April 21, 2010
On
Saturday, April 17, 2010 business creativity was on display as
students and alumni of St. John’s The Peter J. Tobin College of
Business participated in the inaugural Alumni Relations Business
Plan Competition Expo on the Queens campus. Underwritten by James
W. Christmas ’70CBA, the event was a unique presentation of six
original business plans that had been selected from a pool of 52
submissions to compete as finalists for $15,000 in cash awards.
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Creators were required to present their ideas before a select
panel of business professionals who evaluated their plans on a
variety of factors such as creativity, uniqueness, product or
service need, marketability and overall sustainability.
Judges included:
Geno Chou ’03TCB
Founder
LittlePaw
Thomas E. Christman
Adjunct Professor of Finance
St. John's University
Chairman of the Board
State Bank
James W. Christmas ’70CBA
Vice Chairman of the Board
Petrohawk Energy
Thomas F. Goldrick, Jr. ’61CBA
Retired Chairman and CEO
State Bank
“I’m really glad that I’ve been involved with this initiative
from the beginning,” said Christmas. “It’s been gratifying to see
so many students participating in the process, and wonderful to see
them start to realize that anything is possible. Taking an idea,
figuring out how to approach it and then actually building it for
the future is what entrepreneurship is all about. The enthusiasm of
the students has been very rewarding for me.”
The
judges were strongly impressed with the amount of research that
served as the foundation of each business plan and the
professionalism of the presentations.
“These presenters are all very well prepared,” said Christman.
“It’s obvious that they put a lot of time and work into bringing
their ideas to life. I’m also impressed with their ability to
communicate their ideas. That’s such an important part of being a
successful entrepreneur, because a business plan’s ultimate success
lies with the people behind it. The people I’m seeing today
are very business oriented and their plans are well thought
out.”
“This is a great opportunity for the students,” agreed Goldrick,
“and it’s obvious that they worked hard to make the most of it.
They’re really showing their initiative, and I’m happy to be a part
of it as a judge.”
A young entrepreneur himself, Chou developed the idea for his
successful skateboard business while still a student at St. John’s.
“I actually started my business when I was a student in Dr. [Larry]
Boone’s class, so when I was asked to come back and serve as a
judge, I was happy to do so. These students impress me because they
found what the world is lacking in terms of a product or service
and they’re honing it down into a workable idea.”
One of the unique aspects of the competition was the willingness
of alumni to serve as mentors for each of the finalists, sharing
their expertise to help make the finished presentations as
professional as possible. Sal LaGreca ’76CBA, Chief Financial
Officer of Precise Leads, Inc., an online marketing firm, enjoyed
working with the students to help them refine their idea to make it
as realistic and appealing as possible. “We worked together to
review the idea and put some structure into the plan,” he
remarked. “I told our team that a good entrepreneur is
willing to sacrifice a lot, face setbacks, start over again and
persevere. My connection to St. John’s made it a pleasure for me to
be here today.”
Prior to the announcement of the awards for the best
presentations, participants enjoyed lunch as Keynote Speaker Angie
Onassis Parlionas ’01C, ’06MBA, Chief Executive Officer and
Inventor, YOYO Lipgloss, described what she considered to be
important for anyone planning to start a new business. “To be an
entrepreneur, you really have to be creative and be willing to take
risks. You actually have to be an idea factory, where you can start
from the ground up and watch your idea come to life, which I
love. This event is great, because it allows students to come
up with an idea and make it work, from step one until it finally
comes to life. That’s what it’s like in the real world.”
Parlionas acknowledged that her St. John’s education helped her
to become the successful business executive she is today. “My time
at St. John’s was really the catalyst for my entire career,” she
recalled. “When I was younger I always knew that I wanted to do
something on my own and start my own business. The M.B.A. here is
an amazing program, and it really helped me to put my ideas into
perspective. I had to write a business plan for one of my classes
and when it was time to start my own company I used those ideas as
my foundation.”
After careful deliberation the judges awarded cash prizes for
first through fourth place and certificates of honorable mention to
the other participants.
“I
really tried to make my idea as good as I could,” said senior
Esther Montauban, the first place winner. “The fact that I won
first place is really amazing. It was hard work but worth
every minute of it.” Montauban created the Disco Utensil, a baby
spoon that plays music to help distract and soothe a crying
baby.
Senior Jessica Lynn Castellano, who won second place for an idea
that had been on her mind for the past few years, acknowledged that
deciding to participate in the competition caused her to turn her
dream into an actual business plan. “For a while I wanted to do
something in a business involving baby products, and when I heard
about the competition I decided to pull everything together and
give it a try. The next thing I’m going to do is to work to put my
ideas into an actual business and see how far it can go.” She
received her prize for creating strollerconnection.com, an online
buying service specializing in all types of baby strollers with
access to additional baby products.
“This was a great opportunity and it gave me so much more than I
would ever be able to learn in class,” noted third place winner
Pavel Cerny, a junior transfer student who presented his plans for
Diesel Recording Studio, a local recording facility offering
inexpensive studio time with experienced engineers and online
software for voice-over customers. “My mentor, Mr. LaGreca, was
wonderful, and I learned so much from him. This competition is
great, because for anyone who wants to achieve something in life,
this is the first step to what will hopefully be a really
successful career.”
Junior Christan Bergstrom and her group won fourth prize
for their presentation of Snap Heel, a woman’s shoe that easily and
quickly converts from a high heel to a conventional flat for more
comfortable walking to and from business or social activities.
At the conclusion of the event Christmas was asked what, in his
opinion, was the most important quality of a successful
entrepreneur. “What really makes a good entrepreneur is passion,”
he said. “There are always a lot of reasons why an idea can’t work,
but there are also a lot of reasons why it can, and it’s the person
with the passion and dedication to pursue it who will ultimately be
successful in spite of any temporary roadblocks.”