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UM students from American Indian Business Leaders chapter split top prize for business plan at leadership conference

Three members of the University of Montana’s chapter of American Indian Business Leaders will split a $1,000 award they won at the 11th annual AIBL Leadership Conference in Seattle April 7 to 9.

UM students Sophia Alvarez, Danny Garcia and Michelle Sangrey won the award in a business plan competition at the conference.

Garcia’s plan was to start a digital photography business for students to use. He’d take pictures, burn them onto a CD and then sell the CD to the customer.

“It was based on a market,” he said. “We took a market and built a business around it.”

This idea differed from other competitors because they built their business ideas on new markets instead of established ones, he said.

Garcia presented the business plan at the conference with help from Alvarez and Sangrey. AIBL started its first chapter on campus in 1995, and its national headquarters is in the Gallagher Business Building. Its mission is to support and promote American Indian education in business and develop future business leaders.

“American Indians have always been known as great leaders,” said Larry Gianchetta, dean of the business school and adviser to UM’s AIBL chapter. “They’re trying to do it so it’s culturally appropriate. They realize the key to becoming a sovereign nation is to build a strong economy.”

The group competed with 53 national AIBL chapters at the conference.

Ira Sather-Olson
For the Kaimin

Full Story: http://www.kaimin.org/viewarticle.php?id=4376

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