Two UW-Madison students received first place in the School of Business' G. Steven Burrill Competition April 18 for a business plan to take locally grown produce to a new level.
UW-Madison senior Keith Agoada and graduate student Troy Vosseller, co-founder of the apparel company Sconnie Nation, combined botany and business knowledge to create Sky Vegetables, a business plan for an agricultural firm devoted to rooftop vegetable farming.
Agoada said he developed the idea for Sky Vegetables after observing the popularity of community gardens in Chicago to grow fresh, local produce. He said he decided to focus the project on growing gardens on top of community grocery stores to avoid having to find plots of land for the gardens.
I thought supermarkets would be a great idea since you're growing the vegetables right at the point of sale, so you're taking out the whole aspect of transportation,"" Agoada said.
""I think it's fair to say that if you can provide to people a fresh-picked vegetable I think they're going to prefer that, and they're going to want that over something that was shipped 14 days ago.""
In addition to eliminating transportation costs, Vosseller said Sky Vegetable gardens would use solar power, reducing supermarkets' electric use.
According to Vosseller, the $10,000 award from the Burrill competition will be put toward expanding the business idea. The group is now competing in the Governor's Business Plan Contest. The winner of the Plan Contest will be announced in early June, according to a university statement.
