Tracy-area rabbit raiser wins Entrepreneur Challenge
A business idea involving grass-fed, free-range rabbits won the San Joaquin Entrepreneur Challenge on Wednesday night.
Tracy-area resident Frankie Arburua III scored highest with an expert panel and audience voters in the annual event. People from Stanislaus and seven nearby counties vied for $22,500 in cash and professional services.
Niles Jackson, owner of Golden State Striping in Stockton, was runner-up with a tool that allows workers to remain standing while setting chalk lines on the ground.
It was the second time in the contest’s six years that the winner did not come from Stanislaus County.
Arburua was among eight contestants entering the final two rounds of the challenge. Each had five minutes to present the business idea and outline the market opportunity and challenges, startup costs, initial sales projections, company management and business exit strategies.
After the first vote, four finalists had to respond to a range of business challenges posed by the judges.
“What a shock. Oh, man,” Arburua said shortly after he took first place in the “American Idol”-style competition before a live audience at Stockton Golf & Country Club. “I still can’t believe it happened.”
The other contestants Wednesday were:
▪ Elias Ruiz of Hughson, whose plastic foam raft can be used for fishing and other water activities.
▪ Erin Bell of Modesto, with a ceramic pendant that diffuses essential oils.
▪ Octavio Valencia of Merced, who entered a remote-controlled, reusable piñata that records personalized messages.
▪ Cole Przybyla of Sonora, with a 360-degree video camera.
▪ Ashley Drain of Stockton, with a mobile app and website for locating food carts.
▪ Lakhvir Singh of Stockton, with a mobile surveillance system.
The contest is sponsored by the San Joaquin Angels investment group with help from several businesses and economic development organizations.
The challenge provided rewards to all the participants, said Nate McBride, one of the organizers and director of the Small Business Development Center at San Joaquin Delta College.
He noted that Bell, founder of This One’s Mine Ceramic Design, said participating in the contest had prompted her to move forward with her business planning and development.
“The prizes are great, but helping people move forward with their ideas is what it’s all about,” McBride said.
Arburua, a fourth-generation Californian who expects to graduate from the University of the Pacific this spring and whose business professor prompted him to enter the contest, agreed.
“Everyone was a winner because the competition was so enlightening for all of us,” he said. “It was fantastic.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Tracy-area rabbit raiser wins Entrepreneur Challenge."