Business Exposition and Online Entrepreneurship Game

On Oct. 23-24, five ONU students who are enrolled in ABUS 222, DCBA's initial entrepreneurship course, participated in the first Southwest Ohio Student Business Exposition and Online Entrepreneurship game at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Business ideas presented by ONU students included Books Galore, a college used-book business presented by Jonathan Curry, a sophomore in management from Zanesville, Ohio; Rustic Blades, a customized wooden shield and sword manufacturer presented by David Walch, a senior technology student from Fairfield, Ohio, and Robert Hanley, a senior technology student from Edison, N.J.; Smalltown Sports Supplements, or SSS, a conveniently located reseller of nutritional supplements for athletes and individuals who work out in college sports facilities presented by Justin Florek, a junior in exercise physiology from Hamilton, Ohio; and Bounce IT!, a full-service Information Technology company serving small businesses in northwest Ohio presented by Zach Ferres, a junior in computer engineering from Bellevue, Ohio. Bounce IT! an existing business with over 30 active customers and five employees and was started and is owned by Ferres. Rustic Blades is taking orders at Renaissance fairs, preparing its business plan in the DCBA Entrepreneurship courses, and will be seeking SBA or investor support to purchase laser cutting/etching equipment to prepare for full scale manufacturing in 2009.

More than 40 student teams participated in the Xavier competition. Daniel Cunningham, BSEE '76, president of Long-Stanton Manufacturing Company, was a featured workshop speaker, talking about how his firm has created a manufacturing business from scratch in China.

Published: Fri, 12/05/2008 - 10:36am