Ouachita seniors win first place at Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition
April 24, 2025
- Chase HartsellOuachita Baptist University seniors Joel Allen and Jake Norman took home first-place honors at the 25th Annual ACC Capital Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition on April 16.
Allen, a business administration/management major from San Antonio, Texas, and Norman, a business administration major with double emphases in marketing & entrepreneurship from Katy, Texas, won first place and a $10,000 prize in the small business category for the presentation of their planned business called Retra. Their primary product is a gun sling that retracts and stays tight to the weapon when not being worn on the shoulder. While originally created with hunting rifles, shotguns and crossbows in mind, the product and its technology can also be used on law enforcement weapons.
“Winning the Governor’s Cup means the world to me because of the direction it gave me,” Allen said. “Before this, I wasn’t too sure about what I wanted to do after college. Now I get to run a company that is related to something that I love. I’m a big hunter, and I want to provide hunters all over America with gear that elevates their experience.”
Mason Brotherton, a senior business administration/entrepreneurship major from Mena, Ark., also presented as a finalist at the event. Brotherton’s business, HydroSling, is centered around a waterproof sling containing an inflatable pouch, which lifts the wearer’s arm and allows him or her to practice good hygiene while receiving proper support. The product seeks to aid in the rehabilitation process for patients recovering from various types of arm surgeries or injuries.
“The development of this business plan and idea over the last several months has been very rewarding,” Brotherton said. “I’ve learned many valuable life lessons throughout this process, one being that challenging yourself to be uncomfortable is where substantial growth will occur.”
Joel Allen and Jake Norman took first place in the small business category with Retra.
“I’m super proud of all three of these students,” said Hickingbotham School of Business Dean Bryan McKinney. “I think it’s interesting that all three have spent time here as student-athletes at Ouachita. We saw that come through in these presentations, where they were competitive, and they rose to a challenge. They’re very coachable.”
McKinney noted that Joel, Jake and Mason all sought counsel from various sources within the business school. One of those sources was Johan Eriksson, director of Ouachita’s entrepreneurship program and the leader of the annual Ouachita Business Plan Competition. Both McKinney and the students cited Eriksson’s provision of advice and practical experience as key factors in the university’s success at the Governor’s Cup and beyond.
“We’re creating a culture here that fosters entrepreneurship, and much of what we do is traced back to his energy and efforts to create that spirit of entrepreneurship within our school,” McKinney said of Eriksson.
Mason Brotherton presented his planned business, Hydrosling, as a finalist in the small business category.
Further contributing to that culture is Dr. Andy Almand, associate professor of accounting & analytics, who served as the project advisor for both Retra and HydroSling. Under Almand’s guidance, Ouachita became the only university in the Governor’s Cup’s multi-state field with multiple finalists in a single category.
“For Dr. Almand to advise both of those teams – it’s remarkably impressive,” McKinney said. “It takes a lot of work to do that.”
Almand himself took great pride in his advisees’ work as they prepared for and presented at the competition.
“They represented Ouachita and the HSB very well,” Almand said of Joel, Jake and Mason. “They worked hard and persevered over the last six or seven months. Both Joel and Mason have already moved forward with their businesses and have contacted manufacturers. They have truly lived Colossians 3:23, our theme verse, with these projects.”
The Hickingbotham School of Business combines excellence in Christian education with firsthand access to business leaders and corporations throughout students’ time at Ouachita.
For more information about undergraduate and graduate programs, contact Bryan McKinney at [email protected] or (870) 245-55250.
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