Citadel veteran student wins the 10th annual Baker Business Bowl, receives $10,000 for their business plan

Tsuboi Agriculture is the winner of the 10th annual Baker Business Bowl and went home with a $10,000 check to start the business.

A locally branded company, Tsuboi Agriculture will cultivate Australian Red Claw Crayfish in large aquaculture conditions. Their goal is to provide high-end seafood restaurants and consumers with a cost-efficient, sustainable, better tasting and continuous supply of lobster-like products. As a one-person team, veteran student Austin Hronek wrote the business plan that carried him through all three rounds of the Baker Business Bowl.

“It is a tremendous blessing and opportunity to have participated in the Baker Business Bowl. There were a lot of other great business ideas that participated in the competition. I am forever grateful to the support that family, friends, Citadel faculty, the judges, the sponsors and event organizers gave to the success of Tsuboi Argiculture,” said Hronek.

The second-place winner of the Baker Business Bowl, and recipient of a $5,000 check, was team Baffling Solutions. Made up of Cadets Gabriel Wentworth, Elis Buttry, Calvin Brodersen and Charles Geiger, this company will create a trailer-moving robot named Argo. It aims to make moving trailers safe and convenient with a durable and easy-to-maintain product.

In the first round of the BBB, teams submitted an application that consisted of a team name and for explaining the business idea. Round two consisted of the remaining teams presenting an elevator pitch to a team of judges, who then determined which teams moved on to the final round. This final round included five teams giving a full business plan – including marketing, pricing, production strategies and other relevant business details – through a professional presentation. Cadets, undergraduate students and graduate students can participate in the Baker Business Bowl.

The other finalists for the BBB were Team Passive Dredging Solutions, Team Oasis Verde and Team Reddere.

This year’s panel of judges included:
• Mark Dajani
• Stephen C. Evans
• Darlene Filan
• Dr. Al Lovvorn
• Debby Marindin
• Doug McFarland
• Charlie O’Brien
• David Saulnier, ‘89
• Rene Studer
• Mona J Simmons
• Derek Willis

This event is made possible through the generous donations of The Citadel Class of 1989, Jeff Cobb, William Hancock, CPA, and Dan D. Nale, PE, ’82. Click here to learn more about this program and the Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business.