UNLV students dominant in business plan competition
This year, the Rebels stomped the Wolfpack.
Students from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas dominated the 2012 Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition, claiming four of the six top spots Wednesday at an awards dinner held at the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno.
Students walked away with $100,000 as first, second and third places were named for graduate and undergraduate divisions. Nevada's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology sponsored the competition.
In the graduate division, the $25,000 first place went to MASH Tool, a six-person team hailing from UNLV. The people behind MASH Tool are Angela Douglas, Elizabeth Lewis, Sarah Zalas, Brandon Peters and Peter Nazarechuck .
The group's plan centered around a tool designed to function midway between what a digging bar and jackhammer would produce.
The $15,000 second place went to UNLV's Geyser Flow Control team, Michael Giannini, Seth Ostrowski, Paul Kotchka-Smith, Erin Johnson and Joshua Ellison. Their product is a small, disc-sized water-flow restrictor for irrigation systems that minimizes water loss from broken sprinkler heads.
The $10,000 third place prize went to another UNLV team, Dating Brouhaha Animated Series, an animated cartoon that explores facets of American dating life through the eyes of a multigenerational family. The group consists of Lora Hendrickson and Shanna Elhard.
The UNLV teams' faculty advisers are Andrew Hardin and David Hames.
In the undergraduate division, UNR's Envirohaven team took first place and won $25,000 with its self-contained, energy- producing manufactured homes. Clint Borchard, Vicki Bischoff, Manpreet Kaur, Shaun Cameron and Adair Melendez make up the Envirohaven group. The team's faculty adviser is Gary Valiere.
In second place, winning $15,000, is another UNLV team, Wire Ideas, featuring Sergio Flores, Jorge Carrasco, Daniel Silva and Miguel Murillo. Wire Ideas is an educational program designed to help young people learn about electronics and programming in a creative and entertaining way. The group's faculty adviser is Janet Runge.
In third place for the undergraduate division is UNR's Deep End, which goes home with $10,000 for its "deepest indoor swimming pool in the world," with a maximum depth of 35 meters. Team members are Justin Morrill and Jasper Allen Jacobs. Their faculty adviser is Marie Murgolo-Poore
The $10,000 Lieutenant Governor's Award went to Envirohaven for its green design.
Contact reporter Laura Carroll at
lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.
