Allen Community College sophomore Hamza Wadi of Casablanca, Morocco, spent several minutes outlining an ambitious business proposal: Opening an American coffee and pastry shop in his home country, located near an American university to give those students a taste of home.
Then he paused and smiled at the judges. “Now for the twist. It’s already working.”
He explained how his brother and a friend had taken his proposal and turned it into reality, then offered a comparison between his initial projections and actual costs. He outlined his intention to grow the business, with plans to open two more locations before expanding into a franchise.
His proposal garnered a second place finish and a $500 prize in the second Allen Entrepreneurship Challenge on Feb. 20.
Seven students competed in the challenge, which was judged by four local business representatives: Alana Kinzle with The Feedlot, Traci Plumlee with Allen County Regional Hospital, Andi Lou Garrett with Lou’s Design & Marketing and Myra Gleason with Wild Bloom Coffee.
Josiah Bobb of Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago took first place and $750 with his proposal, Shot O’Clock. His business would make custom-designed shot glasses.
Third place and $250 went to Thiago Vega of Asuncion, Paraguay. His business, Work the World, would pair international employees with U.S. companies for a short-term training program. They could then take those skills back to their home country.
“The scoring was really close. It was a tough battle for first, second and third,” Josiah D’Albini, director of student life, said.
Judges seemed particularly impressed by students who exhibited both knowledge and passion, he said.
D’Albini and Nicci Denny, business instructor, introduced the entrepreneur challenge last year after learning about similar programs at four-year universities.
It’s a way to bring together business leaders and college students; businesses sponsor the event and provide judges. A related event in the fall allows area high school students to pitch business ideas.
The contest encourages students to explore and test business ideas, utilizing their skills and enthusiasm with practical feedback from experts who know what it takes to turn those ideas into reality.
For this competition, students create an executive summary for their proposal, then present it to the panel of judges. Denny encourages students who have developed interesting ideas as part of her classes, or those who simply have passion and an idea.
OTHER PROPOSALS included:
• Khassidy Warr, Fort Smith, Arkansas – Underrated Buckets, a personal training and coaching company for basketball students that could eventually broaden into clothing and other basketball gear.