A look back at 10 years of the Freirich Business Plan Competition
Over the past decade, more than 350 students representing 225 businesses have entered the Kenneth A. Freirich Business Plan Competition, a program that President Philip A. Glotzbach says “exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit at Skidmore.”
The competition — founded in 2010 by Ken Freirich ’90 with the help of Economics Professor Roy Rotheim — has evolved markedly in 10 years and has seemingly had just as meaningful of an impact on the over 125 alumni who have served as judges and mentors as it has on the students. The opportunities for mentorship have grown, the prizes have gotten bigger and the business ideas have become more diverse and far-reaching.
In this 10th anniversary year, however, a challenge no one could have anticipated — the global COVID-19 pandemic — turned life upside down in the middle of the spring semester, forcing the competition to adapt and move online. “In this highly unusual circumstance, virtual engagement allowed us to continue to recognize the incredibly hard work the students have put into this project,” says Rotheim, who also marked his final year as coordinator of the competition.
Roy Rotheim, seen here at the kickoff of the 10th annual Freirich Business Plan Competition in September, is passing the role of coordinator to Cathy Hill, teaching professor of management and business.
This year’s final round was held via videoconferencing, allowing students and judges to finish out the competition from a safe distance on April 17. Student entrepreneurs were awarded more than $50,000 in prizes, and first prize of $20,000 cash went to Maya Ling '20 and Emily Egan '20 for their herbal bakery business, Coven.
In looking to the future of the competition, Freirich recently announced he will fund an endowment that will allow it to continue in perpetuity, pledging $500,000 toward the College’s goal of a $1 million fund.
“The Business Plan Competition over the past 10 years has exceeded all of my expectations,” he says. “I want every student who has ever dreamed about starting a business to have the opportunity at Skidmore.”
Take a look back at 10 years of the competition in the spring issue of Scope magazine.
