 FAMU student winners of VMed LLC |
 Bennie Fowler and Crystal Werthem of Ford with Kevin Frasier |
The Ford HBCU Business Classic Finals distributed of over $100,000 in scholarship prizes to five student teams that presented winning business plans. The three-year-old Ford HBCU Business Classic narrowed down the list of hundreds of contest teams from historically black colleges and universities across the country who then convened at Clark Atlanta University. The contest finals will be televised on TV-One with celebrity judges; actor Boris Kodjoe, Rainforest Films co-founder Will Hardy, “The Apprentice” winner Dr. Randal Pinkett, George Fraser of Frasernet and Atlanta Tribune CEO Pat Lottier.
 Boris Kodjoe speaks to Will Packer and Randall Pinkett |
Ford Motor Company executives said the contest serves several functions. “On behalf of Ford Motor Company, we are investing back in our communities,” said Bennie Fowler, group vice president of global quality. “I think about [when] I went to an HBCU. Most of our thoughts were about getting a job in the corporate world. But I think today was a marvelous display of getting African Americans thinking about owning their own businesses and [how] to present their business plans to prospective investors.”
Evan Anderson and Emerson Naylor of Florida A&M University, and the founders of V-Med LLC, won the $50,000 first prize. “Putting together our presentation and practicing … generated a great amount of anticipation for the final time that we were able to get up on stage,” said Anderson. His partner was equally jubilant. “I feel a sense of great satisfaction. It’s a feeling that all of our hard work and preparation really paid off and we [gave] our best performance today when it really counted the most,” says Emerson Naylor.
 George Fraser, Boris Kodjoe, Pat Lottier |
FAMU alumni native Crystal Werthem offered another message to the five finalist teams. Werthem, who was classmates with Rainforest Films co-founders Will Packer and Rob Hardy, V-103-Atlanta radio personality Rashan Ali, and Oscar Joyner, president of Reach Media and Tom Joyner’s son says that relationship building is paramount to success. “What I wanted to get across to the students today is, make sure you get to know each other. Because relationships that you have now can turn into wealth building later on …” Werthem said. “Tons of us that went to school together and still interacting today and creating opportunities for each other.”
Through cultural unity and entrepreneurship, the community will be able to maximize its economic clout and obtain self-sufficiency. – terry shropshire
