Monday, December 1st, 2008

Business savvy earns scholarship award

KU student wins national Hispanic competition for tanning salon start up plan

Julio Mata Jr. took first place in a national competition for his business plan on a bilingual tanning salon. The award came with a $2,000 scholarship and internship opportunities.

By Jeff Deters

Friday, November 2nd, 2007

Julio Mata Jr. has never set foot in a tanning salon. But his business plan for a bilingual tanning salon has won a national award and earned him a $2,000 renewable four-year scholarship.

Mata, a Kansas City, Kan., freshman majoring in business management, won first place at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Bizfest, a competition and training program for high school and college students interested in a career in business. The competition, which ran from Sept. 19-22 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, required students to create a business plan complete with financial information. But Mata was, at one time, without a plan at all.

In regionals last spring, Mata a then-high school senior, was still searching for the right business idea just hours before presentations were due. One of his trainers then opened a phone book and on it were ads for tanning salons. Mata began his research at about midnight and stayed up until 4 a.m. working on his new plan. Mata’s late-night work paid off, however, as he finished second at regionals.

“I was confident in myself when I presented it,” he said. “So that’s what helped me. I didn’t think I was going to place second, but I thought I’d be in the top three.”

Mata said the concept of a bilingual tanning salon was incorporated because he speaks Spanish and English and thought the salon would be better equipped to serve customers.

At the Bizfest finals in September, Mata was again up until the wee hours of the morning getting more accurate financial numbers in regards to loans, rent, utility bills and other expenses. Mata was rewarded again but this time with the first-place award.

“I guess I work better under pressure,” he said.

In addition to the award and scholarship, Mata has been offered an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the USHCC Legislative Conference in March, an internship this summer with the USHCC in Washington, D.C. ,and another summer internship with Sprint.

Mata said one of the things he learned from the competition was the importance of networking. He said meeting people from Sprint and Google helped him learn a great deal about managing finances of big businesses. Mata said in the future he wanted to work in international business.

Susana Rodriguez, Kansas City, Kan., freshman, also competed at Bizfest. Rodriguez, a French and pre-medicine major, submitted a business plan called HealthCARE for All. It featured a clinic for Hispanics and uninsured people.

She said she chose that idea because a year ago her dad was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and his medical coverage expired, making his doctor visits difficult and expensive.

Rodriquez did not place at nationals but said she made new friends and enjoyed networking with business professionals.

“In Puerto Rico I met so many people that I have a lot in common with, and we still keep in touch,” she said.

Carlos Gomez, president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said that during the past five years Kansas City-area students had routinely placed in the top three of the competition but never first until this year.

“They did tremendous,” he said. “We are very proud of them.”

Rodriquez, who might someday want to open her own clinic, offered a suggestion to those interested in a business career: Always ask for the business cards of people you meet.

“You never know when you might need to contact them,” she said.

— Edited by Jeff Briscoe

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