Congratulations to Walla Walla University students Lindsey Shearer and Melanie Morales who placed third in the final stage of the Walla Walla Pitch It! Competition, the local division of a national competition held each year during Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Shearer, a freshman majoring in business administration and elementary education, and Morales, a junior majoring in business administration with a minor in marketing, comprised one of seven teams to compete in the finals on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The WWU duo pitched their business idea “UnTapped: Unleashing your closet’s potential” to a panel of judges in front of a live audience at the GESA Power House Theater in Walla Walla,

“Lindsey and Melanie did a great job representing Walla Walla University,” said Josefer Montes, professor of business and chair of the WWU School of Business. “They worked really hard and it showed. Their presentation was fabulous, and I hope they follow-up on their idea. Today, Walla Walla. Tomorrow, a Wall Street IPO!”

The Pitch It! Competition challenges students to design and develop innovative business concepts, create a realistic business model for their entrepreneurial idea, and pitch their ideas. The preliminary competition in Walla Walla took place Nov. 4 with 26 students from seven schools competing in three grade brackets.

Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 16–22, is the world’s largest celebration of the innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth, and expand human welfare. In 2014, Washington State led the country with nearly 200 events in all 39 counties. This year was even bigger with communities throughout the state recognizing the power of entrepreneurism from elementary-school age to senior citizens.

Posted Nov. 19, 2015