Ouachita’s Lindsey Fowler wins OBU/HSU Business Plan Competition
February 18, 2013 - Rachel Gregory
After winning the 2012 Ouachita Baptist University Business Plan Competition, Lindsey Fowler recently took first place at the third annual Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University Business Plan Competition.
“I am so proud of Lindsey!” said Bryan McKinney, dean of OBU’s Hickingbotham School
of Business, associate professor of business law and university counsel. “I watched
her participate in OBU's Business Plan Competition as a freshman, and I thought she
did a tremendous job. So, in many ways, I'm not surprised at all by her success. Those
who know her, know what an exceptional student and person she is.”
A senior business administration/finance, political science and history triple major
from Arkadelphia, Ark., Fowler is the first Ouachita student to win both the Ouachita
and the HSU/OBU business plan competitions. This year, three teams from each university
were invited to compete before judges from the surrounding business community.
Fowler’s winning business, TrustedWills.com, is a quick and easy, affordable website
that, with a few simple questions, will help customers put together wills, living
wills and powers of attorney. Specifically targeted at young parents, TrustedWills
offers the peace of mind that comes with having a legitimate final will and testament.
TrustedWills is tentatively set to launch “at the push of a button” on June 1 of this
year, according to Fowler.
"I was very excited and relieved," Fowler reflected about winning the competition.
"There has been a lot of support, time, and energy invested in this business plan. I
was very happy that everything went so smoothly!"
Her business plan’s ready-to-go status was the product of hours of revision and plenty
of welcomed advice. For instance, instead of starting the web-based business in Arkansas
and adding states one by one over time, the judges of the 2012 OBU Business Plan Competition
suggested that the business go national in just three years. The website subsequently
underwent an overhaul.
“It’s been a team effort,” Fowler said.
Dr. Terry Sergeant, a Ouachita graduate currently teaching computer science at Hardin-Simmons
University, helped create the website for TrustedWills. Brent Gamble, a Ouachita graduate
who is currently the vice president and director of digital and social media at Martin-Wilbourn
Partners, LLC, advised Fowler on TrustedWills’ social media marketing. Bryan McKinney
supervised the legal aspects of TrustedWills.
"The encouragement and support that we have received from the OBU community throughout
this process has had a great impact on me,” Fowler said. “Everyone has been so interested
in the process and willing to help in whatever way they can!"
Five other Ouachita students also competed in the HSU/OBU competition. Connor Burke,
a senior accounting and business administration/finance major from Gilbert, Ariz.;
Jason Cantwell, a junior kinesiology and fitness major from Frisco, Texas; and Sarah
McKimmey, a senior history major from Heath, Texas, created a business called eScout,
which won second place at the Ouachita Business Plan Competition and third place at
the HSU/OBU competition. Jared Carlin, a senior accounting and business administration/finance
major from Lubbock, Texas, and Rizvan Ceka, a junior business administration/management
and finance major from Coppell, Texas, won third place in the Ouachita competition.
“I'm so proud of all the participants,” McKinney said. “I'd love to see some of those
plans submitted to the Governor's Cup as well.” McKinney also expressed special thanks
to Dr. Chris Brune, assistant professor of finance, and Dr. Phil Rice, professor of
business administration, for investing their time and effort advising the students
who participated in the HSU/OBU Business Plan Competition.
Next, Fowler will submit her plan to the Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup
Business Plan Competition. If selected as a semi-finalist, she will present to a panel
of judges in Fayetteville, Ark., on April 4. Winners will be announced in Little Rock
on April 10 and will have the opportunity to compete in the Tri-State Business Plan
Competition in Las Vegas in May.
For more information, contact Bryan McKinney at [email protected] or (870) 245-5513.
By Rachel Gregory
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