LR school’s business plan takes 2 firsts

A business plan for EcoBagz Inc., presented by the Little Rock School District’s Forest Heights STEM Academy, won two of four firstplace awards in Arkansas Capital Corp.’s 13th annual Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase.

The annual business plan competition was held late last month at Park Plaza mall for fifth- through eighth-graders.

More than 170 teams of elementary, middle and junior high school students from across the state entered the competition. The top 25 finalists in the written round were invited to compete for final honors.

EcoBagz won first place in the “Best Retail Booth” and “Best Marketing Piece” divisions. The EcoBagz product is what the team called a “multi-purpose, fashionable, eco-friendly, and affordable” tote that also encourages customers to avoid using plastic or polythene bags.

“The Lone Wasp” from Omaha School District in Boone County won in the “Best Business Plan” division for a product that uses natural oils mixed with witch hazel to create an alternative to DEET (diethylmtoluamide), commonly used in insect repellents. Winning the “Most Innovative” category was “Scoods” from Berryville Middle School. Scoods are pads designed to fit the sides of manual scooters that protect the legs and ankles of riders if they lose control of their scooters.

The teachers of the firstplace winning teams in the competition won a $500 cash prize, with team members each receiving $100.

Since Arkansas Capital Corp. started the Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase for Arkansas in 2006, more than 7,700 students have submitted 2,467 business plans in the competition.