Entrepreneurs’ Organization – South Florida has awarded four college students for their start-up business plans and potential, advancing the young achievers to the national finals of a global student entrepreneur competition.
Among the winners: Connor Masterson (pictured here), a sophomore at University of Miami. Masterson, who is from Cleveland, is the founder of Jobly, an online platform that connects college students and employers.
The winning students were among nine region finalists from colleges and universities throughout the nation’s East Coast who presented in a TV Shark Tank-style test in front of EO-SOFLO judges at the Dadeland Marriott in Miami on Thursday. The four winners will advance to the national round of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards next month in Chicago, with a chance at the global finals in Washington, D.C. in April, 2015. EO will provide mentoring and pay all expenses (plus some pocket money) to the winning students.
The grand prize recipient will earn winnings worth $25,000 in cash, products and services such as office equipment and technology, web design, marketing and public relations, accounting and other professional support to develop his or her business.
In addition to Masterson, the winners from the South Florida competition include:
* Ben McIntyre, Belmont University
* Ian Worrall, University of South Carolina
* Khalid Al-Dhubaib, Case Western Reserve University
“All of our finalists had fantastic ideas and were impressive young men and women,” said Barry Kates, a competition judge and president of EO-SOFLO. “We told them all that they are already achievers and entrepreneurs, and it was tough decision for the judges to name the winners.”
Other EO-SOFLO judges included Victor Arocho of Potential Sales Group in Fort Lauderdale; Jason Bowen of Consumer Information Bureau in Pompano Beach; Arnie Girnun of New Horizons Computer Learning Center in Miami; Marcell Haywood of Dirt Pros in Fort Lauderdale; Val Major of Targetwide, LLC in Miami; Robert Newman of National Planning Corporation in Miami; and F.W. Pearce of South Florida Weight Loss, Inc. in Boca Raton.
EO-SOFLO is one of the world’s largest EO chapters with about 150 members from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties who run companies that account for more than 25,000 jobs and $1 billion in annual revenues in the region. Globally, EO has more than 10,000 members, all of whom are principals in companies with at least $1 million in annual revenues. The organization has chapters in 46 countries.
For more information on the event or EO-SOFLO, visit eonetwork.org.
Pictured above: Connor Masterson of University of Miami, one of the winners, is flanked by judges Barry Kates, president of EO South Florida (left) and Jason Bowen, EO member and president of Consumer Information Bureau in Pompano Beach.
Posted Oct. 24, 2014