Eight entrepreneurial student teams from 九色视频 competed April 24 at the 10th annual Catalyze Klamath Challenge for $19,500 in seed money to turn their product ideas and prototypes into real businesses. The winning concepts are Southern Cascades Resort, a business plan for downhill skiing in Klamath Falls, and ReTee Golf, a sustainable golf tee.
The business concept for Southern Cascades Resort, created by Business Management student Kai Hazelbaker, outlined utilizing snowcat machines to bring skiing to Pelican Butte in Klamath Falls. With a listed skiable vertical of up to 3800 feet, Pelican Butte has had ski lifts previously drawn up, but they never came to fruition. Hazelbaker鈥檚 concept would use an enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle to take skiers up the mountain.
Business Marketing student Quincy Beyrouty of ReTee Golf developed a golf tee prototype that recycles used and discarded golf grips. Golf grips are typically thrown away, but with Beyrouty鈥檚 concept, she would create a sustainable system that she hopes would be entirely made in Oregon.
The full list of 2025 winning projects includes:
- First Place Business Track 鈥 Southern Cascades Resort, Kai Hazelbaker: $5,000 prize
- First Place Technology Track 鈥 ReTee Golf, Quincy Beyrouty: $5,000 prize
- Second Place Business Track 鈥 Crater Cider Company, Alex Lumbreras: $3,000 prize
- Second Place Technology Track 鈥 RPM Skis, Marla Goodspeed, Logan Miller, Toby Ruston, and Tychon Preston: $3,000 prize
- People鈥檚 Choice 鈥 ReTee Golf: $2,000 prize
- Klamath IDEA Entrepreneur in Action 鈥 Crater Cider Company: $1,000 prize
- Innovation Hub Encore Award 鈥 Youthtopia, Colton Hurst: $500 prize
- InventOR Award 鈥 ReTee Golf: $500 prototyping grant. OpSyn Labs was awarded a Wild Card entry into the final competition June 27.
In celebration of the 10th anniversary, Catalyze Klamath also recognized previous alumni competitors David Murphy and Seth Gretz, who founded Brevada Brewhouse. Their business exemplifies what Catalyze Klamath stands for 鈥 utilizing community connections and support to build a successful business in Klamath. Along with business advice they shared with the audience, Gretz concluded, 鈥淲hatever you do, bring value to the people around you.鈥
This year's judges included Randy Cox, Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA); Richard La China, Ninja Mountain Bike Performance; Lynelle Lynch, Running Y Resort; Chad Olney, Pacific Crest Federal Credit Union; and Jonathan Teichert, City of Klamath Falls.
The 2025 event is made possible through generous sponsorship and donations from Avista Corporation, Beyrouty Employee Benefits, the City of Klamath Falls, Cypress Creek Renewables, Darrel and Diana Samuels, Klamath County, Klamath IDEA, Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA), Sky Lakes Office of Strategy & Innovation, and the South-Central Oregon Innovation Hub (SCORI).
For more information about the Catalyze Klamath, visit www.oit.edu/catalyze.
###
