DURHAM, N.H. - University of New Hampshire students will compete in the Whittemore School of Business and Economics Paul J. Holloway Prize Innovation-to-Market competition - the oldest business plan competition in the state and one of the first in the nation - Wednesday, May 9, 2012.

Now in its 24st year, the Paul J. Holloway Championship Round will be held from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the Squamscott Room of Holloway Commons on the Durham campus. A reception and awards ceremony will follow. The championship round is free and open to the public. Reserve your seat at http://wsbe.unh.edu/2012-Holloway-RSVP.

The competition is designed to stimulate entrepreneurship. Open to all university system graduate and undergraduate students who have a proposal for bringing an innovative product or service to market, the competition helps students gain first-hand experience in commercializing new products and services, and provides access to faculty advisors and industry experts.

Holloway contestants compete for more than $85,000 in prize money and consulting services provided by Paul and Anna Grace Holloway, the Paul J. Holloway Prize Fund, the Albin Entrepreneurship Fund, the Nelson Fund for Business Innovation, PixelMEDIA, and the New Hampshire Innovation Commercialization Center.
Six teams will compete in this year's Holloway championship round. They are:

EzCao
EzCao.com will connect entry-level employee-seeking firms with qualified collegiate individuals to enhance business development and career opportunities through an interactive localized network with cost saving benefits for the businesses and free user registration for the students. EzCao.com provides an innovative way to contact local college-educated employees by providing methods of instant contact utilizing the trending features of Web 2.0.

GearFreedom
GearFreedom provides an online marketplace where local and regional sports equipment shops are centralized, making it easy for a user to research, reserve, and rent gear.

LocalGrub
LocalGrub.com is a hub for people looking for local sustainably grown and organic food. LocalGrub members receive monthly discounts on local food and can place orders online with the option for delivery. LocalGrub customers also receive information about happenings in the healthy lifestyle community via email and are connected with like-minded people over potlucks and expos.

Ozel
Personal secrets are hard to maintain in a shared community like the Internet. Ozel provides for confidential storage of data using public resources without requiring trust. Ozel uses multiple storage providers and is designed to allow providers to fail, disclose, or destroy the data provided them without disclosing any of the user's original data.

Sensible Spreader Technologies LLC
The Sensible Spreader System uses an integration of GPS technology and mechanical spreader systems, allowing the driver to focus on the road while the GPS-based spreader system focuses on applying the de-icer best suited to the particular location and environment that the truck is transiting. Sensible Spreader would allow the user to apply nonchloride de-icers (such as potassium acetate) only in the necessary areas, and allow the use of traditional deicers elsewhere.

SOsponsored
SOsponsored is an online customized apparel and advertising company that will allow customers to design their own clothing and add company logos. Customers will enjoy reduced costs from the addition of the logos they choose, as well as a coupon for choosing the participating company.

Established in 1988 by Paul J. Holloway's family, the business plan competition honors the business leader's entrepreneurial spirit by stimulating and recognizing outstanding business strategies. Holloway began his career in the automotive industry and, starting in 1967, shaped a multi-franchise dealership emphasizing customer service and satisfaction. Holloway then extended his business skills to the development and management of eldercare facilities.

The 2012 Holloway Prize Competition judges are Patricia Bannan, managing director, Atlantic Trust; Todd Black, senior vice president of external affairs and customer relations, UNITIL Corporation; John Ela, CEO, Epoch Homes; John H. Morison III, chairman, Hitchiner Manufacturing Co. Inc.; and Matt Pierson, entrepreneur.

More information on the 24st Paul J. Holloway Prize Competition is available at http://wsbe.unh.edu/holloway.
The UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, information systems management, marketing, and hospitality management. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The school is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide. In January 2013, the business school will move into its new state-of-the-art facility and become the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

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