Students in the Business Foundations class took part in the Believe in Ohio STEM Business Plan Competition to explore their interest in the field.

Jeff Dallas, the teacher of the Business Foundations class, has presented his students with the opportunity to participate in the competition for over ten years. Members of the class have the option to work alone or with a partner to create and plan out a product or service. The top participants in the class win money as well as the opportunity to enter their product or service in the state-level competition. At the state competition the students can win additional funds in the form of cash or scholarships.

Dallas elaborated on the competition, specifically the judging process.

“All plans are submitted to me for a grade.  They are then judged by business persons in the community.  The Richfield Chamber of Commerce, The Bath Business Association, and the Fairlawn Rotary all provide the judges.  Depending on the scoring of the local judges, one or several plans can qualify to compete at the state level. In my class, we are guaranteed $1,000 of prize money,” Dallas said.

Former student and prize-winner Jon Dye explained why he took the Business Foundations class.

“I took the class because I had an interest in business and was considering studying business in college. I wanted to gain some basic business knowledge so that I would have a head start in college classes,” Dye said.
Current senior Tori Holvey discussed what the competition and the Business Foundations class added to her education.
“This competition gave me a taste for how to create a business plan and all the work that goes along with it. It is a more real world type project than you experience in most classes. . . . [It] showed me that I enjoy the business field, but I do not want to be an entrepreneur,” Holvey said.

Dye also mentioned his overall takeaway from the class including further applications of his newfound knowledge.

“I will draw upon my experiences from the competition when it comes time for me to start a business for real or in a future project for school. I would highly recommend the class for anyone interested in going into a business field of study,” Dye said.  

The current students have already submitted their plans and await judging. Judging at the regional level will take place between late March and early April while judging at the state level will occur in May.