U of A Continues to Foster Entrepreneurship via Seed Funding Competition

March 11, 2021

Sports

Spring Jukebox Music

NWA Daily

We've got some Arkansas Football updates for you, NWA! It's never too early to start thinking about football season, so here's what you need to know.

  • The Razorbacks stepped on the field for the first set of 15 practice drills on Tuesday. We read that KJ Jefferson was already firing away, along with redshirt freshman Malik Hornsby, true freshman Lucas Coley, redshirt freshman transfer Kade Renfro and redshirt junior John Stephen Jones.

  • Pittman seems to be moving players around after confirming redshirt senior Shane Clenin is working at center. Junior Ricky Stromberg is the current starter. They are also playing around with the new starters in the Safety and Linebacker positions. A lot more is likely to be revealed as practices continue. -Pig Trail Nation

  • The Razorbacks' next practices are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday. Junior running back Trelon Smith sat down with the media post practice to answer a few questions. The full video can be found HERE.

The finale of Arkansas Football's 2021 Schedule is being moved to Friday, Nov. 26. at 2:30 p.m. on CBS. The Razorbacks will face off against the Missouri Tigers in the Battle Line Rivalry in Fayetteville for the first time since 2017.

Restaurant News

Stone Mill Bread Soon to be Baking in Springdale

Stone Mill Bread

Stone Mill Bread, which started in 1997 has grown to become a staple bakery in Fayetteville and now the entire Northwest Arkansas region. The company took its first step towards expansion a few years ago by opening a location in Bentonville, and come Summer of 2021, they will have a third location in Springdale.

  • According to the FayettevilleFlyer, the new restaurant will be located at 4104 W Sunset Avenue in Springdale where Cotton Patch Cafe formally resided. If all plans go as expected, the third expansion is expected to open mid-April. - FayettevilleFlyer

Arts & Culture

Meet Mario Troncoso: CACHE's Director of Film and Media Ecosystems

NWA Daily

Ten Emmy Awards and 36 nominations later, Mario Troncoso is making waves in NWA as Director of Film and Media Ecosystems at CACHE. In 2020, Troncoso moved from Austin, Texas, to Northwest Arkansas. Since then, he was worked on numerous projects including producing and directing OZCast, an online creative variety show featuring Arkansas and Heartland artists, places, and cultures.

  • How would you describe living in NWA to someone thinking about relocating here? "Northwest Arkansas is a great place to live and an ideal location for remote workers and creatives. The arts and culture along with the beautiful and never-ending trails are transforming the region very quickly and it makes it very attractive for many people like myself," he said in an interview with FindingNWA.

  • The director also mentioned that he is a frequent at Onyx Coffee lab, enjoys shopping at the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings, and loves to spend time on the Buffalo River.

  • When asked about the future of NWA, Troncoso believes the area has serious potential. "In terms of film and media in Northwest Arkansas, we have an opportunity to create a very unique and inclusive ecosystem. The potential for economic development for artists and entrepreneurs is huge." Troncoso continues, "My main goal in life is to give more than I take. Most of the work that I’m doing in the region serves the community, especially the creative community. I’m here to learn from them."

Read the full interview HERE.

Community

Laying Ground For New Tiger Tracks

Old Tiger Park near downtown Bentonville, now known as Tiger Track, will be undergoing a series of renovations and enhancements starting Monday, March 8th says City of Bentonville.

  • Located at 17 Tiger Boulevard, Tiger Track was the original home of Bentonville High School's Tiger Stadium and Track Field. Bentonville's Parks & Rec Department purchased the track in 2010 to use as a city park.

  • Improvements will include a new track surface with designated lanes, installation of pedestrian-level lights for pre-dawn and evening track usage, new restroom facilities, and a 10' expansion of the trail width along NW "D" Street.

  • Project officials estimate the renovations should be completed by summer 2021. - City of Bentonville

Business

Big Winners at UA's Big Seed Funding Competition

NWA Daily

The U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, in partnership with the School of Law, recently held a seed funding competition which selected 13 teams to pitch to a panel of expert judges consisting of local investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders on Jan. 21. Seven U of A students won and walked away with up to $2,000 each from the competition.

  • The winning teams consisted of both undergraduate and graduate students who had conducted prior customer discovery or market research to advance their businesses and innovations. The funding is intended to be used to cover diverse needs for each team, including prototype development, customer discovery, design services, and legal fees. -U of A

  • "This competition was a wonderful way of combining the practice of law with the grit of young entrepreneurship. These kinds of collaborations set our students on the path to success where they make remarkable contributions to the communities they serve," Margaret Sova McCabe, Dean of the School of Law.

  • The winning teams include: ReGen Technologies (Grayson Morrow, Astha Malhotra, Emily Wiencek); Airkart (Zain Blackwell, Mitchell Belz, Morgan Burns, Gabriel David, Smit Patel, Casey Thurmon); Bullyproof (Liz Alspach, Amanda Earhart, Joe Macaluso); Gas pump project (Julia Davis, Emma Choate, Caleb Hill, Mary Pham, Isha Rajaram, Sailesh Sirigineedi, Halle Schneidewind); Nivera Icephobic (Giselle Toledo); Simple + Sweet ice cream (Coleman Warren), Sustainable concrete (Maddie Heal).

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