LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Y.E.S. for Arkansas, a statewide business plan competition for fifth to eight graders, announced the winning teams today following Expo Day at Park Plaza Mall. Twenty-six finalist teams were previously selected as those with the Best Business Plans and Most Innovative Ideas. Today they competed for Best Retail Booth and Marketing Awards in the 7th annual event. The teams were selected in December from a field of 275 teams made up of nearly 1,000 students from across Arkansas. All of the teams created a business plan for a new concept so they could compete for an opportunity to turn their ideas into reality.
Winners in the four categories are:
Best Business Plan
1st Place – K.C.Creations -- Pinkston Middle School. (Mountain Home).
Team Members: Kaci Yancey, Cara Conner. Teacher Advisor: Kristi Nelson.
K. C. Creations’ was started to give girls a cute, handy place to put small items. “Our rings are also made out of plastic bottles, so when they wear our ring, they’ll be recycling,” the owners noted.
2nd Place -- Fun Fit. Omaha Middle School (Omaha).
Team Members: Jaki Chalk, Madison Dillon, Daniel Forshee, Riley Keafer, Garrett Matlock. Teacher Advisor: Pam Hopkins.
The Fun Fit Company has developed a 20-minute fun, interesting, and effective exercise program created for kids by kids. Team members are Jaki Chalk, Madison Dillon, Daniel Forshee, Riley Keafer and Garrett Matlock. According to the team’s business plan, Fun Fit features interval training which includes 10 seconds of hard-core intervals (FUN BURSTS), followed by 20 seconds of lighter activity.
“The cutting edge research and science of interval training maximizes the exercise, giving you the benefit of a 40 minute workout in only 20 minutes,” Fun Fit members said. “No materials or extra space is needed, so Fun Fit can be used almost anywhere by anyone!”
3rd Place -- Smart Pillow Holt Middle School (Fayetteville).
Team Members: Sean Finn, Jacob Roman, Alexandria McMullen, Tyler Taylor. Teacher Advisor: Liz Bland
According to the team, Smart Pillows are a great and comfortable way to keep your books with you, even when you are asleep.“Our product is made of a pillow case with a pouch inside it so you can put your books in,” the team said. “It comes in most sizes, though colors may vary. The pillows are easy to carry around but are still very comfortable.”
4th Place -- In Tone Records. Prairie Grove Middle School (Prairie Grove)
Team Members: Roy McKenzie, Zeke Laird, Avery Roton. Teacher Advisor: Dustin Seaton
In Tone Records was founded in November of 2011 by three determined young men who were furious at how much of today’s music was produced and unartistic, so they decided to start a company to change that.
Most Innovative Idea
1st Place -- K.C.Creations -- Pinkston Middle School. (Mountain Home).
Team Members: Kaci Yancey, Cara Conner. Teacher Advisor: Kristi Nelson.
2nd Place -- Smart Pillow Holt Middle School (Fayetteville).
Team Members: Sean Finn, Jacob Roman, Alexandria McMullen, Tyler Taylor. Teacher Advisor: Liz Bland
3rd Place -- Fun Fit. Omaha Middle School (Omaha).
Team Members: Jaki Chalk, Madison Dillon, Daniel Forshee, Riley Keafer, Garrett Matlock. Teacher Advisor: Pam Hopkins.
4th Place -- In Tone Records. Prairie Grove Middle School (Prairie Grove)
Team Members: Roy McKenzie, Zeke Laird, Avery Roton. Teacher Advisor: Dustin Seaton
Best Marketing Piece
1st Place (Tie) -- BMK2. Washington Middle School (El Dorado).Team Members: Katelynn Mangrum, Brooklyn Price, Morgan Moore, Kaylee Hickerson, Teacher Advisor: Katie King; and Santa's Super Store, Omaha Middle School (Omaha), Team Members: Remington Edwards, Aidan Kimberlin, Lauren Moore, Alexas Sanders, Trey Stone, Teacher Advisor: Pam Hopkins.
BMK2’s product is an innovative Water Bottle Buddy that comes in a variety of colors. The team proudly states that the Water Bottle Buddy, “will last throughout the year, and longer, plus it is very fashionable. It is made from duct tape, recycled kite string, and metal binder ring. It adjusts to the size of any water bottle, so everybody can use it.”
Additionally, BMK2 said that the Water Bottle Buddy is “very fashionable for boys and girls, and they are colored creatively. A water bottle buddy is portable and you can clip it on and off things.”
Santa’s Super Store is a service company at their school that for a week in December will feature a variety of items for students to buy for family and friends without them knowing.
“The items we are selling include: chocolate hand dipped morsels and a variety of flavored chocolate covered spoons; hot chocolates, coffees, and teas; scarves, hats, and shawls; an assortment of mugs and cups; a variety of Christmas games; and a selection of jewelry,” they said.
2nd Place -- Southern Lanyards. Hazen Elementary School. (Hazen).
Team Members: Haden Weems, Grant Schelman, Trevor Duck, Teacher Advisor: Lisa Martin.
Southern Lanyards is a company that makes natural leather lanyards. “Our product is made from raw cow hide,” the team noted. “Southern Lanyards are special because they are hand-made, and we have invested a lot of time in our braids to make them perfect for the hunting community.”
3rd Place -- Colorful Crayons. Fountain Lake Middle School (Hot Springs).
Team Members: Ethan Westerman, Brock Rigsby, Jessa Goodeaux, Scout Martin, Stephen Turner. Teacher Advisor: Kathy Darin.
Colorful Crayons’ products are fun, big, cheaper, colorful crayons that anyone can use.“Our product is made with broken and unwanted crayons,” the team noted. “Each crayon will be about the size of big candies, and some will even be multi-colored because we choose to hand prepare each batch to have a better product. And, each crayon is bargain priced at only $.50 a piece.”
Best Retail Booth
1st Place - Southern Lanyards. Hazen Elementary School. (Hazen).
Team Members: Haden Weems, Grant Schelman, Trevor Duck Teacher Advisor: Lisa Martin
2nd Place -- Fun Fit. Omaha Middle School (Omaha).
Team Members: Jaki Chalk, Madison Dillon, Daniel Forshee, Riley Keafer, Garrett Matlock. Teacher Advisor: Pam Hopkins.
3rd Place -- BMK2. Washington Middle School (El Dorado).
Team Members: Katelynn Mangrum, Brooklyn Price, Morgan Moore, Kaylee Hickerson, Teacher Advisor: Katie King.
4th Place -- Manly Mouthpiece Flavoring Kits. Springhill Elementary (Bryant).
Team Members: Mitchell Jones. Teacher Advisor: Lisa Alexander.
A kit that allows mouthpieces to be infused with flavor in a fun way. “Each kit will contain two flavors, an instruction card and will be presented in a clear plastic bag,” Creator Mitchell Jones said. “There will be a full color label on the outside of bag. The bags will be hole-punched so stores can easily hang them on pegs next to the mouthpieces that they sell.”
This year’s Y.E.S. for Arkansas finalists also included:
Bottle Babes, Inc. West Fork Middle School (West Fork) - Team Members: Haley Harrison, Victoria Lawson, Spencer Sagely, Leah Farmer, Nicole Crowder. Teacher Advisor: Teresa Walker.
Cuddle Coverz. Beebe Middle School (Beebe) - Team Members: Erin McNully, Gabriela Mendez, Haleigh Figley. Teacher Advisor: Lydia Brumfield
Eco-Wrap Scarves. Helen Tyson Middle School (Springdale) - Team Member: Sally Roach Teacher Advisor: Jenny Jones.
Flower Originals. Cotter School (Cotter) - Team Members: Karissa Adams, Emily Krause, Madeline Hall, Emily Sublett, Amanda Vance. Teacher Advisor: Monica Springfield.
Food for Fun. Christ the King Catholic School (Little Rock) - Team Members: Will McConnell, Gus Shenker Teacher Advisor: Marie Ryan.
iSafety. Williams Traditional Magnet School. (Little Rock) - Team Members: Robyn Gordon, Ivory Daniels, Mackenzie Sims, Nathaniel Womack. Teacher Advisor: Faye Hanson.
K.C. Creations Laika. Williams Traditional Magnet School (Little Rock) - Team Members: Annabel Copeland, Sana Mhapsekar, Meghana Bollimpalli, Jan Paneda. Teacher Advisor: Faye Hanson.
Locker Décor. Beebe Middle School (Beebe) - Team Members: Halle Thompson. Teacher Advisor: Lydia Brumfield.
Neat Kids. Williams Traditional Magnet School. (Little Rock) - Team Members: Patrick Martin, Spencer Kimble, Jordan Lee, Jadon Whittington Teacher Advisor: Faye Hanson.
Play Doh Pals. Cotter School. (Cotter) - Team Members: Kaycie Beard, Marleigh Dodson, Dalton Orsborn. Teacher Advisor: Monica Springfield.
Schnibiti Bags. Holt Middle School. (Fayetteville) - Team Members: Ashley Strode, Emmie Nichols, Kiara Naden, Stephanie Bailtie, Madelyn Scott. Teacher Advisor: Liz Bland
Smelly Sacks. Hazen Elementary School. (Hazen) - Team Members: Jackson Schelman, Kayla Gladsish, Ross Harper, Drake Jones, Kade Perry. Teacher Advisor: Lisa Martin
Sock Clips. Williams Traditional Magnet School (Little Rock) - Team Members: Robert Brevard, Sam Sellers, Donte Slater, Thomas Franks. Teacher Advisor: Faye Hanson
Sticky Situation. Siloam Springs Middle School. (Siloam Springs) - Team Members: John Lavey, Trent Lyon, Hayden Smith. Teacher Advisor: Janis Gregory
Stink Lock. eStem Middle School. (Little Rock) - Team Members: Duncan Ragsdell, Joel Haynes Teacher Advisor: Charlie Kinser
Super Swivels. Bald Knob Middle School. (Bald Knob) - Team Members: Phillip Freppon, Bryden Roberts, Avery Strickland, Kynlee Brimer, Taylor Roetzel, Lauryn Allgood Teacher Advisor: Debbie Roberts
Vine Craft. Christ the King School. (Little Rock) - Team Members: Ethan Beall Teacher Advisor: Marie Ryan
For today’s second round of the competition, the top 26 teams were tasked with creating a comprehensive marketing piece and display booth to showcase their product or service. Winning team members for 1st place teams, in each category, received a $100 cash prize. The teachers of the 1st place teams took home an additional $500. Trophies were awarded for all 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each category, with several teams winning in more than one category.
Arkansas’s Youth Entrepreneur Showcase Business Plan Competition was initiated in 2005 for middle school students. It is sponsored by the Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF), an affiliate of the Arkansas Capital Corporation. Annually, over 50 Arkansas business leaders serve as volunteer judges to assist in the selection of the qualifying team finalists and winning teams.
LAS VEGAS (May 25, 2011) – John Brown University swept the Undergraduate Finals in the fourth-annual Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup Tri-State business plan competition in Las Vegas, and a team from the University of Arkansas earned Second Place in Graduate Finals.
The Arkansas teams were awarded First and Second Places in Undergraduate Finals and Second Place in Graduate Finals, which included cash prizes that can be used as funds to start their businesses. Faculty advisers also received cash awards of $2,500.
Top honors at Tri-State went to:
Graduate Division
CerebroGen Pharmaceuticals - University of Oklahoma - First Place, $25,000
cycleWood Solutions, LLC - University of Arkansas - Second Place, $15,000
Undergraduate Division
Craftistas - John Brown University - First Place, $25,000
Agricultural Food Systems - John Brown University - Second Place, $15,000
The Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup is a statewide business plan competition in Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma for undergraduate and graduate students that encourages competitors to put their entrepreneurial ideas through the rigors of planning and take them forward into start-up firms.
The Tri-State Award is given to the teams from these states that successfully compete against each other for additional cash prizes. This year's contest was held at Red Rock Casino & Resort in Las Vegas.
Other teams from Arkansas competing in the Tri-State competition included:
TiFiber, LLC from the University of Arkansas.
The 2011 Donald W. Reynolds Tri-State Awards and the Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup in Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma have been made possible by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, which is the sole sponsor for the 2011 Tri-State Awards. In Arkansas, the Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation oversees the statewide competition. The AEAF is an affiliate of the Arkansas Capital Corporation.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Twenty-four percent of Arkansans have subscribed to high-speed internet in the last year, and 92% of Arkansans feel that the internet is a valuable source for information and learning, according to the most recent Connect Arkansas survey findings released Friday.
“Truly remarkable advancements in the value of the Internet for education, opportunity for success and life-changing capabilities are becoming available on a daily basis,” Connect Arkansas President C. Sam Walls said. “Especially for our children, for the first time in human history, they have the world at their fingertips.”
Connect Arkansas Survey Results
The best business plans from college and university teams statewide were recently selected to compete in the next round of the state’s premier business plan competition.
Teams from nine Arkansas colleges and universities were announced as finalists in the Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Graduate and Undergraduate Business Plan Competition today, in the eleventh annual contest. Twelve undergraduate and six graduate teams will advance to the next level.
In the next round, the 12 advancing semi-finalist undergraduate teams will make a 20-minute presentation after which they will answer questions from judges for 15 minutes. Two judge’s panels will determine the six finalist undergraduate teams.
The six undergraduate finalist teams, along with the six graduate teams, will compete in the last round of oral presentations for first-, second- and third-place prizes April 7 and April 8 at The Peabody Hotel in Little Rock.
Download the full Governor's Cup press release for more details
Little Rock Family magazine features the AEAF's Youth Entrepreneur Showcase in their January issue. Grab a copy of the print edition on newsstands around Little Rock or check it out online: "Young Entrepreneurs Prepare to Showcase Ideas on Jan. 14"
MAUMELLE, Arkansas (December 22, 2010) - Little Rock-based Dillard's, Inc. today announced it will locate an Internet fulfillment center in Maumelle, Arkansas to support the continuing growth of its online store at www.dillards.com. The Company has signed an agreement to purchase the former Target distribution facility and will create over 300 new jobs in the Central Arkansas area.
Continue reading "Dillard's to Establish Internet Fulfillment Center in Maumelle"
There hasn’t been much said about it, but we are rapidly approaching the end of the first decade of this century. Looking back, I believe it has been a good time for our organization as we have significantly improved the level of contribution we make to the economic development of Arkansas. Though it has been a period of constant change for us, these have proven to be good changes with tangible results.
In January, we will pass the billion dollar mark in the amount of capital our organization has participated in providing to Arkansas companies. In the twelve months after that, we are on track to increase that amount over ten percent.
In 1990, no one knew that all but $44 million of that would occur in the following 20 years.
In the mid 90s, this organization began discussions regarding increased involvement in getting recognition for the importance of entrepreneurship to our economy at a time when it was not on the radar screen. It was a fairly easy interest to cultivate because WE are an entrepreneurial enterprise.
With that entrepreneurial culture, we have been willing to take risks associated with being out front and serving as a change agent and catalyst. The formation of Diamond State Ventures opened the door to elevate venture capital as a principal area of interest if we are to develop Arkansas companies.
When the ACC Board of Directors authorized me 11 years ago to establish a collegiate business plan competition to spur entrepreneurialism, no one knew that in ten years it would become one of the leading events of its type in America and, among other achievements, produce competition winners from Arkansas who would ring the bell this past summer at the NASDAQ.
No one knew in the first half of the decade that the Board’s authorization to pursue the competitively awarded federal tax credits would result in $140 million dollars of incentives for investment in Arkansas companies.
And no one knew it at the time that the Board’s approval to accept the request from Governor Mike Beebe and the Arkansas Legislature to lead the effort to engage Arkansans in the availability and utilization of the Internet – the most transformational technology since the advent of electricity – that we were engaging in an effort with the potential to move our state’s rankings from near the bottom to the middle of the pack within a single generation.
Now, we and our nation find ourselves in quite a different situation than that of the last decade.
Some would say this is a most challenging situation we find ourselves in. I say the art of management is finding the way to achieve results within the environment in which we find ourselves.
The ACC organization has proven itself adept at meeting this constant test and with the quality of its people; it will continue to do so. It requires us to always be mindful of the constant of change, to embrace it and to remain highly focused on operational excellence that is second to none. There is no doubt the coming decade will be one of excitement and opportunity in which ACC will play a role.
There will be other faces at this table in the coming years. We envy the opportunities that lie before them.
Sincerely,
C. Sam Walls
Chief Executive Officer
Arkansas Capital Corporation