It’s about time students to start planning for the 2008 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition.

The Governor’s Cup is an annually held business planning competition, in which teams of up to five people from eight colleges and universities get to compete for cash prizes of up to $200,000. It is presented and sponsored by the Nevada Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.

The Reynolds Foundation helps by providing about half of the prizes given away. Some of the competing teams come from the University of Nevada, Reno and the Sierra Nevada College.

Teams must submit their intent to compete by Feb. 15. Then, business plans must be submitted for judgment by March 17.

“This is a great opportunity for students to learn business planning skills,” said NCET CEO Dave Archer.

Last year, the competition brought in 45 teams. This year, Archer said they are expecting anywhere from 50 to 60. Teams can be made up of either undergraduate or graduate students in any majors. Having members in each group come from different majors and with different areas of expertise may be beneficial when it comes down to making the plan.

From salons to manufacturing companies, there have been varied business ideas in past years. Participants are given complete creative freedom.

Along with a prize for developing the best business plan, there is a separate award, the Lt. Governor Award, for the team who makes the best energy related plan.

Once the finalists are chosen, they will go to Reno to present their plans to the judges on April 21. The awards dinner will be held in Las Vegas at the Green Valley Ranch on April 25.

In 2007, the undergraduate winners of the Governor’s Cup came from Sierra Nevada College and the graduate winners were from UNR. Second and third place winners in both the graduate and undergraduate groups also came from UNR.

For the first time since the competition has been held, they will be doing a tri-state tournament. The first and second place winners from Nevada, Arkansas and Oklahoma will compete against each another for a separate $90,000 prize. The tri-state tournament will be held on May 14 in Las Vegas at the Red Rock Casino.

Technorati tags: Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition, NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, UNR, UNLV, Dave Archer, Sierra Nevada College, Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, Green Valley Ranch, Red Rock Resort

On Nov 5, the University of Nevada, Reno’s Society of Women Engineers hosted their annual dinner and job fair called Evening With Industry or “EWI.” EWI was started as a dinner by Misty Capriotti to help bridge the gap from student to professionals. In 1999, the section added a job fair to the event to provide an even better service to the students and engineering community. The student section has been so successful that two years ago they merged their job fair with the Academic and Career Services’ job fair.

SWE President Rashi Tiwari opening the evening’s festivities.  (Rashi Tiwari was a member of Nanovation, one of the winning teams of last year’s Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition.)

NCET’s Emily Lowe encourages students to participate in 2008 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition.

UNR College of Engineering Dean Ted Batchman.

The evening included a networking mixer activities where teams attempted to create something truly unique from a bowl of Legos. 

The winning creation!

Keynote speaker, Jay M. Meilstrup, Chief Executive Officer, President and Executive Director, GameTech International Inc.

Technorati tags: NCET, Emily Lowe, Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition, University of Nevada Reno, Society of Women Engineers, Evening With Industry, EWI, Misty Capriotti, Academic and Career Services, SWE, Rashi Tiwari, UNR College of Engineering, Ted Batchman, Jay M. Meilstrup, GameTech International Inc., Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, Reno, Nevada Rural Development Council

NCET is pleased to announce the promotion of Emily Lowe to the position of Senior Marketing and Events Manager. During her two-year tenure with the organization, Lowe has played a pivotal role in advancing NCET’s presence throughout Nevada. She works directly with CEO Dave Archer and the organization’s Executive Board and Board of Directors, managing programs, events and day-to-day operations.

“Emily successfully oversees the work of the majority of NCET’s contractors and directs much of NCET’s creative focus, most notably as it pertains to our signature events, including the Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition,” says Mr. Archer. “Emily has also played a key role in spear-heading efforts to develop NCET’s “Wi-Fi Wednesdays” young professionals networking event, which has enjoyed tremendous success.” He added, “Emily is great at connecting with and recognizing the needs of the highly-influential 21-39 demographic – an ongoing endeavor that’s of vital importance to Nevada’s economic future.”

Over the past two years NCET has developed numerous programs and events designed to promote the advancement of technology and support entrepreneurial growth in Nevada. Ms. Lowe is directly involved with these efforts. She was part of the creative development team behind the state’s 2007 inaugural “Entrepreneur Week,” which was attended by more than 500 participants. She also manages NCET’s “Tech Tuesdays,” another popular networking event, and is heavily involved in facilitating the continued growth of the Governor’s Cup. In 2007, the business writing competition saw participation from nearly every college and university in Nevada. In 2008, Lowe’s involvement in the program will take on even more significance as the event expands to include a tri-state competition.

“Emily’s attitude and enthusiasm make her a joy to work with,” adds Mr. Archer. “She’s a tremendous asset to NCET.”

Prior to joining NCET, Lowe was Marketing Coordinator for Sierra Nevada College (SNC), where she was responsible for fundraising and event planning. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurship from SNC. In addition to her professional and academic accomplishments, Lowe is a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada Young Professional’s Committee, and is a member of Reno Tahoe YPN.

Technorati tags: Emily Lowe, NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition, Wi-Fi Wednesdays, Nevada, Dave Archer, Entreprenuer Week, eWeek