New Mexico
Fort Lewis College hosts 10th annual Hawk Tank competition
Perhaps you’ve heard of the show Shark Tank? Where people pitch their business ideas to big time business people hoping to get a shot.
The Four Corners has its own version, called “Hawk Tank.”
FARMINGTON, N.M. – Perhaps you’ve heard of the show Shark Tank? Where people pitch their business ideas to big time business people hoping to get a shot.
The Four Corners has its own version, called “Hawk Tank.” KOB 4 spoke with this year’s winner about his plan that is now a reality.
“Hawk Tank is their premier business plan competition in the Four Corners area. And the purpose behind Hawk Tank is really just empowering students so we can take their business ideas to the next level. Whatever that may be,” said Michael Valdez, professor of management at Fort Lewis College.
This year, Joey DeMartino is the overall prize winner in the 10th annual Hawk Tank competition for his business is called, Noise Hub.
“I’ve been tethered to music, sound, noise, whatever you want to call it, my whole life. And so it was kind of a culmination of my life, building up this process. And then, since this contest came up, it afforded me the opportunity to actually say, you know, I’m gonna put my energy into a business plan and create something out of this,” said DeMartino.
It’s a full-circle moment for DeMartino. He’s creating notes the business world isn’t used to hearing in the area.
“I feel like being that nobody seems to be as interconnected as I think they could be, it’s a great spot for us to kind of get set up and open the doors and say, ‘Hey, let’s, let’s make this happen. Let’s create kind of our own ecosystem.’ So to speak, with all the different types of creators that we have in this area,” said DeMartino.
The prize money from winning Hawk Tank is going to help DeMartino do just that for his fellow artists.
“Providing the skills, giving access to resources so these participants who want to solve the problems that we have in our community and our country and around the globe, the opportunity to see what that might look like, actually having a viable business and solving those real-world problems,” said Valdez.
“I’m surrounded by talented individuals, talented students that, in my opinion, are the sky’s the limit for them. A lot of them might fall through the cracks when it comes to the industry. That’s kind of where we’re at, is to say, ‘Hey, let’s kind of re-home you, get you set up, and let’s make this happen,’” said DeMartino.
To learn more about Hawk Tank or Noise Hub, you can visit the links below: