Video Service Wins Web Marketing Competition

Saul Howard, winner of the Crexendo Website Competition, with judges from the Rollins Center and CrexendoPROVO, Utah – May 2, 2011 – A class project turned into a winning business for Marriott School of Management student Saul Howard, as he transformed an assignment into $10,000 and first place in the Crexendo Website Competition.   

As part of a special topics course, Howard, a masters of information systems candidate from Denver, was required to design a website for the Roku player, a digital streaming device for movies and television shows. Howard went above and beyond to develop a variety of online platforms to connect Roku players with network computers and Android phones so users can view their movies on a variety of media on a home network. His website rokuConnect.com and corresponding services became the competition's grand winner.

"I've learned a lot about what it means to be an entrepreneur," Howard says. "I developed this product to distribute it to customers, and now I'm learning about everything from web marketing to product development."

The second annual Crexendo Website Competition allowed BYU students from all majors to learn online marketing and search engine optimization skills from experts while competing for great prizes. Submissions more than tripled this year, with 37 teams submitting websites built using Crexendo's eCommerce Content Management System.

"Much of today's business is done on the web, and it is important to understand the dynamics of setting up an online business," says Jeff Brown, assistant director of the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. "This competition lets students take a front seat approach to online marketing."

Second place and $5,000 was awarded to the team Golf Compete for their website golfcompete.com and third place and $1,500 went to team Bamboo Forever for cascadebedding.com. In addition, six teams received honorable mentions and $250 each.

The nine finalist teams along with their placing were announced in front of a live audience.  The teams were judged by Marriott School professors and members of the Crexendo SEO and web development team on the mechanics, overall idea, marketing and appearance of their websites.

"The judges were very impressed with not only the number of students who participated but also how well they used the web development software," Brown says. "This was definitely a great experience for all involved."

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.