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Alumni Awards
Annually, The University of Tampa’s John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center honors its most outstanding alumni entrepreneurs in an awards ceremony. This gathering also serves as a platform for networking with like-minded alumni entrepreneurs.
Award Categories:
Lowth Entrepreneurship Center Service Award
This award recognizes alumni who have made an outstanding altruistic contribution to the community.
Social Entrepreneur
This award recognizes alumni who have shown a strong commitment to social responsibility.
Early Stage Award
This award recognizes alumni with promising ventures who are in the early stages of growth.
Family Business
This award recognizes alumni who are part of a family business.
Young Entrepreneur Award
This award recognizes young alumni who have shown exceptional talent and achieved success in business.
Outstanding Service to Entrepreneurs
This award recognizes alumni or non-alumni who have shown outstanding commitment to the entrepreneurial community in general.
Innovator Entrepreneur
This award recognizes alumni who have shown a commitment to innovative business practices.
Service-Based Entrepreneur
This award recognizes alumni entrepreneurs in service-oriented industries such as consulting.
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award recognizes alumni who operate businesses that have shown stability and success over a long period of time.
Lowth Entrepreneurship Center Annual Alumni Gathering and Awards Presentation
The Lowth Entrepreneurship Center Alumni Gathering and Awards was established by the Entrepreneurship Center in 2012 to honor alumni who have made significant professional and personal achievements in the years since graduation.
The Alumni Awards will be held Feb. 20, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.
2024 Award Recipients
Marty Rifkin, ’82: 2024 Lifetime Achievement
A graduate of UT’s class of 1982, Marty Rifkin is the co-founder of Northwest Natural Products, the company that pioneered the development of the immensly popular gummy vitamin category. Under his leadership for over 30 years, his company went on to produce brands like Gummy Vites and Vitafusion™.
Martika Brianne Jones, M.S. ’19: 2024 Young Entrepreneur
A graduate of UT’s Master of Science in Entrepreneurship program, Martika Jones is the founder of BUP. Her company integrates NFC technology with AI-driven analytics and follow-ups which creates a ground breaking networking experience. Jones currently volunteers as an mentor for our students.
Val Marks: 2024 Outstanding Service to Entrepreneurs
For several years, Val Marks had offered her time, talent and treasure to the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center’s Advisory Board. Despite recently stepping off our board, she still supports our community in a number of ways, including mentoring several of our student and alumni companies.
Spartan Collective
Spartan Collective is the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center’s platform that bridges students and alumni to a world of opportunities and meaningful connections. Whether you're a graduate or a current student, our unique space fosters collaboration, expertise sharing and mutual support.
Spartan Collective empowers alumni to give back to the community, embrace fresh perspectives and enhance leadership skills. As the core of Lowth Center's programming, it fuels initiatives like the Spartan Accelerator and Spartan Incubator, events such as Pitch Sykes and CREATE Business Idea competition, and UT Entrepreneurship club. Join Spartan Collective now and shape a brighter future together.
For our esteemed alumni, Spartan Collective ensures lifelong connections. We offer a comprehensive platform for alumni to access job opportunities, career support, mentoring and valuable resources—all in one place. No matter your career stage, Spartan Collective empowers you with meaningful connections and support. For ambitious students, Spartan Collective is the gateway to building a powerful network and unlocking endless opportunities.
Join Spartan Collective today and be part of a thriving community of innovators, mentors and change-makers. Together, we'll shape a brighter future for entrepreneurship and unleash the potential of every member in our network.
