Kansas State University

High school and community college students compete for $75,000 in prize money at K-State College of Business

Submitted by Tara Gieber

A student entrepreneurship competition featuring 61 high school and eight community college teams from across Kansas has awarded entrepreneurial-minded students $75,000 in prize money.

The Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge gave students experience in the process of making a business proposal and pitching their ideas. The annual event was organized by the K-State University Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship, sponsored by the Kansas Masonic Foundation, on behalf of all Kansas Masons, and supported by NetWork Kansas.

Participating high school teams that received an excellent rating from the judges earned the top prize of $1,200 each, while community college teams that earned an excellent rating received $2,800 each. A good rating from the judges was worth $600 for high school teams and $2,000 for community college teams.

"I was amazed by the maturity and poise of all of the students and was particularly impressed with the innovative ideas on display," said Robert Nelson, president of the Kansas Masonic Foundation. "We see this event as an opportunity for the Kansas Masons to extend our charitable mission to help young people build businesses that are going to help the state's economy and be beneficial to all Kansans."

The high school teams also had the option to participate in a trade show showcasing their products and services. Guests at the competition voted for the People's Choice Award, with the winning team, the SFI Solutions team from Jetmore High School, receiving a $500 prize sponsored by Network Kansas.

"This event is an opportunity to showcase the tremendous entrepreneurial talent we have in the state of Kansas," said Chad Jackson, director of the K-State Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship. "The real-world experience of pitching a business in front of the type of business experts we have on our panel is invaluable to these students and provides real-world feedback and support to launch companies within our state."

The following high school teams won the top prize of $1,200 in the competition:

• Hendricks Hawaiian team of Matt Hendricks, Cheylin High School
• Sweet Clouds of Cotton Candy team of Brody Kramer, Clay Center High School
• Cozee Toes team of Cody Wright and Jordan Jones, Colby High School
• Drivyn team of Evyn Cox, Hays High School
• Stenzel Film team of Emily Stenzel, Hays High School
• Donley Brother's Mowing team of Cruz Donley, Owen Donley and Thaddeus Donley, homeschool, Ellsworth
• The Sweet Treat team of Dalton Estes and Riley Lusk, Hutchinson High School
• SFI Solutions team of Isaac Cavazos, Jetmore High School
• Sierra's Esthetics team of Sierra Britton, Kiowa County High School
• Sweets Inc. team of Maya Wagstaff, Leavenworth High School
• 720 Food Bus team of Gabriel Sorensen, Leavenworth High School
• Frack Sweet Scents team of Cooper Frack, Norton High School
• Turning Tires team of Aiden Conrad, Osborne High School
• C. Creative Marketing team of Carolina Barraza, Pike Valley High School
• Intricates team of Bryan Garvert, Plainville High School
• Larison Lawn Care team of Derek Larison, Riverton High School
• Magnolia's team of Maggie Peterson, Smith Center High School
• Tiger Coffee team of Allison Lopez, Hannah Son, Lillian Brummer and Tara Dowling, St. John High School
• Mathematics Matters team of Hunter Hulse, Sylvan-Lucas High School
• ICY-T team of Maley Hansen, Wichita North High School

The following high school teams won $600 in the competition:

• Karlee's Kreations team of Karlee Evans, Bucklin Junior High
• Dungeon Combat Cards team of Jacob Frese, Chanute High School
• Kaos Creations team of Ava Rodgers, Colby High School
• Partners n' Care team of Brittany Swartz, Madison Hull, Colby Junior High School
• Oasis Airsoft and Paintball team of Hunter Blackwood, Josh Wood, Concordia High School
• Creative Clay Co. team of Riley Forge, Council Grove Junior High
• Seasons Flower Shop team of Halle Klotz, Crest High School
• Kaden's Carryout team of Kaden Perry, Elkhart High School
• Kiley's Creations team of Kiley Stevenson, Ellinwood High School
• Dirty Dog Café team of Annabelle Gorman, Fort Scott High School
• Farm Fresh team of Charlie Andrade, Free State High School
• Goat Milk? Soap team of Jonah Sandford, Girard High School
• On the Bloch team of Hadyn Blochlinger, Goodland High School
• TOS Construction team of Titus Sherer, Greeley County High School
• Swimming Lessons with Ainsley team of Ainsley Charest, Hayden High School
• Thoughtful Words team of Moriah Jost, Hillsboro High School
• Two Little Goats team of Kansas Lange, a homeschool team from Pawnee County
• Second Stitch Swimwear team of Carmen Eisenbrandt, Labette County High School
• Go-Go Travel team of Bo de Groof, Leavenworth High School
• Crumbs to Heaven team of Melany Busot, Manhattan High School
• Aligning Local Stars team of Joshua Bocox, McPherson High School
• Kayla's Confections team of Kayla LaRosh, Osborne Junior High School
• Downtown Western Wear team of Ashlyn Schultze, Osborne Junior High School
• Chatter Box team of Gabby Poels, Phillipsburg High School
• The Chopping Block team of Owen Russell, Pike Valley High School
• Donkey Doo team of Adia Peck, Salina Central High School
• Strings and Dings team of Jesus Mariscal, Salina Central High School
• Midwest Dream Yards team of Lawson Bailey, Scott City High School
• Media Ape team of Alsono Frances Aguilar, Scott City High School
• Wonderfully Made team of Haylee Cockroft, St. John's Catholic School
• NextDoorGig team of Quinton Pfaff, St. Thomas Aquinas High School
• CW Junk Removal team of Cody Oden and Wyatt Beltz, Sterling High School
• Ayers Buddies Pet Sitting team of Taylor Ayers, Stockton High School
• B&T Destinations team of Brooke Wehrman and Tressa Wehrman, Sylvan-Lucas High School
• Royal Ice team of R. Conrad Cassell, Wabaunsee Junior High
• Wamego Learning and Education Center team of Jocelyn Stewart, Wamego High School
• Room Décor Alley team of Reese Reitz, Wamego High School
• Biermann Pottery team of Sidney Biermann, Wichita County High School
• West Side Pressure Washing team of Erik Haemaelaeinen and Logan Burleson, Winfield High School
• She's Fit Fitness team of Judith Diaz Zaragoza, Wyandotte High School

The following community college teams won the top prize of $2,800 in the competition:

• FlyAway team of Connor Klecan and Tom Poole, Cloud County Community College
• Happy Tails Salon team of Teryn Teeter, Garden City Community College
• Meta Energy team of Chance Pippert, Ethan Showalter and Sean Dunning, Johnson County Community College
• Capone's Team of Greg Gieber, Highland Community College-Wamego campus
• Unleashed team of Fiona Barelli, Labette Community College

The following community college teams won $2,000 in the competition:

• Owlaid team of Gerardo Arana, Cloud County Community College
• VaxOral team of Holly Trevebaugh, Coffeyville Community College
• Treefrog Smoothie team of Grace Slabaugh, Neosho County Community College