Berry College students earned a total of $35,000 competing in the recent PITCH competition.  

In the established venture division, the winners were: 

• 1^st place - Handley Owens, a marketing major from Jackson’s Gap, Ala., created “Southern Belle Naturals” dog treats. Owens was awarded $7,500. 

• 2^nd place - Hannah Kim, an animal science major from Aliso Viejo, Calif., created “Sticky Kids” custom stickers. Kim was awarded $5,000. 

• 3^rd place - Malik LeBlanc, a marketing major from Douglasville, Ga., created “Get Jiggy” custom puzzles. LeBlanc was awarded $2,500.  

  In the potential venture division, the winners were:

• 1^st place - Emma Huffman, a sustainable living major from Fredericksburg, Va., created “Ovoloi”, the multi-layer sleeping bag. Huffman was awarded $7,500. 

• 2^nd place - Adam Fox, a marketing major from Buford, Ga., and Aiden Paul, a management and creative technology major from Chelsea, Ala., created “Framed Eyewear”, a prescription lens and frames that are changeable. Fox and Paul were awarded $2,500 each.  

• 3^rd place - Mallory Smith, a management major from Rome, Ga., created “Rendebrew Coffee Co.”, a mobile coffee trailer. Smith was awarded $2,500. 

• 4^th place - Emily Hornell, a management major from Fort Worth, Texas, created a children's book  “Love From Above". Hornell was awarded $1,000. 

The Berry PITCH, sponsored by the Center for Student Enterprises and Entrepreneurship Development (C-SEED), mirrors the reality show “Shark Tank” by allowing students to present their ideas and compete for cash prizes totaling $35,000. Whether working as an individual or team, the PITCH gives students the ability to learn what entrepreneurship means and what it takes to advance an idea towards reality.  

C-SEED faculty worked with entrepreneurs one-on-one to help develop their ideas and prepare material. The presentations took place April 8. Huffman, the judges’ overall winner, received an additional $2,500. Owens was the audience overall winner, earning an additional $1,000. 

Following the PITCH competition, the Spark Conference, which is in partnership with the Rome/Floyd Chamber and C-SEED, provided an opportunity to share insights on the best practices in small business and free enterprises.  

The conference is a platform designed to showcase the experience and insights of Berry and members of the Rome community, including general managers of the Berry Student Enterprises, outstanding local professionals and a keynote speaker. 

This year’s theme was “What the other Generation Needs to Know,” which focused on generational characteristics and differences in today’s workplace. Industry expert, Cam Marston, was the guest speaker for the event.  

For more information about Berry student enterprises, visit https://www.berry.edu/c-seed/