A proposal for a moped rental business at Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku earned Brigham Young University Hawaii senior Brett Lee [pictured at right, in the center] the $15,000 top prize on March 6 in the annual Willes Center for International Entrepreneurship (CIE) Business Plan Competition. In addition, each of four other teams won runners-up prizes of $5,000 for their proposed plans, all of the 15 finalists also received $1,000, and each of the other 31 BYUH students who submitted a plan received a monetary award.
CIE Director James Ritchie explained that the $50,000-plus in prizes came from "generous donors," and added that unlike previous competitions, the money for the top five awards would be disbursed "as a line of credit" as the aspiring entrepreneurs actually start up their enterprises. "They can use this money as a reimbursement for legitimate business in starting this or another approved venture."
"We had more entrants this year than we ever had before," Ritchie continued, noting BYUH students submitted 46 business plans. Of that number judges selected 31 for further evaluation, from which the top 15 "all came prepared to present. They didn't know who the finalists were until we announced their names," he added. The finalists included:
- Brett Lee's Hele Huli North Shore Moped Rental: "I've always liked mopeds," said Lee, a hospitality and tourism management major from Lancaster, California, "and I work at Turtle Bay. I saw the opportunity, and noticed they could use the extra amenity. With the prize money, I hope to start up with a minimum of 10 mopeds, but probably 15 or 20." Lee also said he has already contracted for space in the parking lot near the entrance to the resort's main lobby, and pointed out that the eight other moped rental companies in Waikiki do not allow their vehicles to come to this side of the island. He added he will have student rates.
- Abish Food Service by Benson Massey, Aaron Marler, Mark Chiba and Gelu Sherpa: The company leverages their entry last year that proposed to provide transportation services in New Delhi, India, by adding mobile food delivery to the menu for office workers who don't have time to buy food nearby within their half-hour meal break.
- Oahu: Circle Island Digital Tours by Andrew Fowers and his wife, Ting Ning Fowers, and Ezra Frantz: Also building on a successful audio tour proposal last year, the Digital Tours team proposed adding automatic GPS (global positioning system)-activated tour information, as well as partner with local agencies to create GPS-based advertising.
- Outdoor Recreation and Adventure by Adam Van Tassell: He proposed expanding a fishing lodge in northeastern Minnesota, where he's from and has previously worked to include more family activities.
- Water for Life by husband-and-wife team Jemarjo and Janette Catahan, who proposed establishing a reverse osmosis water purification and bottling system in his home town of Hagonoy in Bulacan Province, which is immediately north of Manila in the Philippines. They said the low-lying region is subject to frequent flooding and pure water would not only provide them with income but help improve the health of their neighbors.
Other top-15 teams included: Airstride Horse Trailers by Brad Sawaya; August Investments by Marcus Lobendahn, Courtney Banks, Lyon Logan and Samuel Spurrier; Evergreen Info, LLC, by Aun Luck Tan, Elisha Lim and Esme Tan; Fashion Focus by Lai Mei Ng, Christina Kafoa, Long Ting Lai and Yi Shun Wang; Future Builders of Mongolia by Erdenbileg Purevsuren, Terrence Kau, Mark Chiba, Elijah Lim, Erdenechimeg Yadamdorj and Oyun Atlangerel; Kumul Internet by Eddie Alembo; Memory Vault: Ryan Dean and Garrett Smith; Pro.Lot Painters: William Buckley and Neil Campbell; Vagabond Vacations by Nikolaas and Liane Beezum; and Zuleg Landscaping: Ariuna Buyantogtokh, Buyanaa Lamjav, Isabel Sakaja, Mark Chiba and Erdenebileg Enkhbold.
The top 15 teams in the 2009 BYU-Hawaii business plan competition
"This was hard to judge," said Ritchie of the proposals that ranged from India to Minnesota. He also said this year's competition did not segment the proposals geographically or economically "because there are no second-rate people or countries any more. The students at BYU-Hawaii are all champions, and we think you've seen a great display today."
"It was an outstanding competition," agreed David LeSueur, one of the judges, and a Latter-day Saint agricultural and development entrepreneur from Gilbert, Arizona, who stopped off for the business conference en route home from the Philippines where he served as a mission president. "The top-five were very, very close. We spent a fair amount of time deliberating on them. We're so proud of these students. They did a magnificent job. Their plans and presentations were well thought out, and the conference was awesome."
— Photos by Monique Saenz and Kawika Wise