OtterBox Awards Local Students with Entrepreneurial Scholarships

Posted by Kristin Goll... on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 - 12:18 pm:

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Fort Collins, COLO. —A new wave of freshmen will soon begin classes at Colorado State University. Poudre High School graduates, Levi Stockton and Sam Arnolfo, will launch their college careers with a helpful boost thanks to their $1,000 Entrepreneurial Scholarships from Otter Products, LLC, a local Fort Collins Company. Demonstrating the entrepreneurial spirit, Stockton wants to own a landscaping company and Arnolfo dreams of opening a guitar shop.

“The scholarship program we started last year is extremely important to OtterBox and this year we were fortunate enough to award two scholarships,” said Curt Richardson, CEO of Otter Products, LLC. “Not only does it allow us to give back to the community, but it also encourages innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, characteristics that are vital to a company’s success.”

“With over 100 applications this year, choosing the winners was difficult,” said Nancy Richardson, who oversaw the selection. “These two young men really stood out. Their entrepreneurial drive was evident in their applications and I expect them both to be very successful.”

Stockton and Arnolfo’s applications impressed the OtterBox scholarship committee with their inspiring goals and dedication for future success. Arnolfo, whose family owns the Silver Grill Café in Old Town Fort Collins, wants to combine his entrepreneurial knowledge with his love of music by opening a guitar shop with a stage for concerts and performances.

“Working in my family’s restaurant growing up made me realize that I really want to own my own business,” said Arnolfo. “I have already learned quite a bit about how running a business works from my dad, but I hope to learn more at CSU.”

Stockton often traveled with his dad to various landscaping jobs and plans to start an independent landscaping company. Fueling his interest for this industry, Stockton works at a local nursery and looks forward to his education at CSU to help him reach his dreams.

Presented with their scholarships during a reception at Poudre High School in May, Stockton and Arnolfo were congratulated by members of the OtterBox team, including Curt and Nancy Richardson. Both winners were excited to receive the scholarship and believe it will give them a great start in college. At CSU, Stockton plans to study environmental engineering and Arnolfo will major in business.

“I am happy to receive this scholarship because it will help me keep going with my education,” said Stockton. “My parents are helping with some of the costs of college but I am paying for some of it too; the scholarship will really help.”

This is the second year the OtterBox Entrepreneurial Scholarship has been awarded and the company plans to continue in years to come. “It’s important to reward success and support young emerging business leaders because they are our future,” Curt Richardson said.

About Otter Products, LLC.

Founded in 1996, Otter Products, LLC. has become a leader in the design and production of rugged and semi-rugged cases to safeguard technology and other valuables. With a complete line of cases for iPhones®, iPods®, PDAs, Treos™, Blackberrys®, laptops, TabletPCs, UMPCs and other valuables, OtterBox is the perfect accessory for any lifestyle.

For more information visit www.otterbox.com or call 888-695-8820.

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