Eastern Kentucky University

• Student Greg Compton, was judged to have the best undergraduate student “elevator pitch,” a 60-second oral synopsis of his business plan for a proposed venture, Home Sweet Home. The company would help elderly individuals prolong their period of independent living through lifestyle interviews, a home inspection and a subsequent action plan.
  
  
• Faculty advisor, Bill Davig, who helped Compton develop his business plan, was selected by the Idea State U Competition Committee for the second-place faculty advisor award for his efforts. He received a cash award of $750.

Kentucky State University

• Graduate students C.E. Harris, Jonathan Mays and Darin Swartz presented a business plan for a proposed company, Chess King Exploration and Operating Company. The venture would develop the production of coal bed methane gas, a largely underdeveloped natural resource in the coalfields of Kentucky.
  
  
• Undergraduate students Brenda Phillips and Cassandra Smith presented a business concept for a proposed venture, Elderly Life Styles Extended. The company would assist the Baby Boomer generation and the current elderly population with transportation issues.
  
  
• Undergraduate students Andrea Cline and Robin Kinney presented a business plan for a proposed venture, Knight’s Unlimited Productions. The company would feature a touring entertainment show specializing in illusions.

Morehead State University

• Undergraduate students Brandon Oberschlake, Ginger Yeary, Katy Blankenship, Nathan Mills and Robert Towler presented a business concept for a proposed venture, Comfort Communication Solutions. The company would develop software that allows the deaf to communicate in real-time by using cell phones to translate sign language into speech.
  
  

University of Kentucky

• Graduate students Verda Davis, Marc Elmore and Tamara Vincent were awarded $21,710.53 for a business plan to develop Healthy Kids Fitness and Wellness, a child-friendly health center devoted to the intervention and prevention of childhood obesity.
  
  
• Graduate student Joshua Cuppett was awarded $6,132.68 for a business concept to develop The Odyssey, an interactive movie-video game.
  
  
• Undergraduate students Eric Paulini and Jarrett Primm were awarded $5,427.63 for a business plan to develop the UK Bar and Grill, a UK-themed restaurant.
  
  
• Students Robert Damron, Lauren Goodin, A.J. Hamzehpour, Adam Marley and Ryan Smith, presented a business concept for a proposed venture, Kentucky Music and Entertainment Productions. The company would provide increased entertainment events for thousands of underserved fans throughout Kentucky.

University of Louisville

• The competition’s top cash award -- $44,660.09 -- was presented to the Partum Group, a graduate student team consisting of Divya Cantor MD, Katie Dawson and James Mudd, for a business plan to market an innovative medical device. The Partum Group also was recognized for having the best graduate student “elevator pitch,” a 60-second oral synopsis of their business venture.
  
  
• Undergraduate students Amy Linnenbringer, Rob Kirkwood, Fernando Jaen, Kit Lindsay, Ashley Bean and Brad Niehaus were awarded $8,684.21 for a business plan to develop Green Amy’s, an establishment offering fast food made from organic ingredients.
  
  
• Graduate students Nancy Moore, Keisha Mabry, Abby Lovan, Robin Chin and Susan Friedrich were awarded $3,504.39 for a business concept to develop Springboard Wellness, a web-based product for stress intervention.
  
  
• Undergraduate students William Van Meter, Thomas Cheung, Jordan Martin, Amy Burba and Russ Meredith were awarded $2,628.29 for a business concept to develop Thorough Biz, a Web portal focused on enhancing the equine industry.
  
  
• Van Clouse, faculty advisor for the school’s graduate student teams, was selected by the Idea State U Competition Committee for the first-place faculty advisor award and received a cash prize of $1,000. Sharon Kerrick, faculty advisor for the undergraduate teams received $250 for the third-place faculty advisor award.

Western Kentucky University

• Ron Rizzo received a cash prize of $1,752.19 for his second-place finish in the competition’s Undergraduate Business Concept category. His proposed venture, Ability Robotics, is planning to create and market a remote-controlled robot to perform tasks for disabled people. Rizzo also received the first annual Governor’s Innovation Award for his concept. His entry was judged to best demonstrate innovative thinking, possess a “wow” factor, and have the potential to improve the quality of life for Kentuckians and others.
  
  
• Michael Beauchamp’s undergraduate business plan outlined details for a venture named Alpha Media, a mobile advertising company that increases funding for schools by adding parent-approved advertising to school buses.