Radford University Holds First Entrepreneurial Summit & Elevator Pitch Contest          

Nineteen students from Radford University filed into Bonnie Auditorium to present a vast array of creative business ideas in a recent elevator pitch competition. The event, held in conjunction with RU’s first-ever Entrepreneurial Summit, was designed to offer students the chance to present their idea as if they were pitching it to a potential investor in an elevator. They only had 90 seconds, the amount of time it would take that elevator to travel a few stories.

            In the end, three students were announced winners, granting them a share of the $3,000 grand prize donated by Dynamic Systems Integration, a company founded and managed by two RU graduates, Edwin Tirona and Jamie Butt.

            The first place winner, who received $1,500, was Stephanie Richardson, a junior from Yorktown majoring in elementary education. Richardson’s concept was a non-profit business designed to sale ads on the side of school buses. She suggested that profits from the business be allocated to school systems.

            Second place and $1,000 went to senior psychology and philosophy major Shannon Moore of Martinsville, whose idea focused on a full-service company that would travel to a client’s home to provide pet grooming and training services.

            In third place with an award of $500 was Andrew Rymaruk, a senior finance major from Herndon who pitched the idea to resurrect the butcher shop in Northern Virginia.

            The students’ pitches were judged on a myriad of criteria, including quality, feasibility, innovation and comprehensive business information. Several honorable mentions were also named in the competition: Ben Tuck for his idea to create a hot dog vendor business in Pulaski, Mike McCoy for a consumer auto research system, Kendra Travis for her idea to publish a comprehensive “Guide to Radford,” Cole Flournoy for his pitch to install charge plugs in various locations for electrical hybrid cars, Justin Farthing for his idea to create a consulting firm designed to address energy management in homes and Maurice Carter for his idea to establish an online brokerage firm targeted at young adults.

             The competition was judged by Mason Gates, a RU graduate and president of InternDirect; Michael Simmons, co-founder of Extreme Entrepreneurship Education and bestselling author of The Student Success Manifesto; Chris Pund, coordinator of the Entrepreneurial Summit and a senior from Ellicott City, Md., studying business management and media studies at RU; Angela Drummond, CEO of SiloSmashers, a management and technology consulting firm; and Edwin Tirona, CEO of Dynamic Systems Integration. Jerry Kopf and Steve Childers, management professors concentrating in business development at the RU College of Business and Economics, also helped judge the competition.

            The Entrepreneurial Summit was part of the SunTrust Distinguished Speaker Series and was held in conjunction with RU Collegiate Entrepreneurs, RU Club Programming Committee, RU College of Business and Economics and Dynamic Systems Integration. The conference was the first of its kind at RU, providing the community and students the opportunity to learn more about the exciting endeavor of starting a business.