Ryan and Traci Ottosen, of Glendora, Calif., received the D鈥橝niello Family Foundation Business Plan Competition鈥檚 Top Venture Impacting Veterans Award (sponsored by Disabled American Veterans (DAV)).
The D鈥橝niello Family Foundation and the聽聽(IVMF) recently announced the winners of the D鈥橝niello Family Foundation Business Plan Competition. Eight veterans and military spouses, who are established or aspiring entrepreneurs, were presented with a share of more than $110,000 in seed funding, thanks to the generosity of the D鈥橝niello Family Foundation, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and the EBV Foundation.
The business plan competition occurred on the heels of the D鈥橝niello Family Foundation鈥檚 recent
$1 million gift to IVMF and 黑料不打烊. This funding will help the IVMF strengthen its programming and operations to better serve transitioning service members, veterans and their families all over the country.
鈥淭he D鈥橝niello Family Foundation continues to be a great supporter of 黑料不打烊, particularly our Institute for Veterans and Military Families,鈥� says Chancellor Kent Syverud. 鈥淭his new gift will create new opportunities for 黑料不打烊 to expand business and entrepreneurship opportunities for our nation鈥檚 veterans. Today鈥檚 news is another step in making 黑料不打烊 the best place in America for veterans and their families.鈥�
鈥淲e are grateful for this transformational gift and the commitment Dan D鈥橝niello (a 1968 alumnus of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Whitman School of Management, and a current member of the 黑料不打烊 Board of Trustees) is making to the IVMF,鈥� says IVMF Executive Director and 黑料不打烊 Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie. 鈥淒an鈥檚 support of the University鈥檚 work in this area will have substantial impact on our collective efforts to advance the post-service lives of our nation鈥檚 veterans, service members and their families.鈥�
The final judging and competition occurred during the IVMF鈥檚 National Training & Alumni Conference in Charlotte, NC this past weekend. The D鈥橝niello Family Foundation Business Plan Competition was open to all graduates of the IVMF鈥檚 EBV and entrepreneurship training programs.
During the conference, 10 semifinalists each had the opportunity to present a 15-minute business plan pitch and engage in 10 minutes of Q&A with a panel of expert judges. The program culminated on Sunday, Feb. 7, when four finalists, presented a final 90-second pitch live to the entire EBV National Conference audience.
The following veterans and military spouses are this year鈥檚 D鈥橝niello Family Foundation Business Plan Competition Award recipients:
First Place: $35,000
Warren Foster (Colorado Springs, Co.)鈥擲cience Playhouse
Foster is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer with over 30 years of experience in training, operations and management. He is a 2015 graduate of the EBV Program at UCLA. Science Playhouse is a hands-on science lab providing STEM education and enrichment programs for kids ages 6-12 in two large adjacent school districts in the North Colorado Springs area.
Second Place: $20,000
Paul Kilgore (Evans Mills, N.Y.)鈥擶AORGANY Brewing, LLC
Kilgore is a retired U.S. Army Infantryman. He is a 2014 graduate of the EBV Program at Cornell University.
WAORGANY Brewing, LLC is a craft New York State Farm Brewery in the Jefferson County, North Country region of New York State. This is a Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business that will produce a large variety of fresh, high quality, hand crafted ales from locally sourced New York State ingredients, thus fostering the farm-to-glass concept, and making beers that are locally sourced, produced and sold.
Third Place: $15,000
Becky Watson (Norfolk, Va.)鈥擬usic for Wellness, LLC
Watson is a U.S. Navy veteran and a 2014 graduate of the EBV Program at 黑料不打烊.
Music for Wellness LLC is a small woman-owned disabled veteran business that is passionate about serving older adults with music. Its compassionate board-certified music therapists transform, energize and engage older adults with memory impairments through evidence-based music therapy programs that enhance their quality of life.
Fourth Place: $10,000
Denise Gee Uzzelle (Lancaster, Texas)鈥擲tarting Point Human Capital Advisors, LLC
Uzzelle is a military spouse; her husband is a retired U.S. Army IT Specialist. She is a 2014 graduate of the EBV-F Program at Florida State University. Starting Point Human Capital Advisors LLC is a Dallas-based HR consultancy focused on helping companies recruit and retain employees, ultimately improving long-term employment outcomes for veterans and underserved populations. The company targets two distinct audiences: small businesses with no HR department and military-friendly employers of any size.
Best Social Venture: $10,000
Wayne Georgiana (Nashua, N.H.)鈥擫il鈥� Jake鈥檚 Indoor Safety Village & Playground, LLC
Most Innovative Venture: $10,000
Beulah Floyd (McDonough, Ga.)鈥擝RF Mobile Lube Plus, LLC
Arthur H. and Mary E. Wilson Top Venture Impacting Veterans Award: $10,000
(sponsored by Disabled American Veterans (DAV))
Ryan & Traci Ottosen (Glendora, Ca.)鈥擮ttosen & Co.
The three semifinalists who did not place in the aforementioned award categories each received $2,000 in seed funding from the EBV Foundation.
鈥淏eing a veteran and an entrepreneur myself, my goal in establishing the D鈥橝niello Family Foundation Business Plan Competition was to help veteran entrepreneurs to help themselves by creating or growing a business,鈥� stresses Daniel A. D鈥橝niello, co-founder and chairman of the Carlyle Group. 鈥淭he results of this year鈥檚 competition clearly reveal that the next generation of veteran entrepreneurs is already well on its way to success.鈥�
