UNLV team takes second in tristate business contest

Waste Alternatives Transformation Technologies, an undergraduate business-plan team from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, took second place in the inaugural Tri-State Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup competition in Las Vegas.

The new competition brings together three collegiate-business-plan competitions and features the top two undergraduate and graduate team winners from Nevada, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Waste Alternative Transformation Technologies team members Keeton Little, Josh Beilin and Kyle George took home the $15,000 second-place prize and a trophy. Their faculty adviser, Janet Runge, received $2,500. The company was developed to holistically address urban waste management and energy issues.

Nantiox of the University of Oklahoma, Norman, took first place in the Tri-State contest's undergraduate category. Nantiox developed a biotech platform pharmaceutical technology for ophthalmic diseases.

MerchantEyes LLC of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, won the graduate category; Perpetual Pharmaceuticals of the University of Oklahoma, Norman took second.

MerchantEyes developed Web-based software for tracking and validating in-store retail merchandising. Perpetual Pharmaceuticals is developing a self-regulating, glucose-sensing, insulin delivery system for diabetics.

The Arkansas Capital Corp. started the Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup, now in its eighth year in Arkansas. The Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation, an affiliate of the Arkansas Capital Corporation Group, manages the competition; the Las Vegas-based Donald W. Reynolds Foundation funds it.

Call 800-216-7237 or 501-374-9247 or visit www.dwrgovernorscup.org for information on the Governor's Cup.