Out of thousands of participants, USU Alum Stephen Nielsen took third place in the first Grow America Competition in Utah this spring. His proposed business, “Geek-In-A-Day,” will use one-day seminars to teach customers how to write computer code—an increasingly valuable skill.

The contest sponsor, Grow America, is a national company with a mission to create jobs and lift local economies.

Stephen won $3,500 for his business proposal. He said, “The Grow America program was a great catalyst to get my idea off the ground. It forced me to reevaluate my ideas and take action.”