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Two MSU-College of Business teams placed in the UM Business Plan Competition
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MSU teams developed a business plan to launch new products
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Two Montana State University College of Business teams placed in
the 2006 John Ruffatto Business Plan Competition at the
University of Montana in Missoula.
Kalen Caughey, of Hamilton, who just completed his freshman year
at MSU majoring in business-marketing, placed third in a
competition dominated by business upperclassmen and graduate
students. Caughey's presentation was on Guaran Energia LLC, the
company he founded that manufacturers all-natural energy
lozenges, similar in form to that of a cough drop or mint.
"Each tin has seven lozenges, and each lozenge is similar to an 8
oz. energy drink or cup of coffee," Caughey said. "The difference
in buzz with ENERGIA is that there is no caffeine crash; the
longer-lasting energy lift is due to Brazilian guaran seed powder
(used in each lozenge) which contains a unique combination of
stimulants, including those found in coffee, chocolate and tea."
The team of students that included Trent Lister a
business-management major of Kalispell, Sam Wike a
business-management major of Great Falls, Corey Gramer a
busiess-accounting major of Gallatin Gateway, Will Bauerle a
business-management major of Missoula and Jessica Vionas a
sociology major, Nicole Marquardt an English major and Robin
Dreiseszun a business-finance major all of Bozeman, placed
fourth. The team's presentation was the manufacture of a bottled
water named Alsatia, inspired by the small country between
Germany and France, Alsace Loraine. The water is packed in a
collapsible pouch, called a "glacier pack," which takes up 95
percent less landfill space than that of traditional bottled
water. It comes with a carabiner attached so that it can be
hooked onto a backpack, belt or harness.
"I had a great time coaching the teams and seeing real progress
as they integrated the feedback into their presentations," said
Joe Long, an adjunct professor in the College of Business and the
students' business coach "I can't say how impressed I was with
the caliber of these students." The John Ruffatto Business Plan
Competition was founded in 1990. Each May, the event attracts
approximately 20 teams from college programs around the state.
Recent success stories include Big Sky Brewing Company, now one
of the top 20 microbreweries in the country, and Kinetic Sports
Interactive, an interactive media company that provides
personalized training program supplemental software for companies
such as Eastbay, Prospot, among others.
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