MBA Student Wins Top Prizes
SOM MBA Student Jennifer Loofbourrow shares her experience at the 2018 Alaska Business Plan Competition.
As a student enrolled in the MBA program, I was taking the New Venture Development course taught by Dr. Ping Lan. Throughout the semester, Dr. Lan encouraged participation in the put on by the UAA Center for Economic Development Business Enterprise Institute. I wrote my business plan drawing on the constructive and positive feedback I received from my fellow students in the MBA program at 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø. I applied the course material, engaged in activities to refine my concept, identified the target market, and interviewed potential customers to validate the concept.
Alpine Fit makes apparel for avid outdoor fitness lovers and wilderness adventurers, offering size options with fits for various body types for both women and men. The high tech wicking fabric contains silver, a natural combatant of odor-causing bacteria. The annual business plan contest brought out 33 entrants this year from around the state. I was one of six finalists. After pitching the plan to the audience and fielding the judges’ questions, I was fortunate to win the $2,000 grand prize and another $2,000 for the student award.
Overall, the experience gave me an opportunity to put into action the course work I have learned and further validate my plan before developing it further. It also provided excellent feedback and preparation for future steps in the growth of any company – pitching a plan and being prepared to answer questions. If you are writing a business plan for a real startup or a class, I highly recommend students and non-students alike participate in this event, or ones like it - including 51·çÁ÷¹ÙÍø’s own .