Opportunity Quest

This is a business innovation competition for Utah Valley State College (UVSC) students. The competition fosters and promotes business growth at the college level by giving students a chance to organize, direct, and present a business concept to a panel of judges. $4,000 in cash will be awarded to the top competitors.

Any student at UVSC may enter. All teams must be organized and directed by a UVSC student.

Register now!

The Judges Circle

Ken FaklerSBDC, Managing Director
Ken Fakler was born and raised in Provo, Utah.  After graduating from
Provo High School, he attended the University of Notre Dame in South
Bend, Indiana, where he graduated with a bachelors degree in accounting with a minor in finance.  He then attended the University of Utah and graduated with a Masters of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Marketing.  When Ken finished at the University of Utah, he went to Fort Knox Kentucky where he graduated from the Armor Officers Basic School in the United States Army Armor Corp.  When he finished with the army, he moved with his wife back to Provo and raised two daughters.  Ken joined his father and brother where he helped manage and grow Fakler Tire Service, Inc. into five Utah County locations.
Fakler Tire Service was involved in retailing, wholesaling, and commercial distribution; and the re-treading of tires through out central Utah for 35 years.  Ken also was an adjunct instructor for 14 years at Utah Valley State College in the Business Management Department where he taught finance, entrepreneurship, and small business management classes.  Ken was a member of the Provo Rotary club for 16 years, and he has been a member of Riverside Country club since 1988.  He has been affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, and Orem City Girls Soccer.  Ken also served as chairman of the Del-Nat Commercial and Farm Purchasing committee of Del-Nat Tire Corporation (a 40,000,000/yr private brand buying group of which Fakler Tire is a stockholder), where he helped procure tires from China, India, Korea, and major United States manufactures for the Del-Nat Tire Corporation. Ken loves working with small businesses since they are the cornerstone of the United States economy.  He can be reached at Business phone - 801-863-8230
                       E-mail - faklerke@uvsc.edu

Dave Bascom, SEO, CEO

Dave Bascom is President of search engine optimization firm, SEO.com. His previous business experience includes key roles at start up internet companies including Utah.com, BMarketer, and Web Targeted. SEO.com was funded by venture capital firm, WashingtonVC, and maintains close a close relationship with all of WashingtonVC's portfolio companies. Dave is also involved in helping WashingtonVC identify and qualify investment opportunities along the Wasatch Front. He graduated from BYU in Marketing Communications, and has a strong background in online marketing.
Website: http://www.seo.com

Mike Stebinger, Entrepreneur and 2004 UEC Winner
2004 UEC Winner (Tropi-Cool Business Plan)
2004 BYU Business Plan Competition Semi-Finalist
UVSC School of Business graduate
Costa Vida Consultant

Clint Argyle, Entrepreneur

Maraia Weingarten, UVSC Trio College Prep Director

What is Upward Bound & Upward Bound Initiative?

Upward Bound is a federally funded program sponsored by Utah Valley
State College. It assists high school students who will be the first
generation in their family to graduate with a post-secondary degree.
Upward Bound is a scholarship program which allots a monthly stipend to students that display satisfactory participation in program activities
and guidelines. Academic Advisors provide vocational and academic
counseling as well as guidance activities which assist students in
developing a variety of skills. Enrichment activities are provided
monthly with the opportunity to experience many cultural events.

What are our objectives?

The two main objectives of Upward Bound are to assist students in
creating a vision of their future and to help make the transition into
college easier.  Currently there are 5 schools served by the UVSC Upward Bound program; Provo High, Orem High, Wasatch High, Union High, and
Uintah High.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT UVSC UPWARD BOUND
Upward Bound's goal is to make higher education a reality for everyone
who wants to secure a better future for themselves and their families.
For More Information Contact:

Maraia Weingarten
ETS/UB Project Director
Phone: (801) 863-8076
E-mail: weingama@uvsc.edu
Fax: (801) 863-8812