EUGENE, Ore.– Master of Business Administration (MBA) students from the University of Arizona won the $10,000 grand prize at the 1999 New Venture Competition hosted by the University of Oregon’s Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship. The U of A’s winning entry, "Veritex," offers medical service providers a cost-effective means of ensuring compliance with government regulations.

A team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison received $2,500 for its second-place entry, "Eco-Logic," a recycling firm that collects, disassembles and resells waste electronic equipment. San Diego State University’s team won the $1,000 third-place prize with Application Technologies, a new form of packaging called AppliK pouch. Their product is a unit dose disposable package with a built-in applicator. The University of Georgia won $1,000 for preparing the best-written business plan.

"The UO New Venture Competition showcases the best and brightest entrepreneurship students," said Dale Dauten, syndicated columnist, author and successful entrepreneur who served as a judge in the final round of the eighth annual competition. "The students’ ingenuity, inspiration and passion comes through in their top-notch business plans."

Judges selected MBA students from nine universities to compete in the event hosted annually by the UO’s Lundquist Center. The following universities competed in the 1999 New Venture Competition:

A program of the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Oregon, the New Venture Competition is sponsored by The Edward Lowe Foundation, Palo Alto Software and the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum.

—30—

#G-6078/Local,OrD/Bus,PDX,OrBus,Special