Three Luther College students are given prizes for being entrepreneurs

The founder of www.birdcagebridal.com--Luther College student Melissa Larson--has won the top $5,000 prize in the college's 25th annual Entrepreneurial Showcase.  Two other students--Jamey Meyer and Kiflu Tesfaye--have each been given $2,500 prizes.

Birdcage Bridal is a wedding resale website where users can buy and sell new and gently used wedding items. Larson started the business to find a more environmentally-friendly alternative to the wedding planning process. Larson's business has been featured in the Wall Street Journal's "Smart Money," MSN Money and the San Francisco Examiner.  Larson is a double major in business management and management information systems.

Meyer's entrepreneurial career began with Meyer Farms, a sustainable poultry business that provides an alternative to mass-produced chicken found in many grocery stores. Meyer Farms specializes in free-range chickens that are raised in outdoor movable pens and receive ample amounts of green grass, fresh air and sunlight. The chickens are all natural, receiving no growth hormones or antibiotics.  Meyer is a double major in environmental studies and management.

Tesfaye is one of the leaders of "I-Impact Now," a nonprofit organization created as a humanitarian initiative to raise funds for irrigation-based farming cooperatives in Ethiopia.