The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, April 20, 2012 Page: 4 of 8
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NEWS
FRIDAY 0420.12
BUSINESS
Springboard Challenge names winners
Two student business ideas
were selected as Grand Prize
winners out of 20 finalists
at the Springboard Awards
Dinner. One winner was
selected from the college di-
vision and one from the the
community division.
In the college divi-
sion, Eldad Campbell was
awarded $10,000 for his
company, Double Impact
Shoes, to provide customi-
zable athletic socks to col-
lege athletic teams.
In the community divi-
INTERIOR DESIGN
sion, Robert Blasingame
and Jimmy Buchanan were
. awarded $20,000 in cash
and $30,000 of in-kind ben-
efits for their business con-
cept to promote and sell the
Sharps Terminator, a patent-
ed product that eliminates
the needle and neutralizes
bloodborne pathogens of
many injection devices.
Blasingame and Bu-
chanan are experienced
in textile manufacturing,
medical equipment sales
and internet marketing and
have been working hard to
expand their business.
“We have felt confident
all along in the future of
what we are doing, but
when you start a busi-
ness you always feel good
about what you are do-
ing,” Blaingame said. "This
product could truly revo-
lutionize the Sharps Dis-
posal industry and we are
in the drivers seat.”
Blasingame and Buch-
anan have several plans
for the future of the Sharps
Terminator, including at-
tending a medical trade-
show, conversing with
medical institutions and
finalizing contracts in
manufacturing. They also
currently own master dis-
tribution rights in India
where they are working on
sales and distribution.
Blasingame said, "We
are taking it a day at a time
and allowing God to guide
our ship.”
William Greehey, chair-
man of NuStar Energy,
opened the awards dinner
as the keynote speaker.
Greehey, a founder of
Valero Energy, is a well
known businessman and
philanthropist who has
achieved multiple feats.
Greehey spoke at the din-
ner about his personal ex-
periences, business career
and the importance of giv-
ing back to the community.
"Learn now to give back
to the community. Take
time to give back, and try to
do more as you go through
your career,” Greehey
said. “I used to write small
checks to St. Mary’s after I
graduated, and they kind
of laugh at it now because
they showed me a record
of it after I gave them $25
million.”
Greehey’s said he’s been
practicing philanthropy
his whole life.
“I grew up in a poor
neighborhood in Iowa
where neighbors support-
ed neighbors, so I saw poor
people, the needs and how
they share,” Greehey said.
“All my life I have shared. It
wasn’t something that was
new, and it was something
I really encouraged our
employees to do.”
Another way Greehey
gives his time is by passing
on his experience to college
students, and this is some-
thing Greehey enjoys to do.
“I thought it would be
fun visiting with the kids,"
Greehey said. “I learn as
much from them as they
learn from me.”
CONTACT JQfffS AT
Student to renovate local house for project
An ACU student will de-
sign and renovate a local
Abilene residence during
the month of April with the
help of local businesses.
Haley Buffington, senior
interior design major from
The Woodlands, initiated
the project and introduced
the idea to ACU interior de-
sign faculty members.
‘Project Merge,’ the of-
ficial title of the renovation
UNIVERSITY
initiative, was inspired
by a campus wide event
at Texas State University.
Buffington saw a need for
a service project in the in-
terior design department,
and felt this was a perfect
opportunity.
“I loved their idea and
wondered why something
like this wasn’t happening
at ACU, especially for our
department,” Buffington
said. “I wanted to [create
a project] that involved us-
ing the skills and knowl-
edge we are using for the
Abilene community.”
Buffington, along with
three other interior design
majors, went through a se-
lection process of homes in
the Abilene area that would
be willing to allow students
to renovate their homes. The
family chosen is a multi-
generational family, with
the great-grandmother and
great-grandchildren all liv-
ing together. Buffington said
the family will be treated as
clients and building trust is
part of the client-customer
relationship process.
“We began with an ini-
tial meeting just to talk
with them, learn about
them, build a relationship
and see the house,” Buff-
ington said. "Then we come
back and take some photos
and measurements.”
The students and staff
have collected new bed-
ding, accessories, paint
and hardware thanks to
donations from local busi-
nesses. Southern Hills
Church of Christ will assist
with in the renovation pro-
cess within the next two
weeks to prepare for the
reveal on April 29.
“The family will be
staying at a hotel in town
for the weekend and we
will bring them home for
a reveal Sunday evening,”
Buffington said. “We are so
excited for them to see ev-
erything.”
Kitty Wasemiller, inte-
rior design professor and
‘Project Merge’ program
director, is impressed by
the hard work and dedica-
tion the students are put-
ting into the project.
“This project has been
completely student driv-
en from the start; it was
sparked by their desire
to serve the needs of, real
world people,” Wasemi-
ller said. “I have been so
impressed with the sheer
determination, joy, orga-
nization and diligence dis-
played by our students who
are behind this; inspiring
for sure.”
CONTACT FOiTH AT
LMF08A@ACU.©U
English to create office space for Foreign Language
Faculty in the Depart-
ment of English will begin
shuffling offices this sum-
mer to welcome their new
building-mates from the
Department of Foreign
Language. The move is in
preparation for the new
Department of Language
and Literature, effective
June 1.
Dr. Harland Rail, chair
of foreign languages, said
the move will be difficult
due to timing;
“We have one profes-
sor on study abroad who
has a daughter giving
birth to a granddaughter
sometime in May,” Rail
said. “For her to be able
to come back, pack up
and move - this is a chal-
lenge.”
Rail said their offices in
the administration build-
ing must be packed up
moved to Chambers. There
are several storage closets
to be packed up as well.
“We are looking for-
ward to joining the Eng-
lish department as the
Language and Literature
Department,” Rail said.
“They have received us
very well.”
Bennett attributes the
difficulty of moving to the
summer’s busyness.
“Because faculty do so
much research and travel
during the summer, and
because we can’t really
move during the year, we
have a small window of
time to do the physical
moving,” Bennett said.
“It’s cramped, but we’re
trying to get everyone
moved by the beginning
of summer.”
CONTACT BARKES AT
HA807A@AKi.EOU
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, April 20, 2012, newspaper, April 20, 2012; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth896724/m1/4/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.