CWU hosts prep students in annual start-a-business competition Jan. 20

ELLENSBURG — More than 250 central Washington high school students will get a small taste of what it is like to be an entrepreneur at this year’s “Many Faces of Entrepreneurship” tournament on Friday, Jan. 20, at Yakima’s Perry Technical Institute.

The Many Faces of Entrepreneurship is part of a commitment to a greater effort in business education at CWU. Beginning this month, the university started offering a new entrepreneurship minor through its College of Business (CB).

Central Washington University’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I4IE) will coordinate the annual, day-long event that encourages young people to learn the basics of starting and operating a business.

“The students will be mentored by regional executives, other entrepreneurs,” said Bill Provaznik, I4IE director.

Provaznik noted that the “2017 Super Judge Volunteers” will include: Jenny Cravens, the chief financial officer (CFO) of Cashmere Valley Bank; Carrie Gabbard, chief performance officer, Solarity Credit Union; Roger Girard, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of Neuro-ID; and Sandy Wheeler, co-founder of Bowflex and CEO of Trissity.

In addition, about 70 CWU students will be involved. Participants went through pre-tournament training on Jan. 9 at the Kittitas Valley Event Center to prepare for the Perry Tech event.

Supported by the Herbert B. Jones Foundation, the “Many Faces of Entrepreneurship” tournament this year will challenge participants to design, build, and sell shoes to customers. The students will actually construct footwear from a variety of available, provided components.

Each team will have jobs covering such areas as administration, design, marketing, purchasing, research, and “cross-functional coordinators,” Provaznik said.

“I4IE has already conducted the competition four times this year,” he added. “Hundreds of regional high school students have already benefitted from the experience of working together to develop, build, and market a useful product to live customers in a competitive environment.”

At the tournament’s conclusion, the students will present their ideas to the professional mentors and CWU students, who will provide constructive criticism and feedback. Awards will be made to members of the winning team.

Eventually, some of these students may enroll at CWU to continue their studies on how to successfully launch and manage a business.

“It’s one of the few [programs] in the region where students start their own business in the process of completing the minor,” Provaznik said.

“The new entrepreneurship minor and the entrepreneurship events are part of I4IE’s focus on regional economic development through developing regional entrepreneurs. The bottom line for us is to inspire young people to start something valuable.”