Kemmons Wilson School Students Shine at Hospitality Entrepreneurship Summit

For release:  April 15, 2011

A team of students from the Kemmons Wilson School (KWS) placed first at the annual Hospitality Entrepreneurial Summit. The summit was held at the University of Delaware and was sponsored by Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels, McDonalds Restaurants and Darden Restaurants. The summit focused on hospitality business ownership and featured leading hospitality entrepreneurs and hotel and restaurant development executives. The keynote speaker at the event was Jack Markell, Governor for the State of Delaware. Eleven other universities participated in the summit.

The team from the University of Memphis won the award for the best business plan in the College & University category. The team’s business plan featured a restaurant concept, Aurora, which incorporated three current and future trends shaping the restaurant industry (incorporating technology in service delivery processes, emphasis on “clean living/eating” and corporate social responsibility into all aspects of the restaurant supply chain). The KWS team comprised: Daniel Goodwin (team captain), Whitney Jacks and Nathan Ellis. Dr. Leonard Jackson coordinated the team’s activities. The first place prize included a cash award of $2,500.

Photo: L-R: Dr. Leonard Jackson, Nathan Ellis, Whitney Jacks and Daniel Goodwin