Submitted by Nancy Stephens

Friends from the W. P. Carey – Evening Program class of 2005 will be sorry to learn that alumnus Tony Bouie is battling cancer.
 
Tony’s business story, which he shared last summer with students in an MBA elective course, is admirable. As a district manager for Circle K, he would notice cup lids lying on the floor or counter during his many store visits. Tony realized how much money the company was wasting on cup lids that were never used. A solution, he thought, might be to create a cup that could be dispensed with an attached lid. He kept this idea in the back of his mind as he headed for W. P. Carey MBA classes at the Downtown Center.
 
While taking a business plan competition course from Professor Mike Denning, Tony and classmate Art Marshall developed the idea further, including specific plans to commercialize it. Although they did not win the actual competition, they won something better – funding through an Edson grant.
 
With the grant and a lot of encouragement from friends and family, Tony started Halo Cups (www.halocups.com) to manufacture paper and plastic cups with lids attached. After a short time in business, Tony was able to gain additional funding through private equity. He set up manufacturing in China and has had prospects for some large customers.
 
Although Tony is a well-known University of Arizona Wildcat alumnus and athlete, he is a great W. P. Carey MBA alum as well. Friends who want to learn more specifics about his situation should visit www.carepages.com and after registering, enter “TonyBouie” to get to his page and learn updates. Friends who want to help Tony with his fight can send a contribution to: We Care/Tony Bouie, 3434 W. Anthem Way, Suite 118-493, Anthem, AZ 85086 (Tax ID #270068310).