David Schaefer was a 22-year-old Rosen College of Hospitality Management student who loved the industry, golf and had a promising future.  Tragically, his life was taken in an auto accident on October 4, 2010.

David’s father, Mark, worked closely with Rosen College and the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ Foundation to produce the David Schaefer Memorial Golf Tournament.  The commemorative event was held June 2, 2011, David’s birthday, at the Shingle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Florida.

The sold-out tournament generated over $35,000 that will support the new David Benjamin Schaefer Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Matt Schaefer, David’s older brother, said that scholarships will be available next school year. “It will be a pretty substantial amount for one or two students the first year and then will, hopefully, build from there,” he said.  Matt is pursuing his Master’s degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management at the Rosen College.

Various members of the Rosen College family supported the event, including the student chapters of the Future Theme Park Leaders Association and Eta Sigma Delta.

Schaefer is a graduate student pursuing his master’s degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management and Roach is an undergraduate Hospitality Management major.  The duo pitched the concept for Dave’s Market, a tribute to David Schaefer, a Rosen College student who was killed in an automobile accident in October 2010. The mission of the project is to provide a well thought out and profitable restaurant that incorporates David’s passion for cuisine, as well as good times with good friends.

Over 30 teams applied to compete, and Schaefer and Roach successfully made it to the Joust Finals where they went up against three student entrepreneur groups.  Each team had 15 minutes to present their company to the judges, followed by a 10-minute question and answer session, in front of approximately 100 attendees.

Schaefer shares, “It was an unforgettable experience that provided information on the restaurant industry that [Kyle and I] never would have unveiled.”  He hopes that more Rosen College students will participate in next year’s Joust.

Event judges included: Tom Bland, ’75 and ’79;ĚýSteven Felkowitz, ’79;ĚýPaul Gregg, ’74 and ’76;ĚýRon Pizzuti;ĚýMark Plaumann, ’74 and ’79, ˛ą˛Ô»ĺĚýMarilyn Wilson.  The sponsor of the event was Steven Felkowitz, ’79. He is chief executive officer of Atico International and a College of Business Administration Hall of Fame member.

For more about the winning business concepts, please click here.

The senior finance major pitched his company to a panel of five judges. His product helps students prepare for exams more effectively through the use of visual and SMS-based representations of the study material.

Approximately 100 attendees viewed the event which was hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, located in the College of Business Administration.

Glenn, along with the three other student entrepreneur groups that made it to the Joust finals, had 15 minutes to present their company to the judges, followed by a 10-minute question and answer session.

Other winners included:

Judges of the event included: Tom Bland, ’75 and ’79;ĚýSteven Felkowitz, ’79;ĚýPaul Gregg, ’74 and ’76;ĚýRon Pizzuti;ĚýMark Plaumann, ’74 and ’79, ˛ą˛Ô»ĺĚýMarilyn Wilson.

The sponsor of the event was Steven Felkowitz, ’79. He is chief executive officer of Atico International and a College of Business Administration Hall of Fame member.

For more information on student competitions or the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation visit their .