A local Colorado Mountain College student team won this spring’s statewide Wright Collegiate Challenge in the “Best In Place” category for helping the Yampa River Fund with its Yampa Ripple Effect fundraising program.

Led by CMC business professor Kipp Rillos, the competition culminated for the students April 19 with presentations evaluated by an eight-person review committee consisting of outdoor industry professionals, past participants, and academic and economic development partners. 

Now in its third year, the Wright Collegiate Challenge pitted 10 teams from three Colorado colleges, which partnered with local businesses and nonprofit organizations to address challenges they might be facing within the outdoor recreation industry. Other participating schools were Colorado Mesa University, Western Colorado University, and the University of Colorado’s Masters of the Environment program. 

Each team was evaluated based on producing a final document defining the challenge and outlining possible solutions; a pitch deck summarizing the issues at hand; a live presentation and Q&A session; and the professionalism displayed throughout 12 weeks of working together. 

The student team from CMC’s Steamboat Springs campus included Chase Bomgardner, Giovonni Fraley, Sierra Archuleta and Harrison Simmons. Part of their efforts also included producing a Quick Start Guide for the program to serve as a tutorial for getting the program started with various point-of-sales systems. 

“It’s fantastic that they won the Best In Place category for their efforts,” said Yampa River Fund manager Mike Robertson. “Their help went a long way toward helping us in our reach-out efforts to local businesses interested in adopting the free program, which lets their customers directly help the river.”

The Yampa Ripple Effect empowers customers of local businesses to help protect the Yampa by “rounding up” to the next dollar (or making a 1 percent or other small donation) with their purchase, with all funding coming from customer donations at checkout. All money raised supports operation of the Yampa River Fund.

Founded in 2019 and managed by Friends of the Yampa, the Yampa River Fund identifies and grants funds to projects that protect Yampa River water supply, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities.

Its goal is to enhance water security for communities, agriculture, the economy and the natural environment; support a healthy, flowing river and enhance critical low flows through water leases; and maintain or improve river function by restoring riparian and/or in-channel habitat. 

Since its inception, it has allocated nearly $1 million to 23 projects throughout the basin, distributing an average of about $200,000 per year.