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Carthage student wins third place in business plan competition

May 30, 2010

Carthage graduate Trevor Whately, '10, took third place in the first annual Mason Wells BizStarts Collegiate Business Plan Competition, sponsored by BizStarts Milwaukee. Winners were announced May 26 at the BizStarts Milwaukee networking event, held at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Mr. Whately graduated from Carthage May 23 with a major in mathematics and a minor in entrepreneurial studies. He earned a $3,000 prize and $3,000 in legal services for his business plan, for a product that combines various styles of batting tees into a single, easy-to-use tee. The product, 5tooltee, is designed for use by baseball and softball players.

BizStarts Milwaukee is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and promoting a strong entrepreneurial business climate in the Milwaukee area.

Several hundred business plans were initially evaluated in the competition. The top two plans from each school were submitted for a semifinal round. Mr. Whately was one of five finalists chosen. The finalists then presented their plans to seven judges, who determined the final ranking and prize awards.

The other finalists were from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Mr. Whately also won Carthage's campus-wide business plan competition in May.

Mr. Whately earned a minor in entrepreneurial studies through Carthage's ScienceWorks: Entrepreneurial Studies in the Natural Sciences program, the nation's first and most established undergraduate technology entrepreneurship and career preparation program. ScienceWorks combines classroom studies with real-world business experience. The program includes a one-year course sequence, normally completed during a student’s junior year, and a year-long business plan project.