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Tahoe College student takes fourth place at an international venture contest using powerful presentation techniques taught by Corporate Visions Inc.. It was an historical moment for a college that has never before been invited to the event, and a testiment to the value of powerful presentation techniques. Colorado State University: The third annual Venture Adventures competition pits concept against practicality, as undergraduate students present their business plans to judges who are entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and banking executives. This was the first time a private college was invited to compete against major universities in the United States and Canada, due to a compelling submission by senior entrepreneurship major, Wade Tollefson of Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe. Working with his professor Dr. Peter H. Hackbert, Harold Walter Siebens Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship, Tollefson produced a 40-page limited partnership business plan for Vertical Ventures: (an indoor rock climbing facility). Two days after submission, his plan was accepted and Tollefson invited to present. Realizing Tollefson would be competing alone among the best university teams, Hackbert needed to prepare this inexperienced presenter for a compelling competitive presentation. Hackbert recalls, “We teach marshalling resources as an entrepreneurial competence, and so I called upon John Tyson, President of Corporate Visions, a local Sales and Marketing Effectiveness Company. John invited Wade to participate in their Power Present workshop that would enable him to confidently sell his plan. Tollefson was a different person after the training – fired up and ready to single-handedly compete against the champion teams.” After some plan modifications following the first round of competition, Tollefson advanced to the finals, where the Sierra Nevada College senior took an unprecedented fourth place. “For Sierra Nevada College, Wade’s accomplishment is a wonderful testament to the emerging entrepreneurial culture the college is attempting to recapture for the Lake Tahoe region”, continues Hackbert, ”This new culture values creativity, inventiveness and innovation, both in the abstract and the practical. The practical side is the notable reputation in the experiential approach the entrepreneurial program is developing regionally.” The four finalists included: Colorado State University’s EnviroFit, a product to reduce scooter pollution; University of Manitoba’s Endvantage: a device to help doctors/paramedics perform endotrachial intubations, and The University of Oregon: Bass Media, a magazine to help young adults understand how money affects their lives. Undergraduate presenting teams represented: University of Arizona; University of Wisconsin in Madison; University of Michigan; Miami University in Ohio; University of Georgia; Maharashtra Institute of Technology of the University of Pune, India; Emory University; and Purdue University. Hunt Lambert, Director of Colorado State’s Entrepreneurship Center states, “The Venture Adventure competition lies on the nexus of the Center's mission. Students get their closest look at the real world with cash prizes and a real opportunity to launch their own businesses." According to Lambert, “Interest in entrepreneurship courses has doubled this year. I am incredibly proud to have attracted an ‘NCAA Division 1’ set of teams to the competition. I find myself wishing I had the talent, ideas, composure and professionalism of these students when I was their age. These leaders and their ideas will help us build the next wave of great business success stories that will create thousands of jobs before they are done.” Contact: Peter H. Hackbert Harold Walter Siebens Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship Sierra Nevada College (775) 831-1314 Ext. 4035
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