The Georgia Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a successful inaugural Georgia InVenture Prize competition in Atlanta, Georgia, which was aired live by Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The People’s Choice Award winner was Spartan Wheel Chariots from Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC). Spartan Wheel Chariots was a team of one, a determined paraplegic student named Ben Huntzinger. Huntzinger is building a rugged outdoor wheelchair designed to make an active outdoor lifestyle more accessible for wheelchair users. Spartan Wheel Chariots also won the second place prize. His total prize winnings included consultations with high-level business advisors and a cash prize totaling $25,000. He plans to invest all of the winnings into his dream of building wheelchairs that are durable, easily attainable, and affordable. 

Huntzinger’s passion for his mission placed him in a position of prominence early in the competition, even among his fellow competitors.  

“I decided a while back that if I was going to have access to the life I wanted, I was going to have to build it from scratch. After years of trial and error, and lots of being told no, I developed a wheelchair that would be tough enough to handle the challenges that my lifestyle would demand of it,” he said. “I went back to school at Southern Regional Technical College to learn better ways to build my wheelchair. Today, I am able produce affordable and custom off-road wheelchairs that give wheelchair users more than just a new set of wheels. I am able to give them a lifestyle of self-reliance, confidence, and adventure.”

SRTC President Dr. Craig Wentworth said, “As a student, Mr. Huntzinger is a shining example of what makes technical education unique and important. As a college, we are honored by his choice to start here. It is our hope that his achievement will encourage other technical college students across the state to think bigger and pursue their own exciting goals.”

SRTC offers over 155 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get students quickly into a desired career, and 28 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia. SRTC has instructional sites located in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner and Worth counties for the convenience of its students. 

The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. 

For the most up-to-date information on registration, class dates, and program offerings, log on to www.southernregional.edu. 

Summer semester begins May 15.