Two UM Teams Prepare for 'Business Egg Bowl' Showdown
Top Ole Miss business students set for Nov. 13 pitch competition against MSU
OXFORD, Miss. – Two student teams from the University of Mississippi School of Business Administration outpitched more than a dozen others to earn a shot at the statewide title in the Regions Bank of Ideas Challenge.
The inaugural competition, designed to test business strategy and innovation, comes down to four teams – two each from Ole Miss and Mississippi State University – who will face off Nov. 13 at the Hotel Tupelo.
The Ole Miss finalists, teams InnovatHers and Canopy, developed solutions aimed at reimagining how Regions serves its customers. Team members said they are excited to show off their academic insight and entrepreneurial drive while sparking a friendly rivalry ahead of the annual Egg Bowl showdown, coming up Nov. 28 in Starkville.
"This competition has taught me how powerful collaboration and feedback can be when developing an idea," said Mary Margaret McCracken, a senior entrepreneurship major from Austin, Texas.
"I have also learned how important it is to design something that not only solves a problem but truly connects with people's needs."
The InnovatHers team members (from left) Hannah Smith, Ella Gough and Mary Margaret McCracken talk with Larry Goehrig, instructional assistant professor of management, after presenting their MoveClear concept during the preliminary round of the Regions Bank of Ideas Challenge. Photo by Mary Knight/UM Development
Seventeen Ole Miss student teams shared concepts that included proposals for strengthening relationships with small businesses and designing digital tools that make banking more accessible for younger generations. Teams researched consumer behavior and refined their pitches for weeks before presenting them before a panel of judges Oct. 27-28 in the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union.
McCracken's all-women team, InnovatHers, includes teammates Ella Gough, from Morganfield, Kentucky, and Hannah Smith, from Carriere, both seniors majoring in entrepreneurship. Their concept, MoveClear, aims to expand the Regions mobile app and includes interactive simulations and custom resources designed with young adults in mind, Gough said.
"Young adults don't just need financial tools, they need personalized guidance that understands their fears, goals and transitions," Gough said. "This experience taught me how impactful it can be to design with empathy and to create something that truly supports users as they move from interdependence to independence."
Tommy Nelson, a junior finance major, is part of the team behind the concept Canopy. Their business idea introduces a new user interface in the bank's mobile app that helps young users visualize their spending, earnings and investment opportunities.
"We made a visualization of one's financial health in the form of a tree," said Nelson, of Omaha, Nebraska. "This feature also allows easy investment opportunities.
"I believe that our idea is simple enough to understand and implement, but it can have large implications with young people's financial health and future."
Nelson is joined on team Canopy by:
- Barrett Adams, a junior management major from Carrollton, Texas
- Tyler Evans, a junior risk management and insurance of Omaha, Nebraska
- Drew Sheehan, a junior finance and risk management major from Southaven.
Management professor Larry Goehrig joins Canopy team members Drew Sheehan, Tommy Nelson, Barrett Adams and Tyler Evans after their Roots to Riches concept pitch in the preliminary round of the Regions Bank of Ideas Challenge. Photo by Mary Knight/ UM Development
"We believe the simplistic nature of the idea allows for easier implementation, while retaining a large impact on one's life and future," Sheehan said.
During the final round, each team will have 20 minutes to present their business plan to a panel of Regions Bank executives. Judges will focus their scores on the students' understanding of customer needs, creativity, feasibility, clarity and the broad impact of the pitch.
Each member of the winning team gets a $500 gift certificate and a Regions bike and helmet.
Larry Goehrig, instructional assistant professor of management, worked with the bank's staff to create the competition at Ole Miss. He said he is optimistic the competition will deliver benefits both for the participating students and Regions.
"Students learn creativity and critical ideas thinking from these case studies," Goehrig said. "They prepared their own version and ideas of what they believe would work best for Regions.
"The Regions staff have been so engaged, and I am speechless as to what that means for our students and the opportunities they have put out there."
Top: Larry Goehrig, an instructional assistant professor of management, speaks to judges during the preliminary round of the Regions Bank of Ideas Challenge. Seventeen Ole Miss student teams presented business ideas that address real-word banking issues, and two finalist teams will compete against Mississippi State University for the inaugural title. Submitted photo
By
Marvis Herring
Campus
Published
November 09, 2025