DENTON (UNT), Texas – Nature’s Freedom Wildlife Sanctuary, a non-profit animal rescue and rehabilitation organization created by three UNT students, will receive $25,000 as the winner of the 2008 New Venture Creation Contest, sponsored by the Murphy Enterprise Center at the University of North Texas.
The winners of the annual contest were announced at the BDO Seidman, LLP Leadership Luncheon on Nov. 14 (Friday). Nature’s Freedom Wildlife Sanctuary, the first place winner, was created by UNT College of Business seniors: Jeremy Dean, Blaire Chilcoat and Amanda Stewart. The mission of Nature’s Freedom is to “rescue and rehabilitate animals, while educating youth about wildlife conservation.” The trio has selected a site in Sanger for the sanctuary and expects to be fully operational within the next five years.
“I think what really sold us on Nature’s Freedom was the passion that the team members had behind their work. They really believe in what they are going to do. They also had a very thought-out and well-prepared business plan,” said Jay Duke, a partner with BDO Seidman, LLP and one of the judges of the 2008 New Venture Creation Contest.
Second place honors went to The Tax Brothers, a financial services company created by College of Business senior Edwin DuBois, College of Education senior Arnel Rolfe and their associate Allen Cater. The Tax Brothers provides tax preparation services to college students and small businesses during the spring and winter. The company offers consulting and educational programs for the remainder of the year. The Tax Brothers is fully operational with offices off of North Central Expressway in Dallas. Tax Brothers will receive $15,000.
Third place went to Figlist.com, an innovative web site that will house a searchable database of local churches. The web site will include links to parishioners’ businesses and advertisements. The site is intended to foster a better sense of community between the church community and the business community. Figlist.com was created by Paul Passmore, a graduate student in the UNT College of Business, and his associate Joel Harrison. The duo expects to have the site fully operational by summer 2009.
The New Venture Creation Contest provides seed money to UNT students to fund their entrepreneurial business plans. The 2008 New Venture Creation Contest winners were selected by a panel of three judges, which included Duke; Mike Zampino, owner and manager of El Guapo’s restaurant in Denton; and Dr. Don Powell, professor of management at UNT. The panel judged the finalists based on submitted copies of their business plans and presentations about their businesses.
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