BISMARCK - Two electrical engineering students from the University of North Dakota School of Engineering and Mines won the seventh annual BOSS Business Plan Competition at the recent Marketplace for Entrepreneurs 2009 in Bismarck.

U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad and North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, the organizers of Marketplace for Entrepreneurs, presented $3,000 to Kristine Lesch, Hibbing, MN, and Joshua Goldade, Velva, N.D., and Grand Forks. The two UND students developed a business plan for SunAir Power, a company that would create wind and solar power generators for use in outdoor advertising, ranching and research applications.

"The BOSS competition encourages a new generation of entrepreneurs," said Conrad and Johnson. "Young people like Kristine and Joshua are the business leaders of tomorrow, and we want them to take an active role in growing North Dakota's economy."  

Teams from 24 schools across the Midwest, including Bismarck State College, the University of North Dakota, Minot State University, Dickinson State University and the University of Cincinnati, submitted business plans for the competition.