ASU business plan teams advance to Oral Presentation in Little Rock for Governor's Cup, March 29-30

March 28, 2012
Two student teams who have submitted written business plans for Arkansas State University's College of Business competition have advanced to the final round of the Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup Business Plan Competition. The teams will deliver their oral presentation in Little Rock, Friday, March 30, at the Little Rock Hilton The Governor's cup is the premier business plan competition in Arkansas and sponsored by the Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF), an affiliate of the Arkansas Capital Corporation.

Two student teams who have submitted written business plans for Arkansas State University’s College of Business competition have advanced to the final round of the Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition. The teams will deliver their oral presentation in Little Rock, Friday, March 30, at the Little Rock Hilton The Governor’s cup is the premier business plan competition in Arkansas and sponsored by the Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF), an affiliate of the Arkansas Capital Corporation.

A record number of six ASU entries participated in the early round along with 53 teams from 14 Arkansas institutions.

The ASU teams that advanced include “Natural Solutions” (undergraduate agriculture finalists), and “Cam Ah Co” (winner of the graduate agriculture award and graduate finalist) who based their business plans on Camelina, a low maintenance plan that can be utilized by farmers in the off-season. It requires low moisture content of soil, low input cost, a high yield per acre and health benefits. Assistant professor of soil and water conservation Dr. Steven Green, and Dr. J. Kevin Humphrey, agricultural education, conduct the Camelina research project. Brian Rogers, director of commercial innovation technology, led the portfolio of commercialization of ASU Intellectual Property.

Morgan Sharp, John Whisnant, Kathlene Winston, Jesse Woods and Chandler Young form Natural Solutions. This group’s business plan calls for the production and distribution of a Camelina-based feed supplement for livestock that provides high levels of Omega3+, proteins and fatty acids.

Brandon Boone, Douglas Strickland, and Cody Brown are Cam-Ah-Co team. This group’s business plan focuses on manufacturing and distributing a modular mobile unit that farmers can use to extract Camelina feed and oil.

The students teams were enrolled in Dr. Erick Chang’s Small Business Management course last fall where Natural Solutions took the top prize in the 2011 ASU business plan competition.

The 2012 Governor’s Cup Awards luncheon will be held next Wednesday April 11 in Little Rock where Cam-Ah-Co will compete for the elevator pitch award and the final results will be announced. The top two teams from the Arkansas competition will compete in the Tri-State Business Plan Competition in Las Vegas, Nev., against teams from Nevada and Oklahoma.

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