Regional Competitions Begin in the Search for the World's Top Undergraduate Student...

Regional Competitions Begin in the Search for the World's Top Undergraduate
Student Entrepreneur

WASHINGTON, April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Entrepreneurs'
Organization, the world's most influential community of entrepreneurs, is
pleased to announce the first winners of the U.S. regional virtual
competitions of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, presented in
partnership with Mercedes-Benz Financial. The Global Student Entrepreneur
Awards recognize the world's top undergraduate student entrepreneur who is
juggling the demands of a full course load with running a business. To qualify
for the award, students must have an operating business that has been
generating revenue for at least six months.

Similar to Dell Computer founder Michael Dell, a former member of the
Entrepreneurs' Organization who started his company in his dorm room at
school, these students have a passion for entrepreneurship -- a leading driver
of economies worldwide.

In the United States, regional "virtual" competitions will take place over the
next six months, allowing students to present their businesses virtually to a
panel of successful entrepreneurs in a webinar-type format. The winner of the
first regional virtual competition, held March 28, was William Finkman, a
23-year-old student from California State University who runs a company called
I Sold it on Ebay. During his presentation, Finkman demonstrated success in
overcoming obstacles and a clear vision of where he wants to take his company.
The second place winner was Cameron Porter of Snowshack Oasis. Porter, a
student at Brigham Young University, has grown his company by more than 40
percent every year since its founding. Porter's company provides shaved ice
products.

The second virtual competition took place on April 10, and the winner was
22-year-old Craig Martyn from California State University, CEO of BLMA Models,
a provider of accessories to the model railroad community. The second place
winner was Scott Skelly from the University of Wisconsin. Skelly's business is
Corn Mazes of America, which provides services to farmers who are looking for
additional revenue through tourism.

According to Bob Strade, Managing Director of the Entrepreneurs' Organization,
"The uniqueness of this competition is that students are juggling the demands
of school while running, in some cases, multi-million dollar companies. We
want to support these students by recognizing their efforts and providing them
with connections to experts within our organization to help them further
expand their companies. We hope this competition inspires other students to
follow their entrepreneurial dreams."

Started at St. Louis University as a mid-west collegiate entrepreneur
competition, the Entrepreneurs' Organization has expanded the Global Student
Entrepreneur Awards program through its vast network of local chapters and has
helped to develop the program globally. For more information on the awards,
including a list of past winners and instructions for nominating a student,
visit the GSEA website at www.gsea.org.

About the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)
The Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) - for entrepreneurs only - is a dynamic
global network of more than 6,600 business owners in 38 countries. Founded in
1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO is the catalyst that enables
entrepreneurs to learn and grow from each other, leading to greater business
success and an enriched personal life. Membership in one of EO's 108 chapters
is by invitation only; the average member is 39 years old with annual revenues
of US$15.5 million. For more information on EO, visit www.eonetwork.org.

About Mercedes-Benz Financial
Mercedes-Benz Financial provides financing for Mercedes-Benz dealers'
inventories and their retail customers. Currently, 350,000 drivers in the
United States enjoy the benefits of leasing or financing their Mercedes-Benz
vehicles through Mercedes-Benz Financial, which is part of DaimlerChrysler
Financial Services Americas LLC. DCFSA's group of companies operates in the
United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and South America. DCFSA is part of
the DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Group, headquartered in Berlin,
Germany, which operates in 39 countries and has an employee base close to
11,000 and a global portfolio of approximately $147 billion. DaimlerChrysler
Financial Services Group is one of the leading financial services enterprises
worldwide. For more information visit www.MercedesBenzFinancial.com.

About St. Louis University
Saint Louis University'sJohn Cook School of Business is EO's senior strategic
partner for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards. The School originally
founded the awards in 1988 as the Midwest Collegiate Entrepreneur Awards
program. Throughout the 1990s, SLU's Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
extended the program within the United States, expanding to Asia, Europe and
Latin America in the last five years. The Entrepreneurs' Organization assumed
the administration of the awards in January 2006, with the Cook School
continuing to serve on EO's GSEA administrative and judging boards, as well as
a regional sponsor of GSEA. EO looks forward to building upon SLU's strong
foundation as it creates the premiere global learning community for emerging
entrepreneurs.

SOURCE Entrepreneurs' Organization

Aislinn Raedy of Entrepreneurs' Organization, +1-703-837-6095,
araedy@eonetwork.org