Biofuel plan wins Rowan U business competition

The Rowan University Rohrer College of Business hosted the final round of its yearlong Business Plan Competition on Saturday, April 2, in the Eynon Ballroom of the Chamberlain Student Center on the Glassboro campus.

During the final round, the five teams presented their plans before an audience and panel of expert judges. The winners of the competition were announced and received cash prizes of $5,000, $2,500, $1,000 and $500.

The final results are:

First Place:

Haiti Biofuels, by Vladimir De Delva, chemical engineering major of Pétion-Ville, Haiti.  Haiti  Biofuels will produce  biodiesel in Haiti from non-edible vegetable oil obtained from Jatropha Curcas seeds. More than 600 jobs will be created in the rural area of Morne à Cabris, Haiti.  Biodiesel is an alternative fuel to petroleum-based diesel, which will be sold for 50 cents a gallon cheaper than petroleum-based diesel.

Second Place: 

Sammons Motorsports, by Davey Sammons, entrepreneurship major of Bordentown.  This is a service-oriented business in New Jersey that rebuilds racing shocks for Pro-Formance Shocks customers. The ability to rebuild Pro-Formance Racing Shocks quickly and with a personal experience for their customers in the tri-state area will be an advantage.

Third Place:

txt2Text, by George Toso, entrepreneurship major of Millville. txt2Text is a business starting up in the technology field providing users with a new way to replace their keyboard and mouse.

Honorable Mention: 

Promise Gardens, by Hollie Butler, accounting and entrepreneurship major of Williamstown.  Her proposal was for a family-oriented visitor attraction in the Pocono Mountains that offers aesthetically appealing fruit and vegetable gardens and interactive, educational activities for all ages. 

Macroscape Development, by Clifford Kaelin, electrical and computer engineering major of Malaga; Alycia Link, electrical and computer engineering major of West Deptford; Steven Beaudoin, electrical and computer engineering major of Frederick, Md.; and Christopher Moreno, electrical and computer engineering major of Carteret. The main function of this business would be to develop 3D representations of cities overlaid with numerous data sets as specified by the customer.

Judges for the final stage of the contest were: Linda Rohrer, president of Rohrer & Sayers Real Estate of Haddon Township; Joan Carter, president of UM Holdings LTD of Haddonfield; and Diane Welburn, vice chair of Welburn Management of Woodbridge, Va. 

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