Fort Lewis College student Grady James took home the overall first place prize in the 11th annual FLC Hawk Tank competition April 18 for his business venture, joining nine winners across four competition tracks.
James secured $10,000 for his company Velocity Vane, which aims to provide localized meteorological data to customers via a micro-solar-powered weather station.
“I’m a paraglider pilot, and I’ll be standing on a launch site without knowing the exact data for the wind and weather where I’m standing, because the weather stations will be miles and miles away,” James said in his video pitch to judges. “This solution aims to change that.”
James told The Durango Herald he plans to use the funds to create prototypes and pay for patents.
“I’ve been working on it in the back of my mind for a couple of years, and so it’s great to actually see something coming together,” he said.
He said he appreciates the mentorship he received through the process from FLC instructors and staff.
“Dr. (Michael) Valdez has helped me throughout the process, and I’ve been talking with finance professors, and all these people come together (to help),” he said. “I think Fort Lewis is awesome in that way: If you just put yourself out there and apply yourself a little bit, the reciprocation is tenfold.”
Preparation for Hawk Tank spans several months, and the experience isn’t just about winning, said Valdez, FLC Katz School of Business professor and Hawk Tank event leader.
“We start in January, and we have 10 workshops,” he said. “We don’t force them. I mean, this gentleman right here (James) put in, I’m sure, hundreds of hours on his business plan. ... It’s really just to learn, and that’s why they’re doing it, and I think that’s what’s so beautiful.”
James beat out San Juan College Track first place winner Makayla Yazzie for the overall prize.
Yazzie won $5,000 for her videography and film business, Film Kalitso, which focuses on storytelling that incorporates Native representation and cultural understanding.
Yazzie said she plans to put the money toward equipment, marketing and community engagement.
Omar Martine took second place in the San Juan College track for his pitch on securing reliable off-road medical transport on the Navajo reservation, winning $2,500.
Second and third place in the FLC track went to Ashton Black with Pow Paddle, a “snowboarder’s ski pole,” and Markus DeWire and Emaliah Sawyer with Permit Wise, an AI platform that answers contractor building-code questions in real time and catches incomplete applications before they’re submitted.
Black took home $2,500 for his venture, and DeWire and Sawyer $1,000.
Sohum Sanghvi took first place in the high school track for GIFD, an app that allows users to send their unused restaurant and business points to teachers.
Ryan Christopher Harper with Road Runner, a mobile motorcycle detailing company, and Alahna Cundiff, Nicholas Lorenzini and Jack Poeling with Durango Roots and Wings, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting single parents in the community, took second and third in the high school track, respectively.
First place in the high school track awards a student or students with $500 in cash per person and up to $8,000 in scholarships to either FLC or San Juan College, second place is $250 in hand per student and up to $4,000 in scholarships, and third place is $100 and up to $2,000 in scholarships.
Dayna Weber took home the $5,000 first place prize in the alumni track for Klikpack, a backpack specially designed to hold a camera along with everything else needed for a hike.
“I worked very hard on this project, and spent the last two months staying up and working on it, so I’m really excited that it paid off,” Weber told the Herald. “This is going to go to the second product, which will be for development in year two.”
Liz Cartier, Katz School of Business Dean, said Hawk Tank is more than just a competition.
“Hawk Tank represents an opportunity for individuals to engage deeply with their ideas and take ownership of that development,” she said. “It reflects an educational experience where diverse ideas and knowledge are applied, tested and positioned for impact.”
The event garnered a range of sponsors, including the La Plata Electric Association, Four Corners Innovations, Inc., J. Bo Pizza & Rib Co. and several individuals, including Gene and Sally Bradley, Roy Sailor and Jim Carver of Carver Brewing Co.
Hawk Tank participants often end up giving back to the business community, Valdez said.
This year’s Hawk Tank Gala was put together by Peaks and Dreams Event Planning – a business venture launched by Megan Bednarz that won the alumni track competition two years ago, he said. Bednarz also won first place in the FLC college track while studying business administration at the college, making her the only two-time winner in the event’s history.
“It’s just really cool to see all these kids spread their wings and do some magical stuff,” he said.
epond@durangoherald.com
