To keep the economy growing, new business creation is essential. Today, Northern Michigan University’s College of Business hosted its annual celebration of Entrepreneurship and Business.

The newest addition to the business competition is a formal conference including 21 sessions, with topics such as Internet marketing, business start–up considerations, risk management, entrepreneurial success, and a panel presentation on Women in Business.

To encourage business ownership, six students were selected as finalists to present their fully developed ideas to judges and possible investors to compete for funding.

“The idea was to give students more of a hands-on experience,” said Michael Crump, an NMU College of Business Assistant Professor. “Having them come up to a panel of judges who are entrepreneurs in the community and present that, it’s a lot more challenging. But we think its a lot more valuable to them.”

The winners of the competition are:

Trade Fair category:  United Tastes

Elevator Pitch category:  Towsitive Strives

Business Plan category:  Snaptanx