Hospitality Business Management: - College of Business ...

Winnings for WSU
Tri-Cities Business Plan
Team Top $21,000
Kyle Kraemer and Jeff Evans enjoy downtime with the Malawian
children they hope will benefit from their treadle pump innovation.
final four placement is a testimony to their hard work,
and to WSU’s dedication to offering cutting-edge entrepreneurship
and innovation in the classroom,” she says.
Four 2006 graduates, Jeff Evans (business administration,
entrepreneurship), Dan Good (mechanical
engineering), Kyle Kraemer, and Travis Meyer (both
bioengineering), took their business plan for a low cost,
scalable treadle pump to farmers in the central African
country of Malawi.
In March, the team traveled to Malawi to test their
pump in the harsh environment. After putting their
prototype to the test, they used input from local farmers
to build a second pump using local resources.
The team competed in the University of Washington
business plan competition, where they made a semifinal
appearance and were awarded “Best International
Project” and $2,000, among other honors.
“After we finished our presentation to the panel of
judges, they each handed us their business cards with
‘I.O.U.’ written on them,” says Meyer. “Later, we were
presented with personal funds from the judges to be
contributed to our project.”
With the resources provided by their new found
supporters, Meyer hopes to return to Malawi. “It became
more than just a classroom experience,” he says. “It
became an overwhelming passion.”
Rose and Davis plan to offer the course again during
the 2006–2007 academic year, and Rose is busy exploring
new internship opportunities for future students. Rose
recently traveled to Rwanda with three WSU students to
assist in efforts to extend Internet access to rural African
villages and aid local entrepreneurs in their efforts to set
up a telecenter supporting the Maraba coffee cooperative.
While Rose ran workshops at the National University of
Rwanda in entrepreneurship and business planning, students
evaluated the telecenter’s business plan and set up
computers for the operation. Rose is currently working
with the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology in
Rwanda to develop internships where business students
evaluate the business plans of local entrepreneurs.
Two Washington State University MBA students from the
Tri-Cities have spent the last year touring northwest university
business plan competitions presenting their company Bright-
Wave.
Paul Dailey and Kent Bader, both 2006 MBA graduates,
wrote a business plan that employs technology developed by
the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to image the
insides of walls, detecting everything from wiring and piping to
water and mold.
Bader and Dailey believe that BrightWave could revolutionize
the $3 billion-a-year building inspection industry by providing a
consistent inspection service with superior accuracy, functionality,
and reproducibility at a lower cost than supplemental
inspection methods, such as infrared imaging.
The team has competed in a total of six competitions
throughout the Northwest and has received a myriad of awards,
including second place and $5,000 in Gonzaga University’s
business plan competition, “Best Written Plan” at Boise State
University’s business plan competition, and a semifinal finish
at the New Venture Championship hosted by the University of
Oregon.
Recently, they competed in the University of Washington’s
business plan competition, where they finished second among
62 entries and received a Judge’s Choice award for “Best Service
Idea.” Their combined winnings for the UW competition totaled
$15,000.
Though Dailey admits that participating in so many competitions
was trying, he says, “We wanted to get as much out of it as
we could. We also had great encouragement from the University
to compete—and to learn about
the process itself.”
Bader and Dailey are among
the first students to take
advantage of a new program
sponsored by the WSU College
of Business and PNNL known
as the Institute for Technology
Entrepreneurship. The program
matches students at the Tri-Cities
campus with locally developed
technologies and provides
coaching and support to enter
competitions or even launch
their venture.
Overall, Dailey says the
experience was a great one. “We
got a lot of valuable feedback,”
he says. “And the whole process
really teaches to you to look
at a business from a business
standpoint, not as a consumer.”
Paul Dailey (left) and Kent
Bader take time to pose for
a picture at the Gonzaga
University business plan
competition. The team walked
away from the competition
with a second place finish
and $5,000.
Dividend 21