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February 3 , 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Students Show an Eye for Business
Winners of the first Business Plan Competition at CSU Dominguez Hills announced

(Carson, CA) – The California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) College of Business Administration and Public Policy has named the winners of its first Student Business Plan Competition.

Taking first place honors—and $5,000— is Lakesha Harris, who is working on her graduate degree in special education. Her winning plan was for the creation of My House, a nonprofit agency that provides transitional housing and life skills for former foster and probation youth. In addition to the monetary win, Harris will receive free advice and assistance in getting her business started from the competition’s judges.

The $3,500 second place award was given to Ronald Glymph, graduate student, special education, who developed his plan for a card game he invented, Math Maze, intended to improve proficiency in K-12 math.

Senior Daphne Brooks, an international business major, received $2,500 and third place for her business plan for Leadlink, a leadership enhancement company that provides an avenue for industry leaders to network and exchange ideas.

Business majors Jeremy Head and Amelia Hammonds were runners up and each received $1,500. Head’s business plan was for Head Straight Consulting, a marketing and public relations company for medical professionals. Hammonds created a business plan for a corporate catering company, Signature A.

“We were very pleased with the turnout and support for our first business plan competition,” said Dr. James Strong, dean of the College of Business Administration and Public Policy (CBAPP). “Twenty six teams competed, and thanks to Citibank and State Farm Insurance, we were able to offer a monetary prize to five winners. It added to a sense of excitement and realism for the students. My hope is that we will build this contest into major entrepreneurship event in Southern California.”

Conceived by CBAPP’s Advisory Board and the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Small Business Development and Global Logistics, the Business Plan Competition aims to encourage the development of young entrepreneurs through a real-world exercise in how to start a business. It was open to all CSUDH students and required participants to write an abstract and business plan for their business concept and then give oral presentations before a panel of local business owners.

“The students learned a great deal from this high stakes experience, and the contest served as a testimony to how practitioners can add value to CBAPP programs and the very beneficial relationship between the advisory board and the college,” Strong said.

The panel of judges included Wade Downey, CPA (Class of 1992, B.A., accounting), a founding partner of the Downey, Smith and Fier state and local tax consulting firm; Lee R. Petillon, an attorney and principal at Petillon, Hiraide and Loomis specializing in corporate law and author of several books on start-ups; Michael Oard, State Farm recruiting manager, and Rodney A Pierce, partner of Compass Acquisition Partners, LLC, a business consulting and investment banking firm.

Business consultant Ernest T. Klinger, a lecturer in the college and chair of the CBAPP Advisory Board, administered the contest.

For more information on the College of Business Administration and Public Policy, call (310) 243-3548 or visit http://cbapp.csudh.edu/.

Photos of the award recipients and judges are available on the CSUDH Flickr page.

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About CSU Dominguez Hills -- California State University, Dominguez Hills is a highly diverse, urban university located in the South Bay, primarily serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university prides itself on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered environment. Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing, psychology, business administration, and digital media arts, new degree programs include computer science, criminal justice, recreation and leisure studies, social work, and communication disorders. On campus is the Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex that hosts world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse, and cycling.

Media Contact:
Amy Bentley-Smith
(310) 243-2455
abentleysmith@csudh.edu

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