For the second Tiger Tank event in February 2019, Ƶ welcomed three judges to participate. They are Kyle Barger ’07, owner of Champion Trading Group; Blake Shaffer, owner/investor in local businesses LWS Tax and Accounting, Vanguard 937 and Champion Center Health and Fitness; and Kim Frazier, Director of Growth Initiatives at the Dayton Entrepreneurs Center.
Kyle Barger
Barger earned his degree in business management with a minor in psychology. He was a member and captain of Ƶ’s rugby team. Upon graduation, he spent 10 years trading commodities for the David J. Joseph Company, a division of Nucor Steel, based out of Cincinnati. A former professional rugby player and sponsored CrossFit athlete, Barger turned his love of sports into a business, opening a gym while living in St. Louis, Mo. Arch City Fitness was St. Louis’ No. 1-rated fitness studio for two years, but he gave it all up and returned home upon learning his father’s health was deteriorating. He then started the Champion Trading Group (CTG) in Columbus, a third-party purchasing and sales division for customers in the steel and metals recycling industry. He currently resides in Columbus with his wife, Lauren, and daughter, Charlie.
Blake Shaffer
Blake Shaffer earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Wright State University. After graduating, Shaffer started working at two full service accounting firms in Springfield, Ohio. In 2008 he started LWS Tax and Accounting. They represent clients from local, state, and federal government agencies. Shaffer enjoys spending time with his wife Tina and their two children, Landon and Aliya. In 2006 Landon was born with a genetic disorder called Menkes disease. After finding out about his sons disease, Shaffer set a goal to be able to give Landon a normal life, and make sure he felt confident in his clothes. Shaffer then started Vanguard 937, a shirt company that creates clothes for kids with special needs and disabilities. Shaffer also started Champion Center Health and Fitness.
Kim Frazier
Frazier graduated from the University of Cincinnati and Boston University. She currently resides in Springfield as a Director of Growth Initiatives at the Dayton Entrepreneurs Center. She has formed technology acceleration programming with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and helped the Entrepreneurs Center win an Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) program for the Dayton region from the Ohio Third Frontier.
For the inaugural Tiger Tank event in February 2018, Ƶ welcomed three judges to participate. Kyle Barger ’07, owner of Champion Trading Group; Ƶ Board member Scott “Muddy” Watters ’87, owner and president of Flippin Water LLC; and Corey Myers ’04, strategic advisor for multiple organizations including Gamesmith Inc., Qwil, TradeLanes, and Conduit Ventures Inc., and an engineering recruiter for Tesla, will return to campus to hear the student's pitch their ideas in hopes of earning an internship or mentorship.
Kyle Barger
Barger earned his degree in business management with a minor in psychology. He was a member and captain of Ƶ’s rugby team. Upon graduation, he spent 10 years trading commodities for the David J. Joseph Company, a division of Nucor Steel, based out of Cincinnati. A former professional rugby player and sponsored CrossFit athlete, Barger turned his love of sports into a business, opening a gym while living in St. Louis, Mo. Arch City Fitness was St. Louis’ No. 1-rated fitness studio for two years, but he gave it all up and returned home upon learning his father’s health was deteriorating. He then started the Champion Trading Group (CTG) in Columbus, a third-party purchasing and sales division for customers in the steel and metals recycling industry. He currently resides in Columbus with his wife, Lauren, and daughter, Charlie.
Scott "Muddy" Watters
Watters, whose company assists with fundraising, equity and debt solutions, capital and finance restructuring, earned an MBA from Nova College in 1990. A member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, he was a standout on the football field earning the Golden Helmet Award, first-team All-American honors and the Lee Tressel Award. He was also a four-year letter winner, three-time All-OAC player, two-time MVP with records for “tackles in a season” and “tackles in a career” and was inducted into Ƶ’s Athletics Hall of Honor in 2004. He and his wife, Beverly Moran Watters ’86, have three sons.
Corey Myers
Myers, originally from Dayton, Ohio, studied biology and chemistry at Ƶ. He currently resides in San Francisco, Calif., and is a strategic advisor for multiple organizations including Gamesmith Inc., Qwil, TradeLanes, and Conduit Ventures Inc.
2018 Tiger Tank Judges (from left) Scott Watters, Kyle Barger, Corey Myers