Finalists Announced for Attman Competitive Business Prize; Winner to be Selected Nov. 14
October 27, 2017
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
Each year, the Leonard and Phyllis Attman Competitive Business Prize Competition continues to showcase many of the University of Baltimore community's most talented and driven entrepreneurs. This year was no exception: More than 40 undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni, representing a wide range of academic backgrounds and disciplines, submitted applications for their enterprising ideas.
In mid-October, a team of preliminary judges narrowed the record pool of applicants down to six for the finale. The group will compete before a live audience and expert judges for the top prize of $2,500, along with runner-up and crowd favorite awards. The competition, sponsored by UB's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 14, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the William H. Thumel Sr. Business Center (home of the Merrick School of Business), 11 W. Mt. Royal Ave.
Now in its fourth year, and a highlight of Global Entrepreneurship Week on campus, the Attman Competitive Business Prize is designed to provide seed funding for and generate awareness of new and emerging innovative business ventures nurtured by the UB community.
This year's finalists, all current students, are:
- Shelby Blondell, B.S.'15, who will be pitching "The Sheller," a patent-pending stainless steel, flat combo crab mallet/knife/bottle opener that's easy to clean and store, and made in Baltimore.
- Jamey Gaylor, representing Exceptional Kids Connection, a platform and app designed to help families with special needs children find friends and support in the real world.
- James Gerst, whose startup Hooyo's Tea creates bold, unique, mouthfuls of flavor in loose-leaf blends with sustainably sourced ingredients.
- Kayleigh Harkay, creator of PerdidoFido, a self-recharging, GPS- and vital health-tracking pet collar used to protect and communicate between owner, pet and veterinarian.
- Mike Robinson, founder of Devil Dog Movers, LLC, a veteran-owned venture that seeks to disrupt the moving and junk removal industry by catering to niche customers.
- Alan Tsao, B.S. '11, owner of Tsao Baltimore, a premium watch company offering high-end, custom-designed watches at affordable prices.
A highlight of the compeititon this year will be the return of 2016's winner, Robin Holmes, B.S. '12, owner of Deddle's Donuts. She'll have samples of her product and will share the story of how she turned her Attman Prize winnings into an important new piece of her thriving small business. Read about Holmes, UB's latest homegrown success.
Learn more about the Attman Competitive Business Prize.