The Thomas J. & Bette Wolff Family Program in Entrepreneurship

Director, Dr. Michael Lubatkin

An initiative of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CCEI)

The Wolff Family Program in Entrepreneurship exists to bring successful entrepreneurs into contact with the University's students. The program sponsors an endowed chair position awarded in April 2000, to Professor Michael H. Lubatkin, who now serves as the Thomas John & Bette Wolff Family Chair in Strategic Entrepreneurship.

Since 1998, the program has sponsored the Annual Wolff Business Plan Competition. UConn MBA students enrolled in a business plan writing course (MGMT 5895: "Entrepreneurship: Gaining Competitive Advantage") submit plans individually or in teams. Their instructor selects the finalists from the plans submitted, and those students compete for prizes totaling $10,000. First place winners receive $5,000, second place winners receive $2,500, third place winners receive $1,500, and fourth place winners receive $1,000.

On the day of the competition, the competitors present their plans to an audience consisting of Distinguished Judges, School of Business faculty and staff, and students enrolled in an entrepreneurship class. The Judges then cast their votes. Following a break, there is an interactive discussion allowing the audience to pose questions to the competitors. Prior to the competition, the entrepreneurship course students and professor are the only audience members who have read the Business Plans in full, allowing them to ask questions that go beyond their 20-minute Business Plan Pitch, requiring the competitors to elaborate on certain areas, or to point out potential weaknesses in their plan that should be addressed. An Award Ceremony closes the competition with the competitors being presented certificates by a Wolff family representative and Dr. Lubatkin.

2008: The 11th Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Kevin Roth, "PileSurfer, LLC"

2nd Place: Richard Hurd, "Veritas Skin Rx"

3rd Place: Giovanni ("Johnny") Barbalaco, "Satellite Office Solutions"

4th Place: Obichi Ikechi, "Ikechi International Trading"

Distinguished Judges

Kevin Bouley, President & CEO, Nerac, Inc.

Gene Grayson, Retired Travelers Corporation Executive

Liddy Karter, Managing Director, Karter Capital Advisors LLC

Gary Wolff, CLU, ChFC, President, Wolff Insurance, Inc.

2007: The 10th Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Pranay Mittal, "euChanel"

2nd Place: Thomas Orkisz, "Inline Plastics Corporation"

3rd Place: Renee Jackson and Rosalina Mendoza, "ReBUILD"

4th Place: Andrew Hibbert and William Butler, "ManTime"

Distinguished Judges

Kevin Bouley, President & CEO, Nerac, Inc.

Juan Florin, Assistant Professor in Residence, University of Connecticut

Liddy Karter, Managing Director, Karter Capital Advisors LLC

Gary Wolff, CLU, ChFC, President, Wolff Insurance, Inc.

2006: The 9th Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Kevin Gardiner, "RI * Biodiesel"

2nd Place: Jennifer Krynick, "HYPE (Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs)"

3rd Place: Chandrashekhar Sattiraju, "Angel Arc"

4th Place: Dana Al-Husseini and Daniel Enson, "D-Squared"

Distinguished Judges

Kevin Bouley, President & CEO, Nerac, Inc.

Juan Florin, Assistant Professor in Residence, University of Connecticut

Gary Wolff, CLU, ChFC, President, Wolff Insurance, Inc.

2005: The 8th Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place (tie): Claude Durepo, "Science-4-U"

1st Place (tie): Katherine Giordano, "The Insatiable Cyclist"

2nd Place: Gregory Tedeschi, "Gynalltest Laboratory"

3rd Place: Sachindra Jha, "SelectFone"

Distinguished Judges

Ted Baker, Assistant Professor of Management, UConn School of Business

Harry Birkenruth, Consultant, Rogers Corporation (retired President & CEO)

John Strahley, Vice President, Webster Bank National Association

Gary Wolff, CLU, ChFC, President, Wolff Insurance, Inc.

2004: The 7th Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Charles Calvert and Brandon Phelps, "WAZOO"

2nd Place: Gerald Stone, "Innovations In-D-Lab, Inc."

3rd Place: Seme Ndzana, "The African Independent"

4th Place: Michael Dooley and Matthew Pekar, "Boatswain Mate, LLC"

Distinguished Judges

Richard Cheney, Regional Director, CT Small Business Development Center

Jeff Hubbard, VP-Reg. Manager, Webster Bank, Small Business Services Div.

Gregory Wolff, Managing Member, Wolff-Zackin Financial, LLC

Andrew Zaback, Managing Director, Next Generation Ventures, LLC (NextGen)

2003: The 6th Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Marie Browne-Lileika, "Event Experts"

2nd Place (tie): Trish Hussey, "Embellishment of Old Greenwich"

2nd Place (tie): Jeffrey Manzi, "Benecs"

3rd Place: Eric Nordquist, "Personal Insurance Alternative Risk Transfer Co."

Distinguished Judges

Richard Cheney, Regional Director, CT Small Business Development Center

Philip Lodewick, President, Tradewell Corporation

David Pepin, Founder, Next Generation Ventures, LLC (NextGen)

Gary Wolff, CLU, ChFC, President, Wolff Insurance, Inc.

2002: The 5th Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Aaron Wallace, "Market Direct"

2nd Place: Ed Whalen, "Clinical Marketing Information, Inc."

3rd Place: John Danielsen, Lisa Ducharme, Kirsten Ferries, "Pick-Me-Up"

4th Place: Timothy Vest, "TravelAd Corp."

Distinguished Judges

Dennis Gruell, State Director, CT Small Business Development Center

Philip Lodewick, President & CEO, The Tradewell Corporation

David Pepin, Founder, Next Generation Ventures, LLC (NextGen)

Gregory Wolff, Managing Member, Wolff-Zackin Financial, LLC

2001: The 4th Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Henry Sagman, "CommuterJunction.com"

2nd Place (tie): Cortland Esch, "Auto Care Central"

2nd Place (tie): Nicole & Martin Green, "Embedded Solutions Consulting, LLC"

3rd Place: Samudrala Murthy, "Applied Robotics International, Inc."

Distinguished Judges

Richard Cheney, Regional Director, CT Small Business Development Center

Laura Estes, independent new venture assessment/invesment

David Korn, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Bletchley Park Advisors, LLC

Gary Wolff, CLU, ChFC, President, Wolff Insurance, Inc.

2000: The 3rd Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Jed & Amie Benedict, "Horse Ridge Cellars, LLC"

2nd Place: Wei Luo, "Wayland Gourmet, Inc."

3rd Place: Christofer Christoforou, "Daedalus Technologies, Inc."

4th Place: Jitendra Patel, "Quasar Communications"

Distinguished Judges

Eldon Bernstein, Professor of Marketing, Lynn University

Steven Rogers, President, Subway Development Corp. of New England

Ronald Shaw, President & CEO, Pilot Pen Corporation

Gary Wolff, CLU, ChFC, President, Wolff Insurance, Inc.

1999: The 2nd Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Hannah Mills Everard, "Let's Eat Out, LLC"

2nd Place: Lynne Dillman, "A-Waves: The Stereo Optimizer"

3rd Place: Scott MacCloy, "Videbago"

4th Place: Derek Ezovski, Gregory Fedele, Karen Spring, "TCOMP Associates"

Distinguished Judges

William Berkley, Founder & CEO, W.R. Berkley Corporation

Dennis & Joan Rusconi, Founders, The Rusconi Company

David Salvin, CEO, IQ Financial Systems

Thomas Wolff, Founder, Wolff-Zackin and Associates

1998: The 1st Annual Business Plan Competition

Competitors

1st Place: Reed Overby, "Employer Services Group"

2nd Place: Jason Ward, "Kiss and Make-Up"

3rd Place: Craig Connel, "Munchkin Originals"

The Wolff Program is funded from a generous endowment and annual gift from one of UConn's most distinguished alumni, Thomas J. Wolff, his wife, Bette and their children, Debra, Gary and Greg. A 1956 UConn cum laude economics graduate, Thomas Wolff is a salesman, entrepreneur, lecturer and educator who qualified for 32 consecutive years in The Million Dollar Round Table. He is founder of Wolff-Zackin & Associates, an all-lines insurance agency. Past president of the Hartford, Connecticut and National Association of Life Underwriters, he was selected by Leader’s Magazine as one of the 20 most outstanding insurance salesmen in the world. Recipient of the industry’s highest honor, the John Newton Russell Award, and the Bickley Founder’s Medal, he has authored several books on capital and financial needs analyses and asset management. Mr. Wolff has received UConn’s 25th University Medal, the Distinguished Alumni Award and the UConn Club’s Outstanding Contribution Award, he was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, and he was named Southern New England’s Entrepreneur of the Year. He has been an active participant in the School of Business, serving on its Board of Overseers. As a family, the Wolff’s stand among the University’s top donors, with the Wolff Family Program in Entrepreneurship representing their signature endowment.