1. University of Dayton FLYER PITCH Competition
Where to find information for your problem and opportunity

2. Sources for supporting your problem statement
Many thanks to Joan Giglierano, Reference Librarian and Assistant Professor at Roesch Library

3. How Severe is your problem?
A good short story often sells this point well.
“An underinflated tire on a team bus at Taylor University led to every parent’s worst nightmare: the call that says your child died.”
Short and visceral will catch the judge’s attention.

4. How many people are affected by your problem?
Start with
Population data and Demographics
Income, education, age, origin, to the neighborhood level
Economic Indicators
Housing starts, Services, Inventories
Trend analysis

5. Better yet: Social Explorer
A graphical view of census data
Geographically based—good for visualizing, down to tract level

6. A sample of Geo data

7. Roesch library has tons of data for you to use! Here are a few
Market Share Reporter: Lists the major firms in each NAICS code
HQ USA (HQ addresses and contact info)
Ohio Business Directory (addresses by city, # employees, and manager’s name)
Manufacturing and Distribution: Addresses by city and industry, and market leader info
Ohio Valley Industrial Buying Guide
Professional Licensing and Occupational Directory
Lists # of licensees by state for each licensed career)

8. Concluding thought Start with problems people have
Brainstorm solutions, using the techniques we have shown you.
It’s okay that 75% of the storms are silly—you only need one good one
Keep twisting the familiar until you see something new

9. Quick and dirty research is still research—DIY!
Count the cars that enter a given parking lot on any given day
Offer to check tire pressure on ten cars at random among your friends, to see how well inflate they (their cars) are.

10. How much to include in your Elevator Pitch?
Generally 1-3 sentences will provide sufficient information for the judges