MISSOULA – The University of Montana School of Business Administration and the Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs (MADE) recently announced the winners of the 23rd Annual John Ruffatto Business Plan Competition, held May 10 in UM’s Gallagher Business Building.

 

The top award went to UM business school MBA candidate and Montana native Charles Bateman for his business plan for Never Miss. His company provides an online tool to manage special-permit hunting applications for big-game hunters in North America. The subscription service guarantees hunters “never miss” an application deadline and provides options for financing to enable clients to increase the number of applications they submit, increasing their odds of drawing a tag.

 

During the 14-hour competition, an event designed to encourage Montana students to develop their business ideas and learn about entrepreneurship from business experts, 15 student teams competed in the semifinal round and four teams moved onto the final round to present their business plans to a panel of 26 judges and an audience of close to 250.

 

Student entrepreneurs competed in two divisions: high-growth businesses with the potential to attract public or private equity investments, and lifestyle businesses intended to provide entrepreneurs with autonomy, viable incomes and the opportunity to pursue what they love.

 

Support from several sponsors and private donors funded the $28,000 prize purse and the students’ competition expenses. 

 

The award, division, prize amount, school, student names, hometowns, business plan names and descriptions are listed below.

 

The following special awards were given to teams or individuals based on specific criteria:

 

Presented for the first time in 2009, the Environmental and Social Responsibility Award recognizes the team with a potential venture that judges identify as one that most embodies the concept of the “triple bottom line”: the importance of economic profit, as well as social and environmental benefits.

 

The People’s Choice Award is given to the team that receives the highest score from the audience during the final round of the competition. Audience members select the winning team based on presentations and executive summaries provided by each team.

 

In April, faculty from higher education institutions across Montana nominated 29 student teams to be considered for the competition. The judges and coaches who serve before and during the event are venture capitalists, angel investors, bankers, successful entrepreneurs and corporate executives who donate their time and expertise to the competition. 

 

MADE was founded by successful entrepreneurs with the goal to bring their experience to students and the classroom. In addition to the John Ruffatto Business Plan Competition held each spring at UM, MADE conducts an educational seminar series and honors influential entrepreneurs who demonstrate a commitment to Montana with the Pioneer in Industry Award.

 

UM’s School of Business Administration is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, the most rigorous accrediting body for business-degree programs.

 

The school offers undergraduate programs in accounting, finance, international business, management, management information systems and marketing; graduate programs in management and accounting; and certificate programs in entrepreneurship and entertainment management. Experiential learning opportunities prepare students to address real-world business problems and deliver value to their employers in today’s global economy.

 

-UM News Service

 

Peggy Grimes, the former CEO of the Montana Food Bank Network, has been named President of Endless Sky L3C. A recognized advocate on behalf of the hungry in Montana, Ms. Grimes will run a unique L3C for profit business venture with a mission to feed the hungry, help local farmers and create jobs in Montana. Endless Sky is one of the first companies to utilize the L3C structure in the state.

 

Ms. Grimes will direct the Montana-based company as it develops a food product line and a focus on hunger programs. She will oversee the building of a state-of-the-art processing facility that will produce both retail and institutional specialty food products. The revenue generated by this operation will enable the company to process and distribute free food to those organizations providing a food safety net statewide.

 

As Endless Sky is an L3C business, the concept is exciting because Ms. Grimes will be able to run a self-sustainable business that will give her the freedom to implement programs without having to depend on yearly operating donations. “Endless Sky will focus on providing healthy, nutritious food that is affordable for everyone,” Ms. Grimes says. “My extensive experience with the Montana Food Bank Network has made me realize there is a need to go beyond providing emergency food.”

 

“At Endless Sky, we are taking the next step which means providing healthy, nutritional and varied food for all people,” Ms. Grimes continued. “By doing this, we will be using more local crops, thus creating new jobs at farms and small towns across the state. As a result, we hope to help more and more people get jobs so they can leave the welfare rolls---and stay healthy. Grimes went to on say that this is in keeping with our mission of economic development and providing nutritious, tasty local food for all Montanans regardless of incomes. She said, “We are joining a huge movement in this country of utilizing locally grown food. Endless Sky has an opportunity to be on the ground floor to create something that can make a real difference. Endless Sky is going beyond the traditional food bank concept to create a paradigm shift in the way the hungry are fed, food is processed and delivered and the way the pricing is done.”

 

Ms. Grimes said Endless Sky’s offer to let her build the business from ground up was too good to turn down. She left the Montana Food Bank in April, a position she held for nearly 20 years. During her tenure she created and grew a food distribution network to distribute emergency food to nearly 200 statewide nonprofit food programs. She started the Backpack and Mobile Food Pantry Programs and directed the establishment and operation of a Canning Facility at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge to repack and preserve donated fresh food for food pantries.

 

Ms. Grimes’ immediate focus in her new position will be to raise funds to build the facility.

 

As an L3C, Endless Sky is a for-profit business, not a charity. Under its state charter, the venture must have a primary goal of performing a socially beneficial purpose not maximizing income.

 

-Endless Sky Press Release

 

Bozeman, MT – Kitchen T.LC.'s Cherry Almond Tea was selected as the First Place Winner at the North American Tea Championship. Kitchen T.L.C. owner Theresa Thielemann will be among the honorees who will be featured at the Winners Tasting Circle at the World Tea Expo June 1 to 3 in Las Vegas.

 

The NATC is the only independent and professionally-judged tea competition in North America. To choose the recipient of this award, the judging panel of professional cuppers assessed each submission through blind organoleptic analysis of the following characteristics: dry leaf; brewed color; brewed aroma; brewed flavor; brewed mouth-feel; brewed harmony. The ratings of each characteristic were then used to calculate an overall numerical value on a 100-point scale, and winners determined by rank. The NATC selection committee selected Cherry Almond Delight as the First Place Winner (Hot Tea Class, Flavored Fruit Blends).

 

Kitchen T.L.C. also won Best New Product in the Baked Goods category. The tea-infused Scone and Shortbread Mixes are available in six sweet and savory flavors, including Chocolate Chip Chai and Cranberry Earl Gray.

CUT BANK, MT - Mountainview Energy Ltd. ("Mountainview" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its previously announced proposed:

The holders of common shares of Mountainview ("Mountainview Shareholders") have approved the acquisition of the Assets and the Continuance and such transactions have closed. Mountainview Shareholders overwhelmingly supported the acquisition of the Assets and the Continuance, with 100% of Mountainview Shareholders that voted in person or by proxy at the special meeting of Mountainview Shareholders voting in favour of the transaction.

Following the completion of the acquisition of the Assets, Mountainview's oil and gas production is now 192 boe/d and Mountainview's undeveloped land position is an aggregate of 92,000 gross (23,550 net) acres in the Williston Basin and an aggregate of 78,382 gross (70,000 net) acres in the South Alberta Bakken play.

 

-Mountainview Energy Press Release

(Helena) --- Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger and The Interagency Committee for Change by Women (ICCW) are presenting the Excellence in Leadership Awards Wednesday May 16, 2011 at 2:30 in the Old Supreme Court Chambers of the Capitol.  

 

Who: Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger and the Interagency Committee for Change By Women

What: The Excellence in Leadership Awards

When: Wednesday May 16, 2011, 2:30 pm

Where: Old Supreme Court Chambers, room 303 in the Capitol

 

The Interagency Committee for Change by Women (ICCW) is an organization established by Executive Order of the Governor.  ICCW honors persons who have created positive change for all state employees by promoting the full participation of women in state government.  

 

ICCW established the Excellence in Leadership awards (ELA) in 1999 to honor three individuals for exemplary leadership and achievements or for outstanding efforts to assist women to excel in the workplace.

 

NOMINEES IN STATE GOVERNMENT:

 

NOMINEES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR:

 

NOMINEES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR:

(Chris Syme) Social media is not only the vehicle that carries your messages in a crisis, it can also be the tool that helps build a loyal fan base that can help shield your organization or business in a crisis.

 

Developing loyal fans builds social capital, and social capital can come to your aid in a crisis (see Jeremiah Owyang’s research on social readiness, slides 9-10).

 

There are several benefits of developing engagement strategies that complement crisis strategies:

 

Engagement isn’t a strategy just for sales and customer service. Specific engagement strategies designed to build loyalty can help you build a community of advocates that will come to your aid in a crisis. Are you incorporating loyalty strategies into your social media plan?

 

An excerpt from the upcoming e-book, Listen, Engage, Respond.

 

Montana State University's College of Agriculture is seeking nominations for outstanding agricultural leaders to honor during its 2012 Celebrate Agriculture!! event Oct. 26-27.

 

The college has recognized outstanding agricultural leaders each fall during Agriculture Appreciation Weekend. The name was changed this year to better encapsulate the events planned, said Jeff Jacobsen, dean of the College of Agriculture and director of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station.

 

"The weekend is all about sharing ideas and generating relationships," Jacobsen said.

 

The College of Agriculture annually presents its Outstanding Agricultural Leaders awards to those who have exhibited outstanding leadership in Montana public service, as an agricultural producer, industry advocate, agri-business leader, or as a friend of agriculture.

 

The deadline for nominations is Sept. 15. Nominees not selected will be reconsidered the following year. Applications should be updated with current information.

Successful award applicants will be:

 

Current employees of MSU, the state or federal government will not be considered except under the friend of agriculture category. Past MSU, state or federal employees need to have been retired for a minimum of two years and shown service above and beyond their job requirements to be considered.

 

Links: Download nomination forms. For more information contact Lisa Duffey at lduffey@montana.edu

 

-MSU News Service