thinking, professional preparedness, liberal arts and sustainability), Sierra Nevada College is committed to using active learning and fostering a culture of competition that guides students to think on their feet, communicate persuasively, acquire the higher-order thinking skills necessary to thrive in the real world.
