Zach Heywood, a USU Eastern freshman from Utah County, was crowned winner of theВ inaugural Concept to Company contest at the college March 29.
The winning idea was entitled Roaring Expressions. Roaring Expressions is to be a characterВ education performance group which would visit elementary schools and performВ thirty-minute skits teaching students aboutВ characteristics the Utah Education Network has deemed necessaryВ for young children to learn while attending elementary school.
“It shouldn’t just be up to the teachers to educate the young peopleВ in the community,” Heywood said. “I believe we should all lend a helping hand inВ promoting not only the character education of these children but everyВ other form of education. They’re looking to us as the older and wiserВ to teach them something new every day.”
With concepts ranging from a coffee shop to power generators forВ disaster areas throughout the world, the finalists stood and presentedВ their ideas to those in attendance.
Then at the end of the public presentations the six finalists met privately with judges.В The finalists gave five-minute presentations describing what the idea was, who it would benefit, how viable the idea was, and how the award would be used.
After each presentation the judges were allotted an additional five minutesВ to ask questions about the idea. The judges then met together and decided on a winner. However, those in attendance were also given the opportunity to vote for the winner as if they were investors.
Roaring Expressions would help in integrating the arts into schools and would alsoВ give college students currently invested in the arts the opportunityВ to build real world resume experience in the area they are looking toВ pursue. These opportunities include writing the skits and/or music, and performing the skits in schools.
There will also be aВ children’s television show premiering on local television station ETVВ Channel 10 sometime this year that would bring local children theВ opportunity to invest local.
“With the shop local ads up around the county I began to think. WhyВ can’t we push watch local as well,” said Heywood. “With this in mind, I’m hopingВ that thisВ children’s television show will help young people invest in localВ television as well as helping promote local spending.”
The winner was awarded:
- A $500 check
- A new iPad
- Two $500 scholarships
- 6 month’s FREE office space through the Business and Technical Assistance Center
- Advertising with KOAL & KUSA at a $750 value
- Carbon County Chamber of Commerce: one year free membership for 2013
- Carbon County Chamber of Commerce: one free quarter-page ad in the chamber directory for 2013
- A $5000 guaranteed loan through the BTAC.
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“I want to thank my wife for her endless support and help withВ developing the idea, my parents for obvious reasons, ETV Channel 10 for its support, Elaine Youngberg and Larry Severied for their help with theВ editing process, and my older brother for his enthusiasm andВ willingness to jump when needed,” Heywood said. “I’m very grateful for thisВ opportunity and I hope to make the most of everything I’ve been given.В Thanks as well to all of those who have made this opportunityВ possible; the BTAC, CCCC, USU Eastern,В Zion’sВ Bank, KOAL, KUSA, and theВ Mike Loveless family. Thanks.”
For more information on getting involved you can either contact ZachВ Heywood directly at 637-6658 or email at zachariah.heywood@gmail.com.