Campus Connection

Student Business Expo, Eagle Eye Business Competition planned

Student entrepreneurship will be celebrated in two events Thursday, April 6, at UW-La Crosse. The UWL Student Business Expo will give students with new and existing businesses an opportunity to promote their products and services to college and community members. For many of these students, their businesses are key factors in financing their education. They are also real-life business education experiences. Students with new and existing business ventures will be promoting their products and services at the UWL Student Business Expo from noon-3 p.m. in Hall of Nations, 1300 Centennial Hall. In the UWL Eagle Eye Business Competition, potential business ventures created by cohorts of college and high school students will compete with their business concepts. It’s just one component of the Innovation Generation Program created by the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center at UW-La Crosse, with support of Merchants Bank and other local businesses and individuals. In the competition, a panel of judges will review the proposed business plans and presentations. Awards will be given to the top three ventures. Audience members will also have an opportunity to vote for a “community choice” award. Under the guidance of UWL Small Business Development Center instructors and mentors from local businesses, these student cohorts have been meeting to work on their business ideas on Sunday nights since mid-January, as participants in the inaugural UWL Innovation Lab. The UWL Eagle Eye Business Competition will run from 4:45-9 p.m. in the Theater, 0120 UWL Student Union. The public is invited to both events; admission is free. Both of the events are coordinated by the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center at UW-La Crosse, with participation from the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) of UWL. For additional information about this and future events, visit www.uwlax.edu/cei. To support the program, contact cei@uwlax.edu or call 608.785.8648.