(San Diego, Calif. – May 4, 2009) – During the annual Entrepreneur Enrichment Program (EEP) dinner and awards program at Point Loma Nazarene University, Jacob Willis of Allure Album Designs was selected as PLNU’s 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year.
EEP Director Professor Randy M. Ataide said, “Jacob’s plan brings together all of the elements of a business venture that is bound for success. He is solving an existing problem in the photography business by significantly reducing the time it takes to create a wedding album, creating a ‘win-win’ solution for not only the photographer but the customer.”
The technology-based process developed by Willis reduces the time it takes to create an album by approximately two-thirds, allowing the photographer to generate additional income through increased productivity.
One of Willis’s mentors was Mrs. Suzi Grunau of Reedley, Calif., who brought significant banking, investment and marketing expertise to the Allure Project.
“The concept of up-selling album pages, the easy one-step ordering process and quick turnaround for the complete album gives Allure significant competitive advantage. Jacob is well on the road to success with his business,” stated Grunau.
Willis received $3,000 from the EEP endowment and donors, as well as a standing ovation by the packed venue. Work on launching Allure Album Designs is well underway by Willis, a San Diego based-photographer and entrepreneur and 2008 graduate of PLNU.
Additional awards were given to Ashleigh Livingston and Carrie Stewart, who received the $200 Social Entrepreneur Scholarship for their Nu Intentions Jewelry Co., which involves women from the third world creating fair-trade jewelry. Taking home the Dave and Dorothy Latter Free Enterprise Scholarship of $250 was Amanda Kleen of the Lighter1 Company, which offers an innovative, bear-proof food container with a remarkable cooking lid, and the team of Paul Gentry and Jim Houliston with The Dagger Project, an organization that is attracting youth to the Bible by stenciling art onto Bible covers. All participants in the 2008-09 EEP earned $500 to help further their entrepreneurial interests.
The PLNU EEP strives to involve students from all undergraduates and graduate programs, and the wide diversity of participants and projects makes for an interesting exposition. Under the leadership of Dr. Bruce Schooling, dean of the Fermanian School of Business, and Professor Randy Ataide, EEP director, the EEP continues to grow. Entrepreneurship and small business start-up are key program elements within the Fermanian School of Business.
While many business plan competitions at colleges and universities have a “winner takes all” format, PLNU’s EEP takes a different approach with teams of two or three mentors assigned to work with each of the student-entrepreneurs throughout the months-long process. At the concluding EEP Banquet each spring, all of the plans and students are honored.
For more information on the Entrepreneur Enrichment Program and the efforts of the Fermanian School of Business in fostering San Diego and global based entrepreneurship in both for-profit and non-profit ventures, contact RandyAtaide@pointloma.edu.
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Point Loma Nazarene University is a selective liberal arts university located in San Diego, California, and sits on a 90-acre campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In addition to more than 50 undergraduate areas of study, PLNU offers graduate program regional centers in Bakersfield, Arcadia, and Mission Valley (San Diego). Founded in 1902, PLNU serves more than 3,500 students.