On Saturday night, rain poured down on Durango, and students, faculty and community members gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Hawk Tank competition. 

At the annual Hawk Tank Gala, the competition’s winners were announced, and several thousand dollars were awarded to some of those who pitched business plans. However, the event was also a success for many others, as other Fort Lewis College students learned about the complexities of starting a business, as well as how to successfully run an event.

“The plans were amazing,” Michael Valdez, Hawk Tank co-director and professor, said. “We had lots of traction this year in the high schools as well as in San Juan College, which is a huge win for us, because, of course, we try to deliver to the entire community.” 

Joey DeMartino, the founder and lead audio engineer of Noise Hub, won the grand prize of $10,000 from the competition. 

Valdez (left), awards DeMartino the additional $5000 for winning the competition. 

Previously winning $5000 for the San Juan College section of the competition, DeMartino was awarded an additional $5000 after judges voted his business plan as the best. 

DeMartino was absolutely shocked when he was awarded the additional $5000. “There were some very fierce competitions all across the board,” he said. “I'm very impressed with these businesses that are actually entered in all the way across.” 

DeMartino has worked in the audio industry for more than 10 years, previously working as a radio host, DJ, and audio technician, he said. 

Now that he has won the competition, he plans to use the money to set up a designated recording studio to produce voice-overs, music instrumentals, and more, he said. 

In second place, FLC student Kiera McCabe, secured $5,000 for winning the Fort Lewis section of the competition. 

McCabe hopes to start Skoden Farms, a business aimed at using traditional food ways in Indigenous communities to target food insecurity and food sovereignty, she said. 

The competition has taught her a lot about starting a business, and she said it has taught her a lot about public speaking and answering difficult questions in front of very important investors, she said. 

While McCabe said she needs $20,000 total for her startup capital, the $5,000 awarded will help her invest in farm supplies, transportation, packaging and eventually hiring an accountant, she said. 

Additionally, McCabe hopes to eventually partner with FLC and hire student interns interested in receiving their regenerative food systems certificate, she said.

“I’m currently getting my own,” she said. 

Fort Lewis and San Juan College students were not the only ones attending the gala, however. Many students from local high schools also attended, with hopes of winning a prize of $500. 

Jude Alderton, a sophomore at Durango High School, won the high school section for his business.

While Alderton was aiming for at least a third place position, he was very surprised to learn he had won first, he said. 

“The opportunity is amazing,” he said. “If you know what you want to do and you want to pursue it and start at a young age, I feel like this is the perfect place to start.” 

While not everyone won prize money, many students walked away from the event with many new skills, such as time management and learning how to plan a successful event. 

Elliot Bolding, a FLC student and 2025 Hawk Tank participant, still recommends the program and will continue with his business pitch into the future, he said. 

“It's a lot of work, so you gotta know that coming in” he said. “There's some really great tools. So if you're interested in starting a business, or you got an idea, I would recommend It.” 

However, Bolding does wish that he could have had access to a personal mentor to help tailor his business pitch. Through the program, he did not receive this, he said. 

Maurice Chee, a fourth-year Business Administration student who helped plan the Hawk Tank gala through the Event Management course, said it was a great experience overall. 

There were difficulties, as choosing one person’s idea meant that another great idea was not implemented, and that they might not have realized this until later, he said. 

James Silva, another event management student, agreed that there were difficulties in planning it, but that they have “been able to come back and get everything figured out and solved,” he said. 

“I feel like we did a really great job” he said.