Legal work, sauces, shoes win big at BPC

Four of Seattle University’s most promising teams of entrepreneurs vied for a chance at the $10,000 purse in the 14th annual Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition last Thursday, May 17.

As the year’s main event for the Seattle U Entrepreneurship Center, alumni and current students alike packed into the Campion Ballroom to see which team would take home the venerated first place prize.

In the end, Populous Legal Services (PLS), a team comprised of three law students, claimed the grand prize with a business venture that proposed affordable legal services for the working class.

Within the first 18 months of launching PLS, Randy Trick, Jonathan White and David Wilkinson plan to hire an experienced family law attorney, in addition to recent law school graduates who will commit to a one-year fellowship contract.

“We’ll start off tackling small criminal offenses, such as speeding tickets and document services,” said Trick, who will manage the legal practice and train the fellowship attorneys.

Collin Roberts, a Kirkland attorney and graduate from the Seattle University School of Law and Albers School of Business and Economics, said if there was ever a time for a business like Populous to thrive, it is now, while openings for recent law school graduates are tight and there is a high demand for low-cost legal services.

In My Grandma’s Kitchen, presented by Nick Woog, won the runner-up prize of $5,000 with the idea to produce a line of organic food under the name of “Joe’s,” starting with an original organic garlic sauce.

“We want to develop Joe’s as a recognizable name, like Kashi, Annie’s, Newman’s, etc.,” said Woog, who named the brand after his father.

In My Grandma’s Kitchen has already secured Bradley Foods as its distribution partner, and hope to soon break into local Seattle grocery stores, including Whole Foods Market, PCC Natural Markets and Metropolitan Market.

The remaining two finalists, Lockstep Shoes, presented by Joe Lancaster, and Symgo Express, presented by Evan Fried, each won $3,000 for their ventures.

Lockstep Shoes offered a shoe line with a snap on and off heel targeting mainly for the elderly and physically disabled. The device, designed by Lancaster, features a heel attached by a hinge that users can step in and out of with a press of a release button without bending over.

Symgo Express, which won the $250 voter’s choice award, targeted the purported need for a more efficient delivery service with lock-boxes they hope to place in high traffic areas, such as grocery stores.

“How we buy is becoming just as important as what we buy,” said Fried.

The attraction of the spacious, modular electronic boxes lies, according to Fried, in their ability to consolidate all of a person’s pick-up items, (i.e. dry cleaning, online orders, mail, etc.), into one convenient location.

Fr. Stephen Sundborg, S.J., said he hasn’t missed a Business Competition in his 14 years at Seattle U.

“The Business Competition has really become a signature of our university,”

he said.

More than 200 students, judges, mentors and sponsors participated in the competition this year, while only the select four teams advanced from three separate rounds of competition to the finals. More than $30,000 in prizes were awarded by the panel of judges.