Rachel Osterholt of Portland takes first at regional business competition

HUNTINGTON, IN (02/17/2012)(readMedia)-- Rachel Osterholt, a junior accounting and business management major from Portland, Ind., represented Huntington University on the first place team at the I-69 Collegiate Innovation Challenge 2012 hosted by the Grant County Economic Growth Council on Feb. 10-12.

She and her teammates created a company called BackBone Digital to address the collegiate brain drain from Indiana. The company would be staffed by Indiana college interns and graduates who are software engineer, and would hire out computer services, serve as a think tank incubator and provide mentorship and coaching to young professionals. Osterholt was awarded an iPad 2 for her team's business concept.

The regional business competition, held in Warsaw, Ind., challenged area college students to create a solution to a social problem scenario. The assignment for this year's competition asked students to create a for-profit business solution that helps address the current low college graduate retention rate in east central Indiana.

Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest, and Forbes.com has listed the university as one of America's Best Colleges. Additionally, Princeton Review has named the institution to its "Best in the Midwest" list. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in northeast Indiana. The university is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

For text of this and all Huntington University news releases, visit www.huntington.edu/news.