The Middleton Business Plan Competition was held April 19-20, 2024, at Nissler Hall on the University of North Dakota campus.
The competition, which is open to all UND students, initially had 22 teams participating. In the preliminary round, 11 student teams presented their business plans to 10 judges. Entrepreneurship faculty members Dr. Sanjay Goel and Dr. Sheila Hanson served as event coordinators and prepared participants to compete with support from partners such as the North Dakota Small Business Development Center (SBDC) .
Four finalists advanced to the final round. The judges were Dr. Amy Henry, dean of the Nissler College of Business and Government, Tom Schoma, former CEO/Chairman of WCCO Belting, Barry Wilfahrt, president and CEO of the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce, and Harry's Mr. Hal Gershman of the company. Steakhouse, Monica Music, SCORE.
The winner of the $15,000 Sandra Braathen Memorial Business Plan Grand Prize was Johnson Curbing – Cooper Johnson (Entrepreneurship major). The runner-up who won the $10,000 prize was BitGrow – Charlie Andrys (Entrepreneurship major). 
Many people were involved in the success of this event, including a total of 15 judges and numerous Nissler University volunteers, faculty, and staff. The Sandra Braasen Memorial Business Plan Competition Grand Prize is named in honor of Dr. Sandy Braasen, a Langemo Faculty Fellow and professor in the Middleton School of Entrepreneurship and Management.
This high-impact experience for students is made possible through the support of donors Tom and Connie Middleton.
