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Founders of Digital Wingman, T.Way Customs win Lakeshore Advantage contest for innovation
12/1/2008
Myron Kukla, Grand Rapids Press
ALLENDALE -- Wondering how to rearrange his dorm furniture without moving anything, Grand Valley State University student Brian Rider came up with software for 3-D imaging of room interiors.
GVSU advertising major Tyler Way is hand-painting one-of-a-kind sneakers for NBA players.
Rider and Way won first and second place, respectively, in the second Lakeshore's Next Top Entrepreneur contest organized by Lakeshore Advantage, the regional economic development agency.
Rider and his 2-year-old company, Digital Wingman, topped more than 9 companies that made presentations to a panel of judges from the Holland-based agency.
Digital Wingman won $1,000 cash and free legal, product design and business services. Rider said he has sold the product to GVSU, Central Michigan University and North Carolina State University.
The "software is used by the housing departments of those schools to allow students to create floor plans of dorm rooms on the school Web site," said the 21-year-old GVSU senior majoring in computer science.
With offices at 250 Monroe Ave. NW, Digital Wingman has two full-time and eight part-time employees. Rider said the company has generated more than $100,000 in sales.
"It's enough to keep us in rent and food until we can expand with other online applications," Rider said.
Digital Wingman sells for $10,000 to $30,000 per installation.
Way, 22, a senior majoring in advertising and public relations, charges $1,000 a pair to customize sneakers for NBA players through his company, T.WayCustoms.
The third-place winner was Tom Mort, of Grand Rapids, who is developing a product to detect illegal dumping in municipal storm sewers.
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