High School Students with Ideas for Businesses Invited to Enter UA Business Plan Competition

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Enterprising high school students in Alabama are invited to participate in the first Alabama High School Business Plan Competition, sponsored by DSI Security Services and The Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute at The University of Alabama, part of the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration.

“This competition is designed to give high school students the opportunity to gain experience in recognizing profitable opportunities and developing business plans to capitalize on these opportunities,” said Dr. Louis Marino, associate professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at UA. Marino said student teams can consist of anywhere from one to three members, each of whom should be a junior or senior enrolled in a public or private school or should have equivalent standing in a home schooling program.

According to Marino, members of the top two teams will each receive scholarships to The University of Alabama of up to $1,000 per member, depending on the number of members per team, which can be used in any area of study. Sponsors plan to hold the competition annually.

The competition will occur in two rounds. In the first round, all teams should submit a one-to-three page, single-spaced mini-plan by Feb. 1. The plan should consist of a discussion of the business idea, including a brief description of the business, where it is or would be located, what it would sell or what service it would provide, a discussion of who would purchase the product or service, a justification of why customers would want to purchase the business’ products and/or services, and why the students on the team are the right people to make this business successful.

Judges will choose up to 12 plans from the first round submissions to move into the second round. Students whose plans are chosen to move to the next round will be invited to a workshop at The University of Alabama that will be held Feb. 23. This workshop will give students the opportunity to work with business professionals and professors from The University of Alabama on further developing their business ideas.

These 12 teams will then be invited back to campus March 22 for the final round of competition, which will include each team presenting a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation and submitting a 10-page business plan. The winners will be announced at an afternoon luncheon on March 22, which will feature a special guest speaker.

Teams should submit the mini-plan by email to lmarino@cba.ua.edu.

For additional information, contact:

Dr. Lou Marino
Frank Mason C&BA Faculty Fellow in Family Business
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy
University of Alabama Department of Management and Marketing, Box 870225
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0225
205/348-8946 (Phone), 205/348-6695 (Fax)
Email: lmarino@cba.ua.edu

The Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration was established in 1919 and, in 1929, became the 38th school to earn admission into the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. The excellence of the UA business school has been acknowledged on a national level. The undergraduate program is ranked 29th among public universities by U.S. News, and the Culverhouse School of Accountancy is ranked 15th among public universities by U.S. News. The graduate accounting program is ranked 15th and the undergraduate program 14th by Public Accounting Report. The entrepreneurial program is ranked 18th nationally.