News Highlights

Minnesota State Mankato student teams win all three Brian Fazio awards

$5,000 for promising business startups

Minnesota State Mankato students won all three of this year's $5,000 Brian Fazio awards to nurture promising new business startups.

2007-11-20
By Tim Krohn, Free Press Staff Writer [published in The Free Press, Mankato, MN, 11/20/2007]

A protective collar for football players, a better way to market on the Internet, and a Web-based sys­tem to assess athletes’ per­formances.

Right now, they are three well-thought-out business plans hatched by local college students. They will soon be small startup businesses. In the future, one or more could be big, successful Mankato businesses.

That’s the hope of a group of local business leaders who gave $5,000 to each of the teams to jump-start their busi­ness ideas.

The winners of the first Brian Fazio Business Creation Project, under the auspices of Greater Mankato Growth, were announced Monday at Technology Plus.

The competition is offered to active students attending Bethany Lutheran College, Gustavus, Minnesota State University, Rasmussen or South Central College who are interested in creating a propri­etary product, technology or process.

The students were encour­aged to team up with other students, faculty or business leaders. Greg Bednar, of South Central College and the chair­man of the board that selected the three winners, said the goal of the project is to help college students start and grow businesses in the Mankato area.

He said the format of the competition is akin to “American Idol.”

More than a dozen teams pitched their start-up business ideas to the group. The three winners will not only get some cash, but technical and admin­istrative support and office space from the Business Accelerator Program at Technology Plus.

The winning teams and their ideas: Kato Collar: Brandon Wells, Lindsay Hass, Michael Thomas, MSU students; Jeff Chambers, MSU faculty.

The collar would prevent injury to football players. It is designed to restrict motion without limiting mobility.

Surf, Internet Marketing Management: Mark Bietz, business owner; Andrew Mueller, MSU student; John Kaliski, MSU faculty and busi­ness owner.

The group has a technology application to make Web site planning and Internet market­ing campaigns easier and more effective for customers.

Athletech: Keir Asher, MSU student; Jody Lunz, business owner; Shane Bowyer, MSU faculty; Gregg Asher, MSU faculty.

The plan is to create a Web site where amateur coaches can get online coach training. They also plan a site in which athletes can post their athletic stats and see how they stack up against others in the nation. They hope the site also would be used by college recruiters looking for top high-school athletes.

Funding for the project comes from Abdo, Eick & Meyers, Alltel Wireless, city of Mankato, First National Bank, US Bank, Valley Bank and Wells Fargo.

“To grow and strengthen a region, it is vital to retain and foster new talent. Ideas are swirling around our local cam­puses and we want to embrace those students, involve them in the community, making south-central Minnesota their preferred home,” said Jonathan Zierdt, executive director for Greater Mankato Economic Development Corp., in a written statement.

Brian Fazio led area eco­nomic development efforts as the executive director of Greater Mankato Economic Development Corp. from 1998 until his unexpected death in 2003.

For more Free Press news go to www.mankatofreepress.com.

Email this article | Permanent link | Topstories news | Topstories news archives