Business Pitch Winners Named By Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce
Article Presented By Tomlinson Insurance…
(Chillicothe) – The Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Ignite Appalachia and the Women’s Business Centers of Central Appalachia at SSU, completed their first business pitch program for Ross County on June 20 at Ohio University-Chillicothe. Participants competed in a business pitch competition that evening, where they showcased their business in front of a panel of judges after meeting for seven weeks prior.
The cohort, facilitated by the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce, focused on core elements of developing a marketable business plan: Value proposition, market analysis, customer segmentation, marketing, and finance. Local business leaders volunteered as mentors during the cohort and provided invaluable feedback to the participants.
“Ross County has a strong entrepreneurial network and the Chamber felt that providing this type of intense learning experience would encourage these folks to take their ideas to the next level”, said Wendi Bennett, small business resource navigator for the Chamber. “It was amazing to see how well their ideas developed over time as well as the connections they made over the course of eight short weeks.”
Logan Detty, of Loge Media and Loge Marketing, took first place for his business expansion presentation and will go on to compete in the regional competition on August 5. Fran Crow of Woodpecker Pines Farm took second while Alan Miller of Anna Mary’s Fried Pies placed third. Each was awarded cash prizes of $4,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
Fluor-BWXT of Portsmouth sponsored the cash prizes directly, in hopes to aid entrepreneurs in startup funds.
Ignite Appalachia, which originated in Portsmouth at the Kricker Innovation Hub, was able to expand to Ross County this year after partnering with the EDCI Women’s Business Center. Ross was one of seven counties hosting a cohort.
The remaining results of the competition are as follows:
*Fourth: Paige Farmer with “Dear Sadie”
*Fifth: Jessica Minney with “Without Her LLC”
*Sixth: Daniel Griesheimer with “Ohio Creations, LLC”
*Seventh: Shantiel Wood & Melissa Seeling with “Rustic & Renewed Treasures, LLC”
*Eighth: Anne Holmes with “The Havin”
