For Students
» The Business Plan Contest will be a course (BUS457) in Spring 2009. The Kick-Off event will be held on October 6th from 5-6pm in VH103. Teams of four students (at least two should be business students) and a business mentor should be formed and a brief description of the business plan idea should be submitted to Danielle Semenchuk (VH 308) by noon (12pm) on Friday, October 31. All Business Plan Contest team members must attend the Orientation session on Wednesday, November 5 from 1-2pm.
Please contact Danielle Semenchuk, by phone at (845) 257-2932 or by email semenchd@newpaltz.edu for more information.
For Businesses
» Overview
» Submit an Idea *
» Sponsor the Contest *
Highlights of the Year's Contest
Four teams participated in the Business Plan Contest this year.
Hawk Express
Members: Johnny Cruz , Jeannie Henriques, Bradley Howard & Shady Twal
Advisor: Daniel Devine
Hawk Express will deliver food from all of the food venues and eateries that exist on the SUNY New Paltz campus to on-campus students and faculty. Hawk Express will give customers the opportunity to purchase food on the Hawk Express website with an assortment of menus from each of the many campus eateries. Payment methods include meal plan cards and debit/credit cards. The entire process will be managed by Sodexho, to ensure food safety and quality, fostering the vendor relationship between Hawk Express and Sodexho. Hawk Express' main purpose will be to provide members of the SUNY New Paltz community with an easier way of accessing food services without leaving their residence halls or faculty buildings, or spending a significant amount of money. Hawk Express' emphasis will be on fast delivery service with convenience and affordability.
Berner Associates
Members: Eriona Bunga, Sandra Lugo, Delila Rodriquez & April Tedesco
Advisor: Professor Don Furman
Berner Associates is an existing company focused on financial, retirement and estate planning, as well as managing client portfolios. The team developed a business plan idea that involves transitioning Berner Associates from a split fee structure of commission and fee based to just a fee based structure. The team investigated moving away from individual securities to diversified asset allocation portfolios. In addition, the business plan increases the financial planning part of Berner Associates.
Catskill Concierge Services
Members: Lauren Guido, Jacqueline Kornet, Joel Smythe & Sasha Torabi
Advisor: Professor Kris Backhaus
Catskill Concierge Services is a business which will provide information along with various services within a 50 mile radius surrounding Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort. The majority of the people in the region are second home owners that spend a limited amount of time in the area, and therefore are less familiar with it. Often they have trouble finding information about local events, finding contractors to work on their house, and end up driving 30 minutes on average to purchase basic commodities to name a few. The business plan intends on connecting the people in the area with one another, making life as convenient as possible for the residents.
Art Alliance Online
Members: Gary Carciente, Pedro Marques, Dan Stauffer & Kirschen Zoeger
Advisor: Professor Rief Kanan
This business plan will expand the already existing Student Art Alliance's art auction and create an online art store, Art Alliance Online. The Student Art Alliance holds a bi-annual silent and live auction of student work to raise money for scholarships. This business plan will help with the promotion of the auction through the online store. The online store will managed by the Student Art Alliance and will feature art work, such as ceramics, sculptures, paintings, graphic designs and wood work, created by students and alumni. Students and alumni will be charged a minimal fee to post their art work on the online store for sale. Customers, which would include students, faculty and staff, alumni, parents of students and the New Paltz community at large, will visit the website, view the art work, and make any purchases online.
Special Thanks to our Judges
Bruce DuBois, Campus Auxiliary Services, Inc.
Joyce Minard, New Paltz Chamber of Commerce
Marjorie Rovereto, Ulster Savings Bank
Arnaldo Sehwerert, NYS Small Bus. Dev. Center
Doug Thompson, Main Street Bistro
Thanks to Our Sponsors
We would like to extend a special thanks to the following companies for their contributions towards this program:
Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS), Inc.
M&T Charitable Foundation
Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union
NYS Small Business Development Center
Hadi Salavitabar
Sodexho Food Services
The School of Business
Ulster Savings Bank
For Businesses
The Business Plan Contest gives students an opportunity to test their knowledge in real business settings by researching and developing an idea and turning it into a practical and profitable business plan. The contest combines the excitement of competition with the joy of serious learning. Students who participate reap the rewards of stronger skills and increased confidence in their abilities, along with college credit and a chance at a scholarship. The winning teams in the past four years developed business plans to establish an on-campus storage facility, on-campus DVD store, a marketing research company, and an on-campus food delivery services. We are excited that the DVD store was implemented in the Fall 2007.
In addition, past business plan ideas included a campus wide laptop program; computer retail store and technical support center on campus; graduate student housing on campus; campus-community shuttle service; rental carpet service on campus; student exchange system; improvement of the current garbage disposal system and creation of an effective campus recycling program; a m-commerce opportunity; financial planning company; concierge service for the Catskill area; and, an online art store featuring student and alumni work.
The Business Plan Contest is a valuable learning experience for the students. All of the students who participated said that the contest contributed toward making them more educated and informed. They believed the contest was a great opportunity to be involved in a real business team project and gain experience that cannot be learned in the classroom. They appreciated the opportunity to work with other individuals to create a business plan that incorporated all fields of business. Students said they learned important skills they will need in their careers, such as teamwork, communication, motivation, leadership and networking skills.
The School of Business is seeking donations from local businesses to provide scholarships to the student participants and to cover the costs of the contest. In addition, we are soliciting business plan ideas from local businesses for next year’s contest. We are also looking for business mentors for the teams. Businesses will have an opportunity to present their idea to students at the Kick Off event in the Fall. Each team, consisting of four students, will select from the submitted business plans the one they would like to research and develop, or choose their own idea. Each team will work closely with its partner company to share information and create the plan. The final business plan will include a description and analysis of the company, products and services, industry and market, marketing strategy, management and operations, and financials. The teams will present the business plans before a panel of judges in April 2009.
To sponsor this contest, submit a business plan idea, volunteer to be a business mentor, or for additional information, please contact Danielle Semenchuk, by phone at (845) 257-2932 or by email semenchd@newpaltz.edu.» Submit an Idea *
» Sponsor the Contest *
