Concordia Nebraska concludes 2026 Concordia Catalyst Competition

The Concordia Catalyst Competition (C3) is a business plan competition hosted by the Concordia University, Nebraska Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It is open to high school students, community members and all current Concordia University, Nebraska students and alumni.  

The fall competition is a pitch competition where competitors develop an idea for a business, conduct market research and are allotted 90-120 seconds to pitch their idea. The spring competition is a full business plan competition where competitors are allowed up to 10 minutes to add financial analyses and other market and business research from their fall pitch to demonstrate the viability and legitimacy of their proposed business idea.  

Cash prizes and other gifts may be awarded to the top finalists either semester.  

“C3 provides students with an opportunity to go outside their comfort zone and create something new in the world,” said Co-Lead Organizer and Concordia Instructor of Computer Science Ian Kollipara. “It provides students the ability to imagine a business, plan it out, and then receive feedback from the community. We’ve had many students come through that are working on launching their businesses now.” 

Uzziah Ag Scholars Program Director Kellie Nelson served as co-lead organizer alongside Kollipara. 

Concordia Nebraska senior Carson Fehlhafer of Utica, Nebraska won the spring 2026 competition with his business “Midwest Trailer Rentals.”  

“I really appreciate that Concordia offers opportunities like the C3 competition. The support from faculty, judges and the local community makes a huge impact. Overall, the experience challenges students to think critically, step outside their comfort zones and develop ideas that can truly become viable businesses.”

“Midwest Trailer Rentals” is a business run by Fehlhafer and his brothers Garret and Trevor that offers services such as trailer rental, trailer cleanup and hauling services. The business started three years ago during his first entrepreneurship class. He and his older brother Garret began taking small hauling jobs around their community, and the business evolved from there. 

“This was my third time presenting ‘Midwest Trailer Rentals’ in the C3 competition, and it has been incredibly rewarding to see how the business has grown over the years. It has grown from an idea into an operation that is generating real revenue. Each year, I’ve been able to refine the model, learn from feedback and continue building something tangible,” said Fehlhafer. 

Kollipara said that students improve their ideas across competitions is one of the joys of the competition. 

“One of the joys of C3 is seeing students returning with the same idea, but with new ideas and refinements for it.” 

Senior Kyla Schleusener of Arden Hills, Minnesota won second place with “Discard Delights” and senior Collin Reetz of Estes Park, Colorado won third with “The Caddy Shack.” 

“I really appreciate that Concordia offers opportunities like the C3 competition,” said Fehlhafer. “The support from faculty, judges and the local community makes a huge impact. Overall, the experience challenges students to think critically, step outside their comfort zones and develop ideas that can truly become viable businesses.” 

Students that participated in C3 include:

Zachary Rabe, Orange City, Iowa & Benjamin Steffens, San Pedro, California - Sinking Springs Heritage Farm

Carson Fehlhafer, Utica, Nebraska (1st Place) - Midwest Trailer Rentals

Collin Reetz, Estes Park, Colorado (3rd Place) - The Caddy Shack

Kyla Schleusener, Arden Hills, Minnesota (2nd Place) - Discard Delights

Myra Thomas, Saint George, Kansas - Harvest Highway

Hugo Fuentes Gomez, Denia, Spain - Nova

C3 consists of a Mentor Night prior to both the fall and spring competitions: the Fall Pitch Competition and the Spring Business Plan Competition. C3 was created to provide practical experience for those formulating and executing business plan ideas. C3 is open to high school students, community members and all current Concordia University, Nebraska students and alumni of the university.