Fort Lewis College celebrated the 10th annual Hawk Tank Business Plan Competition with an awards gala last month featuring 10 top placers across two college tracks – an alumni track and a high school track.
San Juan College student Joey DeMartino, 36, won the 10th annual Hawk Tank Business Plan Competition with his innovative business plan for Noise Hub, a full-service audio studio offering production, voice-over and creative support for artists.
DeMartino claimed first-place victories in both the San Juan College Track and the ultimate showdown between San Juan College and Fort Lewis College.
Representing FLC was Kiera McCabe, whose business plan was Skoden Farms, developed to provide blue corn granola and snacks made with traditional Indigenous ingredients to food banks. She took first place in the Fort Lewis College Track and faced off against DeMartino.
DeMartino took home $10,000 in total for his successes. McCabe took the $5,000 first-place prize in the FLC track.
McCabe was the first FLC sociology student take first place in an individual track, said Lorraine Taylor, associate professor of tourism and hospitality management and co-director of Hawk Tank. But everyone who participated walked away with valuable business knowledge, experience and, in some cases, a boost for their burgeoning businesses.
Some participants compete in Hawk Tank to raise money for startup resources or to get invaluable feedback on how to tweak their business plans before their pitch to investors, she said. Others have always thought about owning their own businesses but haven’t planned the finer details and see Hawk Tank as a means to get started.
“Sometimes, people realize through the process that their great idea actually isn't viable,” she said.
She said if someone’s business plan isn’t financially viable, at least he or she realizes that before investing too much into the idea – that’s still a mark of success for Hawk Tank.
“We see a lot of success stories of businesses that just opened or are about to open, and then we also see success stories with businesses that choose not to be pursued just based on what they learn about either the market or the demand or the financial constraints and resources they would need,” she said.
Taylor said winning business plans are those that nail financial viability.
“That's a really critical factor for the judges, is whether or not the business really has a chance to be profitable,” she said.
Judges also consider community impact, she said, but if one’s business plan doesn’t at least break even, he or she is not winning the top prize.
DeMartino launched Noise Hub with his wife Jillian Gonzales in February. The release said he entered audio production in high school as a radio DJ.
He said there aren’t many options for sound designers or audio producers in the Four Corners.
“I’ve worked with artists, rappers, rockers – all genres really – and they all say there’s no sustainable place to record, build a project or get guidance on how to turn their goals into a potential career,” he said.
But now Noise Hub is here.
Taylor said a dozen businesses have launched in the last decade thanks to Hawk Tank. Some participants who furthered their concepts include:
- Zeb Mielke of Z’s Performance & Repair, who won second place in the 2021 FLC Track and went on to judge and sponsor the second place prize in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
- Former FLC students Tristan MacLean and Megan Bednarz took first place in the 2018 FLC Track and went on to open Always Time to Fly, a hot-air balloon company based in Phoenix.
- Joshua Emerson, Jacob Jonas and Elliot Weber won first place in the Alumni Track in 2020 and formed DeadRoom Comedy based in Denver. Emerson returned to the Hawk Tank in 2023 as a keynote speaker.
cburney@durangoherald.com
