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Economic Development Project Team - Coastal Bend Business Plan Competition
www.cbbpc.org
This project was created in the summer of 2010 after a year of discussion, research, and networking to discover a project that had the potential 1) to impact our economic development, 2) create opportunities for our brightest young residents to find career success without leaving the area, and 3) to create community pride. The seeds of a student technology competition project were planted in a meeting with members of the FHRCAC committee, Roland Mower of the Corpus Christi Economic Development Corporation and Foster Edwards of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. From there it expanded to a Business Plan Competition as additional partners joined development of this project. After an incredibly successful first year of engaged and solid support from all of its organizational partners, the project incubated by FHRCAC has been handed off to new ownership and continued administration with Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi Coastal Bend Business Innovation Center (CBBIC). The competition will continue as a multi-partner effort as the Coastal Bend Business Plan Competition.
Project Overview
The Coastal Bend Business Plan Competition is a three-phase business plan competition coordinated and supported by various Coastal Bend economic development entities. It is administratively coordinated by the CBBIC. The Competition is an opportunity to support entrepreneurs to develop business plans that will build new technology-driven ventures into the Coastal Bend. A business plan is a comprehensive document that provides an organized view of a specific business idea. A business plan should reflect the vision of a market opportunity and serve as a blueprint for the future development of the proposed business.
The 2011 Winner: Glasram Technologies, Dr. Magesh Thiyagarajan
Glasram, a team comprised of five members, won about $22,000 in in-kind services designed to jumpstart the business. Its project was a cold-plasma technology that would sterilize 99 percent of the bacteria possibly contained in mail and shipping parcels through companies such as the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS and DHL. “This success will make it possible to bring innovative research to life and form a real company ultimately aimed at serving the public,” said Dr. Magesh Thiyagarajan, Glasram's founder and chief technology adviser. "We have gained tremendous knowledge and experience through this competition process and are very thankful to the organizers for their great support."
The other finalists were: • InnerGeo LLC (Ronald L. Loveday) - RUNNER-UP • Ensemble Group (Gracie Martin) • RHM Chemical Co. LLC (Rick Maxey) • C & B Feeders (Ben Mumme and Cory Lundschen)
Rules: http://www.cbbpc.org/images/CBBPCGuidelines-v011811.pdf
2011 CBBPC Planning Committee:
Flint Hills Resources Community Action Council
Sandra Billish, Chair
Michael Briones, Co-Chair
James Needham
Alex Garcia
John J Nelson
Haysam Dawod
Coastal Bend Business Innovation Center
Richard Bell
Del Mar College Small Business Development Center
Ann Fierova
SCORE Counselors for Small Business
Ralph Coker
Young Business Professionals of the Coastal Bend
Steve Deases
Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation
Mike Culbertson
Corpus Christi Evening Rotary Club
Haysam Dawod
Del Mar College Division of Business, Professional and Technology Education
Dr. Larry Lee, Dean, Division of Business, Professional and Technology Education
Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, Mechanical Engineering Program
Dr. LD Chen, Associate Dean of Engineering & Computing Sciences
Korinne Caruso, Engineering Education Program Coordinator
Krystal Escobar
Dr. John Fernandez, Chair, Department Of Computing Sciences
Texas A&M University – Kingsville, Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering
Dr. Stephan J. Nix
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