For Malamiah Juice Bar owner Jermale Eddie, his ability to impact the greater Grand Rapids community as an entrepreneur is more important than the bottom line.

“Our mission essentially is to elevate community health through healthy products, community partnerships and youth employment,” Eddie said.

Three years ago, Eddie opened Malamiah Juice Bar at the Downtown Market with his wife after a transformative experience with juicing. This October, he won 5×5 Night and took home $5,00 in cash along with $5,000 in legal services from Varnum LLP.  

Although Eddie had no formal business experience, he and his wife spent a couple of years in Texas starting a church from the ground up– an experience that he said was instrumental later on in managing the learning curve of starting a business.

GVSU students Jordan Vanderham and Zoe Bruyn have been sweeping the business competition circuit as of late. Both took home top prizes on Nov. 3 at Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, a statewide competition held at the Cobo Center in Detroit. One week later, Bruyn won a total of $11,000 at the Michigan Women’s Foundation Dolphin Tank Competition, while Vanderham took home $25,000 at Wake Forest University’s Retail and Health Innovation Competition. They have won a total of $84,000 between the two of them this year alone for their respective ventures. Neu checked in with the two seniors to talk about their experiences, and how they are applying their winnings.

Jermale Eddie of Malamiah Juice Bar took home the $5,000 cash prize along with $5,000 in legal services from Varnum Law at this month’s 5×5 Night, held on Tuesday in the Loosemore Forum at the Siedman College of Business at GVSU. Malamiah Juice Bar is located in the Downtown Market, and the $5,000 will go towards purchasing a truck to add a mobile competent to their business. Neu will be following up with Eddie next month to check on the impact of the $5,000.

Among those pitching were Jordan Vanderham, an engineering student and founder of Orindi Ventures; members of the Michigan Literacy Project from the College of Education; Carolyn Scharf of the Kirkhof College of Nursing for a program that provides curated i-pods for dementia patients; and Filiciano Paredes for Campesino SOS, an app that connects migrant farm workers and farmers.

Congratulations to Jermale Eddie and all of the presenters!

Voting is now open for next month’s 5×5 Night, which will take place in Grand Rapids at The ROC at Rockford Construction.  The event will be held entirely in Spanish. Headsets will be available to translate for English speakers.

Three student teams from Grand Valley State University have been selected out of 65 applicants as semi-finalists for the 7th Annual Student Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. On Nov. 3,  Grand Valley teams EZIV LLC, Stir it Up LLC, and Orindi Ventures will compete with 27 other semi-finalists from colleges and universities from around the state of Michigan for up to $20,000 in cash prizes. Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition is one of the largest business competitions in the country and brings together the top student-led businesses in the region.

Grand Valley senior Zoe Bruyn is a first time semi-finalist. Her bakery, Stir it Up, employs individuals with specials needs while providing them with a safe environment where they can grow their skills.

“I am very happy about it,” Bruyn said. “I think it is a really great opportunity. Even if I don’t come away with a prize, the opportunity to present your idea and get feedback is exciting.”

She said that if she does win, the money will go towards purchasing commercial equipment and marketing materials as she expands her operation.

Director at the Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI) Shorouq Almallah and Entrepreneur in Residence Matt Larson will be coaching Bruyn, along with Jordan Vanderham of Orindi Ventures and Nelson Schrader of EZIV, as they refine their pitches and prepare for the final competition.

The final competition will take place from 11:20am-4:00pm on November 3rd at the Cobo Center in Detroit. Winners will be announced at the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition dinner reception at 5:30pm.

Congratulations to the Grand Valley semi-finalists!

Reiner Fontain-Perez

Age: 22 

Year participated in TESA: 2009

Wyoming High School

Neu: How did you become interested in TESA? Were you already interested in entrepreneurship?

Reiner Fontain-Perez : Definitely. My business teacher actually introduced me to the program, and so I looked at it and the description seemed really nice. I was very into entrepreneurship, and I competed in Business Professionals of America (BPA). So I was like, “Okay, I want to experience this.”

Neu: Can you tell us about the business that you and your group came up with?

RFP: That was a long time ago…I think we came up with one a business that was eco-friendly, but I don’t remember the specifics. That was kind of the key thing that I got out of the program–the ability to be able to coordinate ideas, to be put into a specific situation and in a very short time period be able to prepare and have a presentable idea at the end.

Neu: How has TESA influenced your life–your career choices, your education choices? What do you think the most important thing you’ve learned is? And what would you tell someone that is interested in trying TESA but may be hesitant to try something new?

RFP: At the time, one of the most important things I got out of TESA was being put into a situation that I wasn’t really comfortable with. I did not know anyone that was participating in TESA, so that was very valuable to me. Even though I felt a little uncomfortable, it kind of got me out of my comfort zone. Since then, it has definitely helped me and I try to cherish those opportunities as much as I can, because its definitely a very important thing to be able to do. Especially right now–(TESA) was like five or six years ago, I am currently working my first engagement in Kansas City, MS, which I knew no one there from the area, from the office or from the engagement team. So being able to have that experience earlier on definitely helps with collaboration later on.

Another thing that I learned was that it is important to be able to make good relationships. A lot of relationships I made during those couple of years (in TESA), I still connect with them now. At the same time, I also met Peg Shoenborn (Lead TESA Instructor).  Later on, I saw her at BPA, another competition, and then I saw her at Grand Rapids Community College as an instructor. We made a BPA chapter there. We made an agreement with Davenport University and started a BPA chapter there, which allowed a first place competitor in nations to be considered  for a full ride scholarship at Davenport. I was able to get the first place in nationals and I got the full ride scholarship. So you can see how one very good relationship can lead to a multitude of opportunities. That is what I would kind of suggest for the students–try to make the most of it and step out of your comfort zone, meet new people.