News Stories

Monterey Institute student Jessica “Jessy” Bradish (MAIEP/MBA ’13) received the 2013 Student Innovator Award at the Monterey Bay Regional Business Plan Competition last Friday. “Winning the Student Innovator Award was a wonderful culmination of my Joint MBA and International Environmental Policy degree” says Jessy.

The award winning business plan is for ShowerPonic Produce, offering organically-grown produce and fish through environmentally friendly aquaponic procedures. Jessy’s award did not surprise the many friends and supporters who have followed her idea since inception as she developed it and presented at MiddCORE@Monterey and the student-led Inn(ovation) Inc(ubator) she co-founded with Celena Aponte (MBA ’13) and Nate Shephens (MPA ’13). “We wanted to send a business idea through a competition as part of the Incubator initiative,” says Jessy, who managed to surprise herself. “I never thought I would win going into this semester, and now I am motivated and funded to move forward with my idea!”

The competition started in February with workshops throughout Monterey County, with final judging coming on Friday, May 3 after finalists presented their business plans at the Monterey Institute. Congressman Sam Farr announced the winners of the competition in the Irvine Auditorium.

Jessy is graduating this month and will use the $1,000 prize money and the multiple local business connections she has made through this process to add a spring to her career launch.

For More Information

Jason Warburg
jwarburg@middlebury.edu
831.647.3156

Eva Gudbergsdottir
eva@middlebury.edu
831.647.6606