MSU students compete at Idea State U Regionals
Morehead State University had six different teams named as regional finalists at the Prestonsburg Regional Competition for IDEA STATE U Competition hosted by Prestonsburg Community and Technical College.
The event was one of three IDEA STATE U Regional Competitions held across Kentucky.
IDEA STATE U is a business venture competition that allows young entrepreneurs to create and present a business plan or model. Students enrolled in the small business course spend the semester developing their business plan or model, while receiving guidance by Dr. Janet Ratliff, assistant professor of management/entrepreneurship; and Dr. Beverly McCormick, professor of real estate studies from the School of Business, College of Business and Technology.
Each business is judged based upon several categories, including a written business plan or model, a 60-second marketing video, a visual aid, and an oral presentation. The scores from each category are combined to calculate the final score.
Six groups of students represented MSU at the regional competition. Three groups competed as business plans, while the other three competed as business models. All six groups received cash prizes and will be advancing to the state competition to be held April 22 at the Lexington Center.
In Business Plan Competition, winners were:
1st - Mechatraining (Michael Edlin, senior design manufacturing engineering technology major from Elizabethtown, and Adolfo Enrique SamudioCano, international graduate student seeking a Master’s degree in Engineering and Technology Management from Mexico City, Mexico).
2nd - The Laundry Lounge (Ben Nehring, senior general business major from Lexington, April Eling, sophomore from Mt. Sterling, and Madeline Jansen, sophomore, from Villa Hills).
5th - The R.E.E.C.E. Center (Reece Spears, senior management major from Paintsville).
In Business Model Competition, winners were:
1st - The GuardBox (Kyle McGlothin, junior in high school from Richmond, and Stefan Kwiecinski, freshman from Richmond).
2nd - A & J's Animal Shelter Academy (Isabella Stephens, senior general business major from Morehead, and Karlee Crose, senior marketing major from Nashville).
3rd - Everyday E-Textiles (Elizabeth Hereford, sophomore from Irvine, Taylor Roland a sophomore from Sanders, Alan Lin, sophomore, from Louisa, and Samantha Koehler, a sophomore from Union).
Other senior students assisting all groups were: Hunter Branham, junior accounting major from Jenkins Ashley Huffine, senior healthcare management major from Ashland, and Jacob Hatfield, senior small business management major from Pikeville.
Eling, Hereford, Jansen, Koehler, Lin and Roland are enrolled in MSU’s Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a dual-credit residential high school. The Craft Academy challenges each student to excel at their highest level by enrolling them in college-level curriculum, allowing them to complete high school and two years of university coursework.
Additional information is available from Ratliff at 606-783-2390.
