Joan Harvey

Collegiate Entrepreneur from New Jersey Wins East Coast Competition

Madison, NJ (May 7, 2004)—Russell Hancock, a student at Mercer County Community College, was named the 2004 East Coast Collegiate Entrepreneur at an awards ceremony held at FDU’s College at Florham campus on May 3.

Hancock, the founder of RnR Services, a landscaping business that now serves almost 200 lawn mowing and landscaping accounts (commercial and residential) and employs seven people, was awarded $1,000 as the first placed winner in the New Jersey division. As overall winner of the competition, he automatically advances to the North American competition, where the top prize is $10,000.

The second place winner in the New Jersey division was Jon Brennfleck, a student at Rider University, who founded Brennfleck’s Lawn Service, a company providing all season outdoor maintenance.

The East Coast competition, coordinated by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies, includes students enrolled in colleges in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Delaware and is conducted in conjunction with the North American Collegiate Entrepreneur Awards program coordinated by St. Louis University in Missouri. First place winners in each division receive $1,000 and second place winners receive $500.

In the Connecticut division, the first place winner was Yusuf Quasim, a student of Quinnipiac University, whose company, Digitaleffex, produces unique web sites. Second place Connecticut winner was Ryan Lair, also a student at Quinnipiac University. His company, Synergetic Studies, is a web marketing firm.

Delaware division winners were both students attending the University of Delaware. First place winner was Adam Freedman, whose company, Adam Freedman Enterprises, LLC, is a small enterprise firm focusing on new business ventures. Second place went to Christopher Bornemann, founder of 3SN, LLC, a company investing in real estate and vacation properties.

The first place winner for New York was Matt Dacey, a student at Syracuse University. His company, One Click Video, is able to provide speedy delivery to customers’ dorm rooms or apartments from a selection of over 3,500 titles. Joshua Mohrer, a student at Columbia University, was awarded second place as founder of Rational Fashion, Inc., a company selling men’s designer clothing at discount prices using an integrated dual-channel model of eBay and direct web sales.

This year’s competition was judged by George Taber, president of NJ Biz, Erik Ipsen, deputy managing editor for Crain’s New York Business, De DelBello, CEO/publisher of Fairfield County Business Journal (CT) and James B. Streit, Jr., publisher of the New Castle Business Ledger (DE). Sponsors of the competition included Wachovia and the Edison Venture Fund.

Winners photo link