As founders, faculty, guests, and students filed into the rich ambience of the Skyroom Restaurant, the buzz of conversation between friends and colleagues filled the air. Though a bit hesitant at first, founders, faculty, and students were encouraged to mingle and dine together. The delightful garlic chicken over couscous proved to be quite a crowd-pleaser, aptly punctuated with Y-sparkle and raspberry cheesecake.

The crowd was then pleased to hear from the winners of the Thunderbird Innovation challenge. These BYU MBA students, whose team consisted of a “Believer,” the “Recruiter,” the “Unbeliever,” a “Wig Guy,” and an “Uptight Englishman,” triumphed in a national competition among the best schools in the United States. Opting to present a more risky innovation for the UPS Store, the team knew they would either sink or sail past the competition. Upon speaking with the judges on a later occasion, the team learned that there was a great disparity in opinions on their presentation; some slated BYU as dead last, while others pushed for a win. In the end, the risky, innovative way in which the team presented their novel idea proved to be a smart move. BYU claimed first place, leaving Harvard at third once again.

Now a regular at Founders Conference, Dave Bateman related the story of how he and his team of undergraduates came to seize first place at Fortune Small Business Magazine’s MBA Showdown. Entering the competition almost last minute, last year’s BYU Business Plan Competition winner was skeptical of how his Property Solutions business plan would measure up to those of MBA students from across the nation. In the end, his skepticism proved unfounded as he called Gary Williams in all stages of the competition with a “Guess what? We made it.” After realizing they won after seeing themselves on the cover of Fortune Magazine, the team flew out to New York City to claim their prize. Bateman is now working on receiving a patent on his property management software, and manages several employees.

With the audience now entertained, uplifted, and satiated, Larry Linton announced the conclusion of his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Directors. John Simcox will be the new Chairman of the Board. We look forward to working with him and thank the Lintons for all their support and hard work.