Casey Cagle, who won first place in the Emporia Entrepreneur Challenge, won third place in the Kansas Entrepreneur Challenge on May 4.
All Kansas Board of Regent schools were invited to attend the event in Manhattan. With the win, Cagle took home $1,000 for his “Prairie Earth Tours” concept — a Kansas based tourism company that will cater to international student and out of state residents.
The competition consisted of two rounds — a 90-second pitch to the judges, and a five-minute formal presentation followed by seven minutes of question and answer with the judges.
“In a competitive field of our state’s best new entrepreneurs, Casey stood on a stage and masterfully delivered his Prairie Earth Tours concept,” said Dr. Nathan Woolard, assistant professor of business administration, who attended the event with Cagle.
“His placing third is just reconfirmation that there is a need for his company, but, more importantly, a need for young entrepreneurs in Kansas.”