Frederick Community College will host its fifth annual Business Plan Contest this spring, when three FCC student finalists will compete for scholarships provided by M&T Bank. The contest is sponsored by the FCC Business Studies program and FCC Foundation Inc.
 
All currently enrolled FCC students are invited to develop a complete business plan that will be evaluated by a panel of local business leaders. From those applicants, three finalists will be chosen to present their business plans to a judges’ panel of local business experts, similar to the popular ABC show, “Shark Tank.”
 
The business experts will name the first, second, and third place winners, who will receive scholarships that can be used at FCC or to further their education at another college or university.
 
• First place - $3,000 scholarship
• Second place - $2,000 scholarship
• Third place - $1,000 scholarship
 
This year’s panel of experts will include Lisa Ausherman, Amazing Spaces Design; Sherman Coleman, Business Development Specialist and Minority Business Outreach with the Frederick County Office of Economic Development; and Chris Hannaby, Vice President/Team Leader, M&T Bank.
 
To participate, FCC students must submit an online application on or before 11:59 p.m. on March 23, 2018. Final business plan submissions are due on or before 11:59 p.m. on April 13, 2018. Finalists will be notified by April 20 and final presentations will be held Wednesday, April 25, at 11:00 a.m. in the FCC Student Center, Room H102A.
 
More information, such as a business plan outline and financial templates, links to the online application and submission forms, and a complete list of contest rules, are available here. Questions may be directed to Professor Larry Devan.