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�鶹ӰԺ State sophomore Jake Wolfe awarded $1,500 for first place

Advancement in headgear technology and protection was recognized when Jake Wolfe, a �鶹ӰԺ sophomore, won first place in the annual �鶹ӰԺ State Business Idea Competition for his business, WolfeCon Cushioning Solutions. 

Wolfe, a 20-year-old entrepreneurship major from Mayfield Village, Ohio, was one of nine �鶹ӰԺ State student teams to pitch their business concepts on Feb. 28 before a panel of five regional entrepreneurs. They were Jim Cossler, CEO of the Youngstown Business Incubator; Rick Schultz, CEO of Spectrum Surgical Instruments Corp.; Christine M. Brown, president of Marketing Resources & Results Inc.; Chris Lintner, project manager of Public Insight Corp.; and Tim Clepper, senior vice president of Morgan Stanley.

“I am very excited and appreciative to have won the Business Idea competition to help accelerate WolfeCon in the right direction,” Wolfe said. 

Wolfe was awarded $1,500 for his efforts and will advance to the 2013 ideaLabs competition, a regional competition sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Education Consortium (EEC) whose membership is made up of 11-member Northeast Ohio universities. The 2013 EEC ideaLabs competition will be held on the �鶹ӰԺ State campus on March 21.

“This year’s Business Idea Competition was particularly competitive,” said Julie Messing, executive director of entrepreneurship initiatives at �鶹ӰԺ State. “The competition judges were most impressed with the high quality of ideas and well-developed presentations that they witnessed,” Messing said. “We are fortunate to have a strong entrepreneurial culture at �鶹ӰԺ with the necessary resources to connect our student entrepreneurs to the wider Northeast Ohio entrepreneurial eco-system.”

Second place went to the New Fuel, a motion graphics, animation and video production company created by Brian Recktenwald and Alex Kurr. Recktenwald, a �鶹ӰԺ State senior majoring in managerial marketing and Kurr, a �鶹ӰԺ State junior in the visual communication and design department, were awarded $750 for venture seed-funding. 

Blackwolf Tactical, a company that turns movies, video games and books into real-life adventures through immersive and interactive environments, won third place in the competition. Founder Brian Bowles, a �鶹ӰԺ State junior entrepreneurship major, received $500 for his company’s future growth.

This year’s �鶹ӰԺ State Business Idea Competition was sponsored by the university’s Blackstone LaunchPad and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation. For more information, go to www.kent.edu/blackstonelaunchpad or www.kent.edu/cebi.

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Photo Caption:
�鶹ӰԺ sophomore Jake Wolfe won first place at the 2013 �鶹ӰԺ State Business Idea Competition. Standing behind Wolfe are five regional entrepreneurs who determined the winners. They are (from left to right) Christine M. Brown, president of Marketing Resources & Results Inc.; Jim Cossler, CEO of the Youngstown Business Incubator; Chris Lintner, project manager of Public Insight Corp.; Rick Schultz, CEO of Spectrum Surgical Instruments Corp.; and Tim Clepper, senior vice president of Morgan Stanley.

Media Contacts:
Kate Harmon, kharmon9@kent.edu, 330-672-6783
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595