Abigail McCrory, a
sophomore at Washburn University, pitched her idea for Grounded on the Go, a
mobile coffee shop, to judges Thursday during the final round of the sixth
annual Washburn University Pitch Competition. McCrory was one of five
competition finalists who competed for cash prizes meant to help competitors
get their business ventures off the ground. McCrory was the first-place winner,
taking home an $8,000 check.
“I’m incredibly humbled for sure, and it’s really exciting to
have my family and friends here to see it happen,” McCrory said. “It’s really
rewarding. All the hard work finally paid off.”
McCrory said her business idea has been years in the making. Her
family owns Grounded Coffee House in Rossville, so McCrory is no stranger to
the coffee business.
“I grew up eating breakfast with the regulars as they quizzed me
on my spelling words before school,” McCrory said. “I became a barista and am
now an assistant manager of the shop. Grounded Coffee House has done well, but
that was my mom’s idea. This is mine.”
McCrory wants to scale up the business by making Grounded Coffee
mobile. Prize money from the pitch competition will help McCrory purchase a
trailer that looks like a “renovated vintage camper.” It’s where she’ll
headquarter operations.
She plans to park her coffee truck at festivals and sporting
events around town, on Washburn’s campus and outside Downtown businesses. She
said mobility is exactly what will set her business apart — the fact that it
can be “wherever, whenever.” And she also sees potential for growth once she
graduates from Washburn.
“In the future, I hope to see several Grounded on the Go trucks
traveling all over the capital city, focusing on caffeinating one cup at a
time,” McCrory said.
The Washburn University Pitch Competition is open each year to
all Washburn and Washburn Tech students. The competition invites students to
develop a business idea and model, which they pitch, either as individuals or
teams, to a series of judges.
No comments:
Post a Comment