Center for Creativity and Innovation names best business idea winners

Tahlequah, Okla. William and Megan Ewton, winners of the 2011 Best Business Idea competition at Northeastern State Universitys Entrepreneurship Day, have earned a spot in the RiverHawk Center for Creativity and Innovation student business incubator program.

The couples Tulsa business, Agora Art Collection, will be located near 51st Street and Memorial Avenue. The husband and wife partnership will offer promotional services, gallery and performance space, consignment sales, as well as the opportunity to teach classes and give instruction for local artisans. They will operate their business with the cooperation of Agora Coffeehouse.

The uniqueness of the Ewtons project is the impact it can have on many stakeholders, including artists, the community and the Ewtons themselves, said Dr. Ben Ofili, associate professor of management and center director. Our hope is to help them reach this goal and take advantage of the opportunities to make this a successful venture.

The RiverHawk Center for Creativity and Innovation will support the Ewtons with a grant of up to $5,000 and faculty mentorship to move Agora Art Collection to a sustainable business.

The biggest help the RiverHawk Center funds will provide is the ability to meet initial expenses, William said. This will allow us to get a website set up and get us through the initial stages. Megan and I are both excited and expecting a challenge. Were happy we were selected by the center, but now we've got to follow through.

William is a former Marine reservist who served with Alpha Company of the Sixth Tank Batallion at Fort Knox, Ky. He is an Iraq veteran and majoring in entrepreneurship at NSU-Broken Arrow on the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. Megan is a student at Oral Roberts University studying multimedia convergence journalism.

The couple believes the neighborhood business climate is ideal for establishing a multi-service art gallery.

There is a ready network of artists in various mediums who spend a lot of time in the area, William said. After conversations with them and the coffee shop, we think there is a wonderful synergy to make this happen.

Both are artisans themselves. Megan plays bass and trumpet. William plays bass, guitar, drums and percussion, blues harmonica and is working on learning the piano right now.

We've both always had an interest in art, William said. Were both musicians and Megans father is an artist. This business opportunity seems like a natural fit for us.

According to William, the Agora Art Collection will attract artists of all types.

This is for anybody who is interested in any arts, not just visual arts, he said. We want to promote musicians, writers, craftspeople, any medium. Agora Art Collection is for anyone that loves the arts and wants to support something local.

The RiverHawk Center for Creativity and Innovation was created to give NSU students small business startups through its encouragement of entrepreneurship and establishment of a business incubator program. Funds can be used for travel and materials directly related to the project and may not be used for salary or benefits.

To learn more about the center call the NSU College of Business and Technology at 918-444-2900 or visit the College of Business and Technology website.