RADFORD – Last year, Radford University students from a variety of majors gathered in Hurlburt Auditorium to participate in a highly spirited elevator pitch competition. The objective was to present a 90-second pitch to a panel of successful entrepreneurs. The winner of the competition, an interdisciplinary studies major whose innovative idea to sale ads on school buses in order to generate funds for the education system, walked away with a sizeable award. This year, the popular event returns as part of the second annual Entrepreneurial Summit.

The summit, which is hosted by SunTrust, RU’s College of Business and Economics, and RU Collegiate Entrepreneurs, will be held Monday, Oct. 27-Tuesday, Oct. 28. The mission of the summit is to provide entrepreneurial-minded students the ability to learn from successful executives and entrepreneurs.

This year’s summit will consist of several nationally recognized speakers and two elevator pitch competition rounds. The first round will be held Monday, Oct. 27, in the Hurlburt Auditorium from 4 to 6 p.m. The second round, held the following day in the same location for the top eight pitches from the first round, will begin at 9 a.m. Students interested in participating in the competition must submit their elevator pitch idea to Iain Clelland at ijclellan@radford.edu or to Mary Weeks at mweeks@radford.edu by Tuesday, Oct. 22. Competition participants are strongly encouraged to attend a pre-pitch workshop on Thursday, Oct. 9, in Hurlburt Combo Room 249/250 from 4 to 6 p.m. Entrepreneurial alumni will host the workshop, which is designed to provide students free presentation tips and give them an edge in the elevator pitch competition. To learn more about the elevator pitch competition and awards, contact Clelland.

On Tuesday, Oct. 28, workshop presentations will feature Woody Prettyman, Juanita Thornton, Beverly Walters and John Signorello. Brian Patrick Cork, a 1984 RU graduate who was recently named among 2008 Catalyst Top 25 Entrepreneurs in Atlanta, will be the keynote speaker as part of the SunTrust Distinguished Speaker Series during a luncheon in Muse Hall. Elevator pitch competition awards will also be announced during the luncheon. A limited number of seats are available for the event. To learn more, contact Mary Weeks at mweeks@radford.edu or 831-5382.

RU graduate Prettyman is the founder and CEO of Studio Center, the largest and fastest growing studio that specializes in the production of broadcast advertising. Studio Center has won more than 4,000 awards, including several ADDYs and a Grammy.

Thornton, also an RU graduate, is the executive director of the Phoenix Start Clubhouse, a pre-vocational program for individuals with brain injuries located in Roanoke. Thornton has 21 years of experience in brain injury, mental health, special education, and early intervention. She is also the president of the board of the Brain Injury Resource and Development Center and the Roanoke Area Brain Injury Connection.

Walters is the executive director of NRV CARES, a nonprofit child abuse prevention agency in the New River Valley. Walters’ professional life mirrors her personal passion: to educate and engage people in creating a better life for children in the community.

Signorello is a RU graduate who has served as chairman of the board and CEO of IceWEB since March 2000. From 1991 until September 1997, Signorello served as the CEO of Solutions That Make Sense, a private technology company he founded that specialized in computer networks, system integration and information technology. Signorello is an accomplished musician, and serves as the principal of New York City Lights Entertainment.

Cork has raised more than $500 million dollars in private placement capital for a wide array of companies; recruited and counseled hundreds of executives and other decision-makers; and has actively participated in building numerous successful organizations. Cork has started up three companies, and his latest, briancork Human Capital, has been listed in Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies in 2007 and 2008. He is currently writing his first books: The CEO Handbook, Dear God: I Am Dancing In My Head, and This Would Be Jefferson’s View.

To learn more about the Entrepreneurial Summit, contact Sara Bell at smbell@radford.edu.

ENTREPRENEURIAL SUMMIT AGENDA

• Monday, Oct. 27
  • 4-6 p.m.
    Elevator Pitch Competition: Round 1
    (Hurlburt Auditorium)
• Tuesday, Oct. 28
  • 9:30-10:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
    Workshop Speaker Presentations
    Woody Prettyman, “The Good Problem: Managing High Growth of an Entrepreneurial Start-Up” (Hurlburt 248)
    Juanita Thornton & Bev Walters, “Social Entrepreneurs: Change Agents for Society” (Hurlburt 249)
    John Signorello, “Starting a Business: The Moment of Impact” (Hurlburt 250)
  • 9-11 a.m.
    Elevator Pitch Competition: Round 2
    (Hurlburt Auditorium & Hurlburt 210)
  • 12:30 – 2 p.m.
    Luncheon
    (Muse Hall: a limited number of seats are available)
    Elevator Pitch Competition Awards
    Brian Patrick Cork, “Entrepreneurs, Intrapreneurs and Them Corporate Fellas – The Laws of Natural Selection”