Business opportunities abound!
Posted February 8, 2016 / Adam Grinold, BDCC Executive Director
It is a great time to be involved in economic development and business development here in Windham County. Just last month saw over $60,000 distributed to the winners of the 2015 Windham Regional Business Planning Competition. Check out the winners’ list here.
Next month the region will host Fresh Tracks Road Pitch, a Vermont Tour in search of Vermont’s best and brightest entrepreneurs. What we see from these two events is a collection of incredible visionaries with detailed plans on how to implement their concepts. They have taken the time to seek guidance to test their models, they have studied the markets, understand the risks and measured the value of their proposition. Hats off to all of you out there making Southern Vermont, the place to do business in Vermont.
Windham Regional Business Plan Competition Awards
Awards were announced in the 2015 Windham Regional Business Planning Competition, on June 24, 2015 at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden in Brattleboro. The competition was a collaboration of Strolling of the Heifers and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation. A total of $64,000 in prize funds were given out: $10,000 to each of four first-place category winners, $3,000 each to the four second-place category winners, and $1,000 each to the 12 runners-up. Funding for the competition came from a grant from the Windham County Economic Development program (the “Vermont Yankee settlement” fund), the Vermont Community Foundation and the Windham Foundation.
The BDCC and Strolling of the Heifers are again collaborating in the sponsorship of the South Eastern Vermont stop of The 2015 Road Pitch, coming August 4.
The Road Pitch is a four day motorcycle tour of Vermont in which a gang of “business bikers” (comprised of investors, entrepreneurs and business advisors) ride around the state and stop in various towns to listen to entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts. They are stopping for pitch events in eight towns including Brattleboro. These events are open to the public.
At each stop, the riders will hear between five and seven business pitches. They provide advice, connect the entrepreneurs with resources where appropriate, and occasionally make an investment in a business opportunity. And this year, one of the pitching businesses will be awarded a “Riders Choice Prize” consisting of $450 in cash plus and a special ‘Biker Bear’ contributed by Vermont Teddy Bear Company. The cash prize is made possible by support from the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Gallagher, Flynn & Co., and Key Bank.
The event is organized by Cairn Cross of FreshTracks Capital. The Road Pitch website is at: http://www.roadpitch.co
Coming Soon- The Agency of Commerce and Community Development announced the reboot of the Windham County Economic Development Program last May. The BDCC and other regional partners have been working with the agency to provide local input for program enhancements. It looks like these revisions are almost complete! Be on the lookout for more details in the coming weeks.
