Start Me Up Business Competition Winners Announced

Posted by DAN MILLER, Of The Patriot-News April 29, 2008 13:38PM

Categories: Breaking News

Cruzstar, a Web-based startup company that allows customers to order meals online from local restaurants and caterers, today was named winner of the 2008 Murata Great Business Challenge.

Cruzstar owner and founder Adrian Fang will receive a prize package worth more than $20,000 from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and Capital Region Economic Development Corp. The package includes six months of free rent in the Murata Business Center in Carlisle, a regional small business incubator that is owned by CREDC.

The Murata award was part of CREDC’s 2008 Start Me Up Business Plan competition. The competition, held every other year since 2006, also recognizes the best business plans submitted by teams of students who attend colleges and universities in the midstate.

CREDC Fab 5, the third part of Start Me Up, recognizes five of the region’s most promising companies that have been in business for two to five years and that are headquartered in Cumberland, Dauphin or Perry counties.

Among the other winners, Clipse Ethnic Style Beauty Salon from Millersville University received first place in the undergraduate college competition. The salon is a full-service salon that caters to multi-cultural women throughout Lancaster County.

Second place went to Springboard Language Academy, a team of students from Dickinson College. Springboard aims to provide conveniently scheduled language classes and a cultural outlet to students living in the midstate.

BioCells2Cure, a team from Penn State Harrisburg, won first place in the graduate competition. The company specializes in breast cancer research and will offer services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry to assist in drug selection and clinical trial design.

CREDC Fab 5 honors went to the following companies:
- AutumnWave, a consumer electronics and personal technology company located in Murata Business Center.
- BitLeap, a provider of high-tech off-site data backup services. BitLeap is also located in Murata.
- JEM Group, a woman-owned construction firm based in downtown Harrisburg.
- VQC Designs, an Internet business services company in Harrisburg and,
- Webpage FX, a Web business services company. Webpage FX is also located in Murata Business Center.

Upcoming Event: Commercialization Acceleration – From Concept to Commercial Opportunity

The Hershey Center for Applied Research is hosting a 3 panel discussion on various aspects of turning a concept into a commercial product. The event will take place Wednesday, April 23rd from 4:30-6:30pm.

Prestigious Speakers for this event include:

Erin Byrne, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lepton Technologies

Hans Pfister, Ph.D., Dickinson College, Associate Professor of Physics

Mary Powell, Intellectual Property Attorney, Powell Law PC

Steve Brawley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA (Host)

Sponsors of this event include:

Harrisburg Market Keystone Innovation Zone
Hershey Center for Applied Research
Innovation Transfer Network

Following the discussion there will be a reception and tour of the Hershey Center for Applied Research.

Registration is free and can be completed online here.

Compassion Forum at Messiah College Featuring Obama & Clinton to be aired live on CNN

Well the tickets are sold out, so don’t even bother calling Messiah College to request a seat at the compassion forum. The good news is, the event will be aired live on CNN starting at 8pm April 13th, moderated by Campbell Brown and Newsweek’s Jon Meacham. The forum will cover a range of interesting topics that may require the democratic candidates to navigate their answers delicately through questions about moral and ideological issues.

More information about the forum can be found at www.Messiah.edu

Cast Your Vote to Get Suppliments to Troops in Iraq & Afghanistan

There is currently an entrepreneurial initiative being put together to get body building suppliments to our troops overseas at wholesale prices. For many troops operating in Iraq and Afghanistan, weightlifting and exercise not only keeps them fit for combat, but it is also many times the only way to pass the time. Additionally, it is a healthy outlet for releasing the stress that builds up from long deployments.

An entrepreneur and Iraq war marine veteran by the name of Seargant Keith Reilly is proposing to purchase bodybuilding supplements wholesale and sell them to the troops at the various military installations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This will give the troops access to the supplements that they couldn’t otherwise receive at reasonable prices.

So what can you do to support this effort? Merely cast your vote on Idea Blob, a website that hands out $10,000 every month to the idea that receives the most votes. Currently, the proposed idea to get suppliments to the troops has made it to this week’s top ideas. Your vote can really make a difference, click the link below and help make this idea a reality!

Select Medical Corporation Makes Historic Multi-Million Dollar Gift to Harrisburg University

HARRISBURG, Pa. (April 8, 2008)–Select Medical Corporation, a leading provider of specialty health care with headquarters in Mechanicsburg, has announced a $2.6 million gift to Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. The gift is the largest philanthropic investment by a corporation in the six-year history of the University, and it will establish the Select Medical Corporation Conference Center in the University’s new 16-story Academic Center under construction at 326 Market Street in Harrisburg. Robert Ortenzio, Select Medical’s Chief Executive Officer, announced the gift on April 8th during a press conference at the University. Joining Mr. Ortenzio for the announcement were Harrisburg University President Mel Schiavelli and R. Timothy Weston, Esq., Chair of the University Board of Trustees. “Select Medical is proud to make this historic gift to Harrisburg University and support the advancement of this growing university,” said Robert Ortenzio. “Harrisburg University offers excellent educational opportunities that benefit young adults, working professionals and local businesses. This gift demonstrates Select Medical’s belief that education is key to ensuring a strong, viable future for the region.” The Select Medical Conference Center will be located on the 14th floor, the highest occupied floor, of the Academic Center. The Select Medical Conference Center will be host to countless events and programs for the University as well as community, education and corporate groups. The floor will also house the University’s senior administrative offices. “Select Medical has stepped forward to help realize the vision of Harrisburg University, and this gift is yet another example of Select Medical’s commitment to the future of our region,” says. Dr. Schiavelli. “A gift of this magnitude has the power to propel our University forward, allowing us to prepare more students to join the high-tech science and technology workforce that is vital to the economy of this region and the state. We look forward to strengthening this important partnership that benefits our students and faculty, and the entire Central Pennsylvania community.” Dr. Schiavelli notes that the timing of this gift is especially opportune as a crisis looms on the horizon because of a national shortage of students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. “The gift enhances our ability to produce highly qualified graduates at the undergraduate and graduate levels who are able to serve the changing needs of businesses in the Commonwealth,” says Dr. Schiavelli. “It is sustained strategic philanthropic investments from the private sector like this one from Select Medical that will ultimately determine whether Harrisburg University becomes the preeminent institution it has the potential to become.” “The increasing intensity of global competition makes philanthropic investments by corporations more important than ever before,” Mr. Weston said. “We are honored by Select Medical’s confidence in our students and faculty, and we will meet the challenge by producing exceptional graduates who are well-prepared for careers in the region’s growing knowledge-based economy.” The gifts are designated to support CONNECT: The Campaign for Harrisburg University–the University’s inaugural comprehensive fundraising campaign that was publicly launched at the Groundbreaking Gala Celebration in November 2006. The Select Medical gift raises the current total of commitments to approximately $31.6-million or 80 percent toward the goal of $40-million. “Corporate support of this magnitude is what will make the University’s campaign a success, as well as ensure the continued fast-paced rise of Harrisburg University as a prominent institution of higher education in the Commonwealth,” says Marcus S. Lingenfelter, vice president for University Advancement at Harrisburg University. “We encourage other corporations and organizations to consider their own philanthropic investments–what impact they wish to make and what legacy they wish to leave.” Select Medical Corporation is a national provider of specialized health care encompassing long-term acute care, inpatient medical rehabilitation, outpatient physical rehabilitation and contract therapy. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Select Medical has been recognized as one of “America’s Best Managed Companies” by Forbes Magazine, as well as a “Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania” for the past five years. Founded in 1996 by Rocco Ortenzio and Robert Ortenzio, Select Medical is a privately held company with more than 21,000 employees throughout the United States. Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian teaching university that offers applied academic programs in the nationally-critical STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The University’s mission also includes a dedication to meet the needs of the Capital Region’s youth, workforce, and businesses to expand, attract, and create economic opportunities.

Contact:

Steven M. Infanti Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications Harrisburg University of Science and Technology 717.901.5146 or Sinfanti@HarrisburgU.net

Carolyn Curnane VP, Corporate Communications Select Medical Corporation 717.730.4221 or CCurnane@SelectMedicalCorp.com

International House Harrisburg – The Ideal Student Experience

The International House is a little known destination in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that is the perfect accommodation for students seeking to live and/or work in the city. Rooms are available at very affordable rates, all within walking distance of the train and bus station, two blocks from the CAT bus transfer center and Strawberry Square, and three blocks from the Capitol complex. Residents can walk to their jobs, shopping, dining and entertainment.

The iHouse boasts a warm, friendly, secure environment where up to eighty six US and International students and interns can live in downtown Harrisburg.  Residents can  learn from one another through their everyday activities and wide variety of planned programs. Cultural activities and programs take place every month, including language clubs, cultural events, dance and music series, and coffee house open mic nights. Many events are open to the public so make sure to check out the iHouse events calendar regularly.

iHouse is part of Harrisburg’s International Place Neighborhood, home of the renowned Bricco restaurant, the Culinary Arts Center, Ciao! Bakery and more.

Senator Obama to Join Hillary at Messiah College in Compassion Forum- April 13th

Here’s an update on a bipartisan presidential forum scheduled to take place at Messiah College, near Harrisburg, PA.

Religious leaders from across the ideological spectrum are pleased to announce today that Senator Obama and Senator Clinton have both confirmed that they will participate in an unprecedented bipartisan presidential candidate forum at Messiah College near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on the evening of Sunday, April 13 – just nine days before the Pennsylvania primary. Senator McCain has thus far declined the invitation, which is still open.

Now more than ever, Americans motivated by faith are bridging ideological divides to address domestic and international poverty, global AIDS, climate change, abortion, genocide in Darfur, and human rights and torture. The Compassion Forum will provide the opportunity for candidates to discuss how their faith and moral convictions bear on their positions on these important issues.
The Compassion Forum is not a debate. Each candidate will participate in a separate substantive conversation. “This is an occasion to talk about the substance and not the sensationalism of religion and politics,” said moderator Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek, author of American Gospel, and respected scholar on faith and American politics.
The Compassion Forum will offer candidates an unprecedented opportunity to reach religious voters. The Forum will be broadcast on the Church Communication Network (CCN) to more than 100,000 people of faith in at least 1,000 churches across the country on April 20, the Sunday evening before the Pennsylvania primary. It will also air live on a national cable news network.
The Compassion Forum is a testament to the power of faith to bring people together. The event has attracted the support of diverse religious leaders and Democrats and Republicans alike, including Governor Mike Huckabee and U.S. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.

 

Faith in Public Life is the organizer and a co-sponsor of The Compassion Forum, along with the faith community, represented by The Compassion Forum Board, which includes nationally prominent religious leaders from across the faith and ideological spectrum including Dr. Frank Page, President of the Southern Baptist Convention; Dr. William J. Shaw, President of the National Baptist Convention; Paul Corts, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; Dr. Joel Hunter, Northland A Church Distributed; Rev. Richard Cizik, National Association of Evangelicals; Dr. Oran P. Smith, Palmetto Family Council; Father Larry Snyder, Catholic Charities USA; Rabbi Steve Gutow, Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Gary Haugen, International Justice Mission; Dr. Syeed Sayeed, Islamic Society of North America; David Neff, Christianity Today; Rev. Jim Wallis, Sojourners; Rev. Dr. Tyrone S. Pitts, Progressive National Baptist Convention; Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Rev. David Beckmann, Bread for the World; Rabbi David Saperstein, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; and Sammy Mah, World Relief.
Organizational co-sponsors of the Forum are The ONE Campaign, an effort to rally Americans to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty, and Oxfam America, an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice.
Messiah College is a nationally-ranked Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences with approximately 3,000 undergraduate students in 55 courses of study. Founded in 1909, Messiah College is located in Grantham, Pennsylvania, twelve miles from Harrisburg.

http://www.messiah.edu/compassion_forum/index.html

Harrisburg in top 92% of contest to win $10,000 grant

With just 19 votes, Harrisburg is almost at the top of the Ideablob.com $10k monthly giveaway contest. It really doesn’t take too many votes to become a finalist, so please chip in! The idea presented is an initiative designed to increase student enrollment at colleges in the area and engage those students in the region so that more of them will choose to stay upon graduation. Support your local economy and place a vote for the idea, it only takes a minute but could be the difference for $10,000.

Central Pennsylvania Entrepreneur Network

Thought I would share that there is now a Facebook group for entrepreneurs in the Central PA area. I’ve posted a number of events and resources, feel free to join the group and network with other entrepreneurs across Central Pennsylvania.

IdeaBlob.com, the site that gives out $10,000 every month for the idea that receives the most votes

Ever had a good idea? Now you can get that notion funded if it gets enough votes on IdeaBlob. The site is most definitely worth looking into. I just posted my own idea on the site that I’d appreciate you voting for or commenting on it: a website designed specifically for college students that outlines the events, discounts, destinations, jobs, and internships around the greater Harrisburg area. The idea is to attract more students to the region and really get those students connected to what’s going on here in hopes of reversing the region’s huge export of college students once they graduate.

The thing about this website that intrigues me is that really simple projects can actually win, you don’t need a doctorate to compete. In fact, the winner last month is a Penn State college student! Check it out or try your own idea!