Glenville State College is becoming a regular at the finals of the West Virginia Colligate Business Plan Competition (WVCBPC) sponsored by the West Virginia University Entrepreneurship Center. For the third consecutive year, GSC will be represented in the finals of the competition, which is in its fourth year. The WVBPC allows students working as individuals or teams the opportunity to submit a business idea to be evaluated by a panel of professors, venture capitalists, experienced entrepreneurs, high-tech industry leaders, CPAs, and business lawyers. GSC freshman Devon Maher’s business plan was selected as one of ten finalists for the competition. The 2010 WVCBPC started with over ninety entries representing seven West Virginia higher education institutions. After the preliminary round of the competition, the top twenty plans were invited to the semi-final round which was held November 18th in Bridgeport, West Virginia. GSC’s Trent Walker was also a semi-finalist but did not advance to the finals.

Maher, a GSC freshman from Winchester, Virginia, is a Business major with a minor in Information Media Studies. He was selected as a finalist in the Life Styles Category for his business plan ‘Devon’s Dirt Cheap Compost’ that uses worms to produce high quality but inexpensive compost. “My venture would be new to West Virginia and I think that will be an advantage over some of the other finalists. I know that it works because I have used this method when I was in high school,” said Maher. His idea has already drawn the interest of some investment bankers.

In 2008, GSC students Joshua Meadows, Daniel Bush, and Lance Hitt were finalists and GSC’s Barbara Blankenship made the finals last year. However, none of them were selected as winners of the contest. “Maybe the third time will be the charm. I feel that I have an excellent chance to become GSC’s first winner of the WVCBPC,” said Maher.

Maher and the other finalists must submit a formal business plan and feasibility study by the end of March. They will be attending a weekend workshop with financial, legal, marketing, and communication professionals. Each finalist will receive a stipend of $1,000 to assist with development expenses and will also be assigned a business coach as a mentor. All finalists are also eligible for a free three-credit hour entrepreneurship course from WVU. The finals of the 2010 competition will take place in April on the campus of West Virginia University when each team will present a final plan to a panel of judges. Two teams will then be selected, one in the Life Styles category and one in the Innovation category, and awarded $10,000 each to help start their business venture.