As a kid growing up with entrepreneurial parents, Renita Smith used to think she always wanted to be in a meeting. And after competing in the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, she is sure that business is her future.

“I just have a passion for business in general,” the 25-year-old Smith said. “My motto is: Live, laugh, learn and do business.”

Out of the nearly 300 entries, Smith was among the top 28 finalists chosen to present their business plan in front of top capital investment companies from all over Michigan as a part of the Accelerate Michigan competition, an international business contest.

Students entered from throughout Michigan, although the bulk of the entries came from Wayne State University and the University of Michigan.

WSU had three semi-finalists: Renita Smith, a senior marketing major; Ken Siegner, an MBA student; and Cherise Soulliere, a junior management major.

For her entry, Smith developed a green initiative called Project Re-Tire, which takes recycled tires and makes them into crumb rubber to be used as an alternative gas source and for use in asphalt and turf.

The competition will award $50,000 to students judged as having the best new business ideas.

“Their ideas and innovative approach to cultivating business are vital to transforming Michigan’s economy and making it a ‘top ten’ state for job growth,” said Doug Rothwell, president, Business Leaders for Michigan, an organization that co-sponsored the Accelerate Michigan competition.

According to the competition’s website, the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan granted Ann Arbor SPARK $750,000 to launch the contest on behalf of the Business Accelerator Network for Southeast Michigan, which is composed of four of the region’s key business accelerators: Ann Arbor SPARK, Automation Alley, the Macomb-OU INCubator and TechTown.

Though she didn’t win the competition, Smith is moving on to another business student competition with a renewed focus and the experience she had presenting in front of the companies.

“That was a warmup,” she said.