Three Finalists Honored in Student Entrepreneur of the Year Competition

PROVO, Utah – Mar 06, 2013 – A restaurateur, a film producer and an inventor squared-off in the final round of the 22^nd annual Student Entrepreneur of the Year Competition sponsored by the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. Chosen from 50 applicants, these three entrepreneurs represent the best of this year’s Brigham Young University student ventures.

“The SEOY competition recognizes students for their entrepreneurial efforts,” says John Richards, associate director of the Rollins Center and faculty adviser for the event. “This year’s finalists were some of the strongest we’ve ever had.”

The red-carpet event, run by the Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization club, provides an opportunity for student business owners with profitable companies to win nearly $20,000 in prize money. Each finalist was judged by a panel of successful entrepreneurs on their entrepreneurial track record, current venture performance and business growth potential.

Jason Faller, a third-year MBA student from Ottawa, Canada, took the top prize for his film production company, Arrowstorm Entertainment. He attributes his company’s innovations to his graduate education.

“In the MBA program I recognized a lot of business principles that could be applied to the film industry,” Faller says. “Streamlining our processes and leveraging our capital has allowed us to build brand equity and value.”

Second-place winner Scott Walker, a business management senior from Corvallis, Ore., walked away with $5,000 as well as the Audience Choice Award for his company, Underwater Audio, which waterproofs iPods and headphones.

Lance Wakefield, a junior studying French from Laie, Hawaii, earned $2,500 and third place for his ventures — a used car dealership The Car Depot and restaurant The Awful Waffle.

The three finalists will go on to compete in the Utah Student 25, a statewide program that recognizes successful student entrepreneurs later this month.

“There is a lot of validation that comes from winning something like this,” Faller says. “Sometimes I feel like movie making is the black sheep of businesses, but this competition gives me confidence in my business model.”

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.