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Ouachita students to compete in Governor’s Cup business plan competition March 18-19

March 14, 2014 - Taylor Tomlinson

Ouachita Baptist University seniors Michael Crowe, Evan Malcolm and Alex Nelson were recently awarded named undergraduate innovation finalists in the 14th annual Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition for their plan, PUREnovation, Inc. Two other Ouachita teams also will deliver oral presentations in the Governor’s Cup March 18-19 as undergraduate semifinalists.

“As finalists in the Governor's Cup in the innovation category, we're proud of what we've accomplished so far, and hope to further build OBU's positive reputation at the state level next week,” said Alex Nelson, a business administration/finance and management major from Frisco, Texas.

Nelson and teammates Michael Crowe, a business administration/finance and management major from Donaldson, Ark., and Evan Malcolm, a business administration/management major from Shreveport, La., received first place at the recent OBU and Henderson State University Business Plan Competition for their business plan, as well.

"Having the opportunity to compete in each competition is a wonderful advantage because of the valuable feedback we receive from each new panel of judges,” said Crowe. “We couldn't be more excited for the next phase of competition."

The Governor’s Cup is the state’s premiere business plan competition, managed by the Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF). According to its website, AEAF is dedicated to providing “education-based initiatives that promote and foster the development of innovation and entrepreneurship within Arkansas.”

ServeNow and WaterPulse Technologies, both Ouachita teams, will compete as undergraduate semifinalists in the Governor’s Cup. They are among 12 teams that will give oral presentations of their plans to a panel of volunteer judges from the state’s business and entrepreneurial sectors.

This year’s Governor’s Cup competition will host 24 teams from seven colleges and universities around Arkansas. Cash prizes totaling $144,000 will be awarded to teams in undergraduate and graduate divisions following final presentations on March 19. Winning teams also will advance to the Tri-State Governor’s Cup competition this summer.

For more information, contact Bryan McKinney, dean of Ouachita’s Hickingbotham School of Business, at [email protected] or (870) 245-5513.

By Taylor Tomlinson

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