Sammamish students placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the high school division of WSU Business Plan competition held on the Pullman campus April 17.

WSU department of Business and Entrepreneurial Studies conducts the event to enable students to capitalize on their ideas, inventions and innovations. The quality and vision of the program is nationally recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as being among the best in the country.

Students are required to create an original business concept that they present to judges from the corporate world. The judges evaluate the concept on the basis potential profitability and innovation.

The competition is followed by an awards banquet where “Team Dolce” members Nabeel Chowdhury and Amanda Nelson won first place and received $2,000 for their French Bakery business. Connie Zhang, Lucy Quach and Danita Gill won second place and received $750 for creating a teen nightclub called “Chips and Dips.” Third place went to Uncle J’s, a cajun/southern style restaurant and its members Joey Mitchell and Jarrett Gifford received $450.

“The Business Plan Competition allowed me to use the knowledge that I learned inside the classroom in a lifelike situation,” Nabeel said. “WSU provided a professional atmosphere and all of the participants were excited to be there to compete.”