Alfred University, IncubatorWorks host second Startup Allegany Collegiate Competition

ALFRED, NY – Teams of students from the three colleges and universities in Allegany County participated Saturday, April 9, in the second annual Startup Allegany Collegiate Competition. The competition, titled “AHA” because it involved students from Allegany County’s three institutions of higher education—Alfred University, Houghton College Alfred State College, and—was based on solving problems faced by businesses, with a goal of promoting sustainability through entrepreneurship.

The event was hosted by Alfred University and its Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology (CACT) and was organized by IncubatorWorks of Alfred, a state-of-the-art incubator offering services and facilities to foster growth of entrepreneurial businesses in ceramics, glass, advanced materials, and related technology-based industries.

Teams presented ideas for promoting sustainability in business, with the winning plans determined by a panel of judges made up of Alison Wolfe, professor of marketing at Elmira College; Casey Joyce, president and CEO of Otis Eastern Service, LLC; and Alan Rae, director at the University at Buffalo’s NYS Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics. There were $6,500 in cash prizes awarded.

The “Eco Guys, Inc.” team from Alfred State College—made up of students Zackary Martin and David Benson and mentored by Boh Ruffin, Corning Inc., Reza Rashidi, associate professor of mechanical engineering technology at Alfred State College, and Tim Cochran, professor of mechanical and electrical engineering technology at Alfred State College—claimed the grand prize of $5,000.

The “Alfred’s Flamingo Restaurant” team from Alfred University—consisting of students Brian Ngatunga, Ryan Hughes, Alyssa Dimillo, John Stika, Tiara Rodzai, Felicia Stewart, Johnathan Connaught, and Raphael Chukwuemeka, with Kevin Em, owner of Temple Restaurant in Alfred, and Jason Morrison, assistant professor of finance at Alfred University, serving as mentors—placed second and won a $1,000 prize.

The Houghton College team, “Swift Solar”—made up of students Evan Tsai, Dawit Hutter, and Sofia Gildemeister, and mentored by Lionel Legry of Cuba Restorations LLC and Alex Wright, assistant professor of business administration and management at Houghton College—took the third-place prize of $500.

Other participating teams included: The Alfred University team, “Krakos Glassware,” made up of students Shawn Magishie, Jennalyn Conley, and Tim Mayo and mentored by Craig McGuire of Siemens Energy and Jean Ellefson, assistant professor of analytics at Alfred University; and the Houghton College team “Vita Electric Bikes,” consisting of students Lilian Turner and Kelsey Villatoro, mentored by Marla Kelly of Corning Inc. and Alex Wright, assistant professor of business administration and management at Houghton College.

Startup Allegany is a county-wide stakeholder group that meets regularly to promote entrepreneurship in Allegany County through events and programs that nurture startups and connect them with investors and corporations. Members include Allegany County, Alfred State College, Alfred University, Houghton College, IncubatorWorks, ACCORD Corp., and the Western New York Incubator Network.

The Startup Allegany Collegiate Competition is a partnership of Alfred University, Alfred State College, Houghton College, Allegany County, the ACCORD Corp., IncubatorWorks, the Western New York Incubator Network and Western NY Wilds. The competition and prize money were made possible by support from the event sponsors: Sealing Devices, Inc., the Alfred University College of Business, and the Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology at Alfred University. Sealing Devices is a Lancaster, NY, firm founded by late Alfred University alumnus Terry Galanis Sr. ’40, ’19 H. His son, Terry Galanis Jr., ’19 H, is a member of the Alfred University Board of Trustees and serves as president and CEO of Sealing Devices. 

In the photo above, Startup Allegany Collegiate Competition organizers and sponsors, student competitors, team mentors gather outside the Olin Building on the Alfred University campus following the conclusion of the competition Saturday, April 9. Pictured are, front from left: Alex Wright, professor, Houghton College; Greg Saufley of IncubatorWorks; Houghton College student Sofia Gildemeister; Alfred University students Felicia Stewart, Brian Ngatunga, and Tiara Rodzai; Alfred State College students David Benson and Zackary Martin; Alfred University students Jennalyn Conley, Tim Mayo, and Shawn Magishie; Lionel Legry of Cuba Restorations LLC (mentor); Jean Ellefson, assistant professor of analytics at Alfred University (mentor); Mark Lewis, dean of the Alfred University College of Business; and Joseph Sempolinsi, chief of staff for New York State Assemblyman Joseph Giglio. Back row, from left: Kimberly Barres and Ashleigh Madison of IncubatorWorks; Craig Clark, director of the Allegany County Industrial Development Agency; Houghton College student Dawit Hutter; Alfred University students John Stika, Raphael Chukwuemeka, and Jonathan Connaught; Reza Rashidi, associate professor of mechanical engineering technology at Alfred State College (mentor), Houghton College student Lillian Turner; (Student Houghton), Jason Morrison, assistant professor of finance at Alfred University (mentor); Houghton College student Evan Tsai; and president and CEO of Otis Eastern Service, LLC (competition judge).