For SUNY Oswego business administration major Price Flores, success in business idea competitions, including advancing to the New York State Business Plan Competition, relates to having a different mindset about competing.

“To me, it’s important to realize you’re really competing against yourself,” Flores said. “Other people will be better at other things, but you have to do your best. You just want to do better than you did before.”

That mentally and a strong idea –- the Aqua Avenger, a drone that can help fight fires –- took Flores to the first round of the statewide finals, after placing second in his category of safety, power and mobility in the Central New York Business Plan Competition in late March. While he did not advance further, that in itself is a big accomplishment.

In the Central New York competition, NaviLife –- a student personal coaching app created by Oswego students Paul Lomanto and Bradley Zieman –- placed third in the competitive health and wellbeing group. Aqua Avenger and NavLife advanced to the regionals after placing in the top two spots in SUNY Oswego’s Launch It student entrepreneurship competition last fall.

For the CNY event, only the top two finishers in categories advance to the state finals, but these accomplishments received applause from sponsor Irene Scruton, assistant dean of the School of Business and director of the university’s MBA programs.

“This year, additional mentoring was provided to the teams through the newly formed Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO)  student club,” Scruton noted, adding that the CEO club is quickly becoming a valuable support network for aspiring entrepreneurs from all disciplines. 

"We look forward to having more student startup ideas enter the Launch It and regional competitions in coming years and as the club activities expand,” Scruton said.

Moving ideas forward

Flores’ longstanding interest in the business world comes from his parents’ work in managing hotels and in the hospitality industry. Flores has worked since a sophomore in high school, starting in the restaurant world, and considered hospitality management as a possible career path – although the current focus is more on the avenues of entrepreneurship.

The Aqua Avenger concept originally came up during group-project work in an entrepreneurship class, since the California wildfires were on everybody’s mind at the time. While Flores’ group went with another concept for that class, the idea remained viable.

Flores decided to take the concept further to enter the university’s annual fall Launch It student entrepreneurship competition. But, learning from previous attempts, Flores knew that taking the concept and presentation to a different level would be key.

“Features like a thermal camera, strong propellers and a large water tank would make this product stand out,” Flores noted. Flores never stopped developing new skills to make sure his Aqua Avenger presentation would impress. The resulting 3D animation of the drone in action helped the judges really visualize the product, Flores added.

“I learned Tinkercad, a 3D design program, by watching YouTube videos,” Flores said. “I realized that visuals are very important. Judges needed to see what I was talking about to really understand it.”

Taking business classes, doing group presentations, presenting to recruit for student organizations and participating in previous editions of Launch It helped Flores build confidence and presentation skills. 

Flores credited many people, including his mentor Brian Fried, Scruton and many Oswego business professors, for making it to the state competition. Courses in corporate finance to marketing were among the most helpful in the process, but Flores said experiences inside and outside the classroom combined to create this success.

That includes getting involved in clubs and organizations. Flores’ time at Oswego has included serving as director of finance for the Student Association, president of the Society for Human Resource Marketing and vice president of the American Marketing Association.

“I think every student should be involved in clubs, especially in your major, and Oswego has so many opportunities,” Flores said. “Just put yourself out there. You can get experience, gain skills like presenting, meet new people and learn how to network. That all stands out on your resume.”

Beyond that, getting involved provides opportunities to pay it forward, Flores said.

“This campus has helped me so much, so it’s nice to give back,” Flores explained. “I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to help freshmen, and to be a mentor to pay forward the way I’ve benefited from the people who mentored me.”