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Business Grant Competition Deadline Extended to Friday

Cedar Valley of Iowa – The Cedar Valley Dream Big Grow Here has extended its entry deadline to this Friday, October 4th at 5 pm.  Small business owners and entrepreneurs simply go online and complete a short application to be in the running for a chance to win a $5,000 business grant.  This year’s winner will then go on to pitch for an additional $10,000 grand prize at EntreFest! to be held in the spring of next year.

The Alliance & Chamber is pleased by the  number of quality applicants it has already received and hopes that extending the deadline will give more start-ups time to apply.

Lead sponsor for Dream Big Grow Here is the Iowa Bankers Association.  Other key sponsors are a mix of private and public sector agencies, including the University of Northern Iowa MyEntre.Net, Iowa Farm Bureau / Renew Rural Iowa, Iowa Economic Development Authority, VentureNet, Delta Dental of Iowa, and the Technology Association of Iowa.

For more information on the Cedar Valley Dream Big Grow Here and to enter the contest, go to www.DreamBigGrowHere.com.  For complete rules or for more information about this regional contest contact Taylor King at (319) 232-1156.  To learn more about how your community can get involved in this exciting initiative, contact UNI Dream Big Grow Here Lead Rob Williams at rob.williams@uni.edu or by phone at 319-273-4333.

GREATER CEDAR VALLEY ALLIANCE & CHAMBER and the CEDAR VALLEY REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCE DREAM BIG GROW HERE CEDAR VALLEY $5,000 WINNER

Cedar Valley of Iowa -The 2nd Annual Dream Big Grow Here Cedar Valley contest concluded on the evening of October 18th, 2012 with a “pitch-off” by five finalist of the online popular vote portion of the $5,000 grant contest.

The winner of the pitch-off, Lizzy Mae’s Cupcakes & Sweets – pitched by Dawn Pursell of Waverly, was chosen by a panel of business entrepreneurs and experts from the fields of law, technology, finance and entertainment. Twenty-one start-ups and small businesses participated in the popular online voting generating over 9,300 votes, from 44 states and 16 countries.

The Dream Big Grow Here Cedar Valley competition provides early stage and emerging small business an additional financial boost to accelerate the growth of their business.  The contest was open to start-up and small businesses in the Cedar Valley Economic Area comprised of Butler, Bremer, Buchanan, Black Hawk, Chickasaw, Grundy, and Tama counties.

“This year we saw more businesses competing in the contest take advantage of the free business services available through the University of Northern Iowa, MyEntrenet and the Small Business Development Center” commented Steve Dust, CEO, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber.

“This is the whole point of the contest…helping these individuals take their business idea to the next level.” added Nate Clayberg, Chair, Cedar Valley Marketing Partnership.

Both the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber and the Cedar Valley Regional Partnership were regional sponsors of the statewide contest.  Lizzy Mae’s Cupcakes & Sweets will compete March 7, 2013 for a chance to win $10,000 at the statewide pitch off sponsored by MyEntre.net during their annual conference. Pursell plans to use the prize money to expand her baking operation and open a store front in Waverly.

Other event sponsors for the Dream Big Grow Here Cedar Valley Pitch-Off event included, MyEntre.net, UNI’s Business Incubator, Point Builders and PDCM Insurance.

Other finalist included:

Computer Troubleshooters Computer Service and Sales(Cory Vieth) – Waterloo, Eat Cakes Cakery (Elizabeth Wilson)– Hudson , Watapri (Jane Zehr)– Waverly, and Recycle Rite Inc. (Brian Hoyer)- Cedar Falls.

Kate Washut of Far Reach Technologies moderated the Pitch-off. The judges panel included; Wade Arnold CEO of Banno; Darin Beck CEO of Barmuda MMC; Eric Johnson of Beecher, Field, Walker, Morris, Hoffman & Johnson, P.C.; Mark Stewart of Prime Logic Partners and Nick Evens of  The Veridian Group.

 

Returning to the Dream Big Grow Here Cedar Valley Pitch-Off event and delivering the keynote was author Sarah Miller Caldicott, great grand niece of Thomas Edison. Caldicott’s presentation How Collaboration Drives Innovation: A Midnight Lunch with Thomas Edison, was based on a soon to be released book. Co – author of the book Innovate Like Edison, Caldicott has recently released an e-book titled Inventing the Future: What Would Thomas Edison be Doing Today.

 

Dust added, “Cedar Valley Innovation Day is one way to celebrate the strength and vitality of the individual entrepreneurial drive in the Cedar Valley economic area, and the improvements it brings our businesses and lives.

 

The contestants of Dream Big Grow Here-Cedar Valley have taken the first steps to growing the next dominant business with whatever product or service improvement they have put into the marketplace. These aren’t hobbies, or businesses that plan to remain garage-based operations. DBGH-Cedar Valley contestants are in the mold of many, many other Cedar Valley dreamers who started with a vision to help businesses and consumers to do something better – innovating. Their success at innovation has earned them a place among the best in the nation in their industries. Remember, the innovation of John Froelich and his partners in the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Co. – introducing gasoline powered traction – changed agriculture around the globe. It’s that commitment to find new, better ways to produce and provide in America’s Free Enterprise system – innovation – from the Cedar Valley – that is celebrated in this event.

 

Cedar Valley Innovation Day is a way to inform and demonstrate why it’s critical to create a welcoming place for people to innovate. We need that brainpower – continually striving to find the next better way to do something – create – make – or deliver something – to expand our economy. Encouraging, welcoming and celebrating innovation is still another way to Be Part of Something Greater – the Cedar Valley of Iowa.”

 

More information about Lizzy Mae’s Cupcakes & Sweets can be found at www.facebook.com/LizzyMaes Cupcakes Sweets.

 

Plans are already underway for the 2013 Dream Big Grow Here Cedar Valley & Cedar Valley Innovation Day.  Businesses and individuals interested in participating or sponsorships should contact the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber at 319-232-1156.

 

Call for Entries Dream Big Grow Here

Cedar Valley Dream Big Grow Here Contest Call for Entries September 4-18

The Dream Big, Grow Here business grant contest is an opportunity for Iowans to win one regional $5,000 small business grant and then go on to pitch their business for a shot at a $10,000 grand prize.

For-profit start-up and small businesses providing value-added production or services in Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Grundy and Tama counties are eligible to apply. Qualifying applicants will receive confirmation within 2 business days. See contest rules.

The top 5 businesses by popular online voting will face off in the Cedar Valley DBGH Pitch-Off for a chance to win $5,000 to start or grow their small business on October 18, 2012 at the Cedar Valley Innovation Day. The Cedar Valley Pitch-Off winner will advance to the statewide Pitch-Off for an additional $10,000 the Spring 2013.

Top 15 businesses by popular online voting are invited to set up a table at the Cedar Valley Innovation Day on October 18, 2012 to showcase their product or service to regional business leaders and other entrepreneurs.

Learn more from this excellent KWWL video news story.

Find out more at http://www.dreambiggrowhere.com/HowItWorks.aspx?contest=17

Cedar Valley Innovation Day

Cedar Valley’s Innovation Day celebrates the best in innovative information technology, value-added production and related business services from start-ups and small businesses in the Cedar Valley Region.

GCVAC has teamed up with Technology Association of Iowa (TAI) to bring TAI’s Pitch & Grow event to the Cedar Valley Region.

In addition, the Cedar Valley Region will be celebrating the top 15 popular vote winners from the Dream Big Grow Here Cedar Valley contest while the top 5 popular vote winners will Pitch-Off for the grand prize of $5,000.

The day will conclude with keynote speaker Sarah Miller Caldicott, great grandniece of Thomas Edison, discussing her book Inventing the Future a look at how Edison would innovate today using new technology and how individuals can adapt his proven innovation methods to their advantage.

All events will occur at the University of Northern Iowa Campus – Business & Community Services and Center for Energy & Environment Education Buildings.

Find out more about all three components of Innovation Day at: http://cedarvalleyalliance.com/cms/238/Cedar_Valley_Innovation_Day

Or contact Lisa Skubal at the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber, 319-232-1156,
or lskubal@cedarvalleyalliance.com.

 

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