Chaminade Business Plan Contest

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As Chaminade University accepts funding for its computer loan program,it also plans to give out money for a business competition - both in partnership with American Savings Bank.

A cash prize of $15,000 will go to the group with the best non-profit business plan with new and innovative social service programs in a competition sponsored by the bank and the Hogan Family Foundation. Deadline to submit a letter of intent to compete is Sept. 21, and the business plan itself should be in by Oct.19.Finalists will present their plan to a panel of judges from the business community, with winners announced in December. Prizes of $10,000, and $5,000 will go to the second and third place winners.An additional prize of 120 hours of free marketing communications counseling from Loomis-ISC goes to the most compelling project. To enter, call 739-4673.

“From our research there’s only one other university, Yale, that has a non-profit business plan competition,“said Ann Lujan, assistant to the director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial program.“One of our previous winners went on to compete in that. It really serves the interest in the community, and it helps whoever is in the target market of that organization.”

The Kaimuki private college, meanwhile,has won a $10,000 grant from American Savings for 12 laptop computers, which will be installed in Chaminade’s Sullivan Family Library, now under construction. The ASB grant came through the Hawaiian Electric Industries Charitable Foundation. The laptops will be used in a loan program so students may borrow computers for research and writing projects to use in the library.