Giovanni Peña (photographed, left) and Aaron Gilkey (photographed, middle) won the honor and $250 in recognition of their idea for a mobile phone and tablet application that consolidates weather alerts into one communication. The idea included an option for receiving the alert via fiber optics in the event of a power outage.
Dr. Ed Bashaw, dean of the Arkansas Tech College of Business, presented Peña and Gilkey with their award.
The competition, which is hosted and administered by the Arkansas Tech College of Business, challenges high school students to pitch their ideas for a business start up or expansion to a panel of judges.
Luke Bartlett, Tyler Cooley and Tyler Calavitta of Dardanelle High School won first prize in the second annual Arkansas Tech Business Challenge during the finals of competition at Rothwell Hall on the Arkansas Tech campus in Russellville on Friday, April 11.
Arvest Bank, Cargill Pork, Pope County Farm Bureau and Yell County Farm Bureau served as sponsors for the 2014 Arkansas Tech Business Challenge.
The judges for the 2014 Arkansas Tech Business Challenge were three representatives from Arvest Bank: Lacie Caughron, consumer lender; Jason McGee, treasury management representative; and Tony Warren, mortgage lender.
