Ouachita Stories

After five hours of competing and waiting, Ouachita students took home a total of $7,000 in prizes at the Ouachita Baptist University/Henderson State University Business Plan Competition held Feb. 2.

The winners from the OBU Business Plan Competition will be going on to the 10th annual Donald W. Reynolds Governers Cup Business Plan Competition.

First place was awarded to the team of Reuben Cash, a senior accounting major from Nashville, Tenn.; Joshua Stewart, a junior computer science major from Floresville, Texas; and Neil Wacaster, a junior business marketing major from Hot Springs, Ark. The first-place team received $4,000 for their business plan, Ordertronics, LLC, which gives fast-food customers complete control when placing orders. Misti Clark, assistant professor of mathematics and computer science, served as their faculty advisor. Team Ordertronics placed second in the OBU Business Plan Competition last fall and has now received $7,000 in cash prizes between the two competitions.

"We were very excited about winning the OBU/HSU Business plan competition," Wacaster said.

Second-place winner Abby Turner, a senior business marketing major from Little Rock, was awarded $3,000. With the help of faculty advisor Dr. Chris Brune, assistant professor of finance, Turner created “iPlan It,” an application that assists in wedding planning. Turner was awarded first place in the OBU Business Plan Competition and has received $7,000 in cash prizes between the two competitions.

These and other Ouachita teams will have the opportunity to compete in the annual Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup this spring. The Governor’s Cup is the state’s premiere business plan competition, having attracted more than 1,290 students from 22 Arkansas colleges and universities since its inception in 2001. The awards will be $20,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, $5,000 for third place, $5,000 for most innovative and $5,000 for best agriculture. Winners from the Governor's Cup will move on to compete with the top teams from Oklahoma and Nevada in the Tri-State Donald W. Reynolds Cup.

"Our efforts were designed to help our students be more prepared for the Governor's Cup competition," said Bryan McKinney, dean of OBU’s Hickingbotham School of Business. "You have to win our competition to go on to the OBU/HSU competition, so our students have presented twice and ought to be able to do well at the Governor’s Cup.

“I have encouraged the students who did not win our competition to submit to the Governor's Cup,” McKinney added, “because some of the plans submitted were really good; they just did not make our first cut, and there will be different judges to review the plans they submit at the Governor's Cup."

For more information, contact Bryan McKinney at [email protected] or (870) 245-5513.

By Glenn Bolton