Two SCSU Teams Earn 1st-Place Awards

Tue., Apr 24

Two Southern teams earned first-place awards at Friday's Connecticut Collegiate Business Plan Competition - an event that included 23 teams from 13 schools.  

Petal Post - which included students Kaitlyn Moran, Kaitlin Franco and Eric Gabianelli (team leader) - earned Best Personal Business. The plan developed by Petal Post entails the manufacturing and distribution of a fence post topper that doubles as a flower pot. The team, which earned a $5,000 grant for its plan, also recently won a $1,000 MetroHartford Alliance Prize in the first-ever Connecticut State University (CSU) Business Plan Competition.
 
Haven Docu-Services, which includes students Cari Tate (team leader), Mark Fields and Stanley Lamour, earned two awards - Best Written Plan for a Venture Enterprise and Best Social Enterprise. The plan developed by Haven Docu-Services involves a document storage and shredding business that would establish a partnership with Chapel Haven to provide employment for adults with autism. Each of the two awards carries with it a $500 grant. Haven also recently won the $500 Walker Group/reset Social Enterprise Award at the CSU Business Plan Competition.
 
Michael Okrent - an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business - served as faculty adviser for both teams.
 
In addition to those who won awards, several Southern students were finalists in the Connecticut Collegiate Business Plan Competition. They include: Andrew Chu, Ashley Holmes, Kimberly Witiak, Christine Cantor, Jessica Caponigro, Joseph McKnight and Marilyn Poznanski.
 
Pictured in the (top) Petal Post photo (from left) are: Michael Okrent, Kaitlyn Moran, Eric Gabianelli and Kaitlin Franco.

Pictured in the (lower) Haven Docu-Services photo (from left) are: Michael Okrent, Cari Tate and Mark Fields.