Business Plan Competition Challenges MBA Students
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the exchange Newsletter of the College of Business at Oregon State University >> Spring 2004 Student Entrepreneurs Emerge (continued from cover) Business Plan Competition Challenges MBA Students Currently living and networking with exchange ou have nine months to create an Inte- But was it all worth it? In the Consulting Engagement Business Plan students in the West International dorms, he plans grated Business Project (IBP) for a new “The MBA IBP pulled everything together. I Category, the Whiteside Theater team of Mat- to live in Weatherford Hall when it opens. Ybusiness or new avenue for an existing was able to use the knowledge of all the disciplines thew Baker, Beau Brown, Loren Mc Laughlin, “I’m always having fun,” said Khemlani. His business — to research it; develop goals, objec- for the integrated business plan which really Michael Smith, and Jordan Zardinejad won first future plans include growing Roachwear and tak- tives, strategies and budget; assess its financial fea- brought it together for me,” said Erica Edgecomb, prize. The YouthBuild team of Kimberly ing over the Kash Ross Company following his sibility; work with your team; develop a distribu- MBA ’03, KPMG assurance associate. Herzberg, Wesley Hutchins, Meghan Kuwahara, OSU graduation. tion, sales and marketing plan, and more. You The IBP, the cornerstone of the college’s MBA Syed Kaiser Shah, and Steven Siegel took sec- TJ Robertson, currently finishing his masters have your regular MBA classes, often a job, a fam- program, put more than 60 students to the test ond. in computer science, is the creator of last year. Not only did the students select their “The business plan the MBA students put to- everylist.com, a free online local information post- project, they developed the plan and presented it gether provided us with a very clear avenue to ing service. The idea for everylist.com emerged to a panel of graduate faculty to earn their MBA consider as we strived to add a sustainable in- after Robertson and another OSU student devel- degree. In addition, many competed for finan- come source,” said Tom Cope, resource develop- oped Beaverchat.com, a successful local online cial awards, in the college’s MBA Business Plan ment officer for Community Services Consor- community where Corvallis and Eugene townies Competition, in front of judges from the invest- tium and partner in the YouthBuild project. “The ment community. Kathleen Sego, Sego Partners managing partner; This year the Vida Technologies team, with a Richard Carone, Pacific Horizon Ventures general business focused on high-end “smart home” au- partner; and James Schupp, Smith Barney vice dio, video, security, heating and information tech- president; offered advice and judged students during the Integrated Business Project presentations. nology equipment installations, took first place in the New Venture Business Plan category. Team ily, job interviews, and a life outside school members included Brian McKinnell, Jason (maybe). This describes the life of a full-time McKerr, Ang Kea Tan, and Chad Wegner. Sec- OSU MBA student, many taking on the chal- ond place went to the Gelateria Brandi team of lenges of one of the few intensive, nine-month Christopher Bryant, Joshua Elliott, Brandi MBA student Matt Baker presents his portion of his MBA programs around, as well as many part-time Palmieri, David Price, and Hui Xie. team’s Integrated Business Project. TJ Robertson, computer science graduate student MBA students working while completing their “The home entertainment program was im- degree. pressive. I thought the student who led the pre- potential market niche the students discovered, can chat, buy, sell, find activity partners, and much “I remember a few nights leading up to the sentation was a genius. I wouldn’t be surprised if analyzed, and wrote about was very insightful. more. The main inspiration of everylist.com is a date our IBP plan was due when my laptop he did this before in front of real investors,” said The presentation was exactly what we were hop- well-known nationwide online community, chimed as friends in the Midwest and on the East Jim Schupp, Smith Barney senior vice president ing for.” Craigslist.com. Coast logged off from my Instant Message con- of investments. In the Fast Pitch Category where teams had Robertson explained the start-up costs, web site tact list…and then how the laptop chimed again “I was surprised with the gelato deal. Origi- three minutes to pitch their business to an inves- development, and sales involved in constructing hours later as these people logged back on to their nally I did not believe that it would be a viable tor, the French Quarter team of Wilson Mbugua, an online community. Even after hiring modera- computers, after having enjoyed a full night’s sleep business opportunity. Their professional presen- Ryland Silfanus, Lysle Smith, and Adam Van tors, purchasing a computer, and other minor ex- while we compiled reports about gelato consump- tation and research turned me around,” said Den Avyle won the New Venture Business Plan penses, “there is a lot of money to be made.” tion and other assorted data,” said Dave Price, MBA Kathleen Sego, Sego Partners strategic & finan- segment. The Freddy Guys Filberts team of Craigslist.com charges companies sixty dollars to ’03, Ruidoso News general manager. cial consultant. (Continued on page 8) post a job listing and that fee alone allows the New York site (one of over sixty) to collect $27,000 dol- Robertson shared his ideas about generating rev- mium listings. He may be able to collect a per- and utilize internet and physical (direct) market- lars a day! He then described the problems with enue. Because the site will serve as a free service cent of large volume sales as a payment for play- ing to increase business. Craigslist.com and his solutions for those issues. for members, possibilities include charging a small ing middle man. Upon completing his graduate “I want to see it be a great, useful tool,” As everylist.com traffic continues to increase, amount for hosting pictures, banner ads, and pre- school, he also plans to team up with similar sites Robertson said. 1 LETTER FROM THE DEAN Change is happening at the College of Busi- With that support behind us, we are maxi- entrepreneurship minor began in January, and COB News Bytes ness. A new momentum is in the air and it mizing several new faculty in roles that will our new entrepreneurship club is going starts with the college being aligned with the help move us in the direction of our strategic gangbusters. Thanks to our many generous university and its plan. With several retirements, we lose great donors, we are well on our way to raising the COB Enrollment Increases strategic plan. The talent, but at the same time, we gain an oppor- money we need to open a renovated College of Busi- tunity to focus our research, academic, and Weatherford Hall in September, and have be- Total students for the College of Business in- ness, over the next outreach efforts in an effective way. Justin gun our Phase 2 development efforts in sup- creased from 2,126 in the 2002-2003 school year decade, will be cen- Craig, featured in this issue, is one example. port of entrepreneurship programming. The to approximately 2,295 for the 2003-2004 school tral in working As we continue to serve our students, and collaboration and support across campus, and year. Of that number, 89 are graduate students. with other univer- those from other OSU colleges, with a com- externally, for our new Austin Entrepreneur- Business majors represent 11.2 percent of OSU’s sity and external pelling business education, we’ve also initiated ship Program, is helping make this program total enrollment. Business continues to be the entities. We will our new Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series. a truly special one for Oregon. Without your number one minor with 465 students enrolled. An help the university The first two speakers are featured in this is- interest and support, it would not be possible. additional sixteen students claimed the new en- move its research sue. Thank you. trepreneurship minor which began in January and knowledge to In outreach, our Business and Information One last thought. In the thousands of miles 2004. market, thereby increasing our contribution Technology Extension team continues to focus I have covered since I’ve been dean, I have to the economic development of the state and on K-12 education in rural communities. Our come away with an immense appreciation for Bexell Goes Wireless region. We’re at the very early stages of put- Austin Family Business Program continues to College of Business alumni and what you con- ting this proficiency in place, but are focused serve family businesses in Oregon and Wash- tribute to make us feel proud. The diversity Students entering the College of Business will on making it happen. ington. Our Business Solutions Group recently of success that has been achieved, the won- now be able to access the internet anytime, any- We’ve been privileged to host Oregon Uni- completed a Microsoft.NET training course for derful people who I met and the great war where within the walls of Bexell Hall. versity System Chancellor Richard Jarvis and Oregon Department of Transportation and De- stories that we talked about, were inspiring. Jumpstarted by a relationship with Hewlett- OSU President Ed Ray on several occasions partment of Justice employees. To add to that, To honor some of the best examples of this Packard and the College’s Business Solutions in the past few months. In a comment Presi- we’ve hired a Director of Professional Educa- success, join us on May 12, 2004, at our BAC Group, the wireless system is up and running, dent Ray made to our faculty, he said, “most tion to increase our professional education Alumni and Business Partner Awards dinner already being used by students.