BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro Development Credit Corp. (BDCC) and Strolling of the Heifers have selected finalists in the 2012 Business Plan Competition for the Windham region, which offers a total of $60,000 in prizes.
The 20 finalists, chosen by panels of community judges, were chosen on the basis of business prospectuses submitted during the first phase of the contest. The finalists will now prepare detailed business plans and will make presentations at the final judging session on May 30.
The competition features two divisions: one for general businesses excluding agriculture and food (the BDCC Business Plan Competition), and one specifically for farm or food-related enterprises (the Strolling of the Heifers Farm/Food Business Plan Competition). Each division is further divided into two categories, one for existing businesses and one for new businesses.
The finalists are as follows:
• In the general division, existing business category: Sherilee Backman, Venus of Vermont; Dan Healey, Dan Healey Forest Works; Daniel Systo, Walker & Company Roofing and Construction; James Takaki, Iron Arts; and Susan and Greg Worden, Vermont Artisan Designs.
• In the general division, new business category: Tina Bills, Sunny Lane Daycare Center; Stephen Dybas, Yellow Line, LLC, d.b.a. ArtsXchange; Mark Gunkel, A Modern Sweep; Casey Nelson, Buddha Bella; and Marjorie Ray, Codewryter Web & Video.
• In the farm/food division, existing business category: Ingrid and Franklin Chrisco, True North Granola Company; Lisa Holderness and Jerry Smith, Deer Ridge Farm; Megan Luce and Luis Torres, Seitanic Kitchens; Steve Pardoe and Chris McInerney, BLM Management Corporation, d.b.a., Flat Street Brew Pub; and Charlie Robb, Jr., The Robb Family Farm.
• In the farm/food division, new business category: Annie and Robert DeCoteau, Harmony Circle Farm; David Hiler, Timothy Brady, and Amy Brady, Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery; Chance McNiff, Alabaster's Alliums; Ismail Samad, Artisans on the Green; and Rachel Ware, AlpineGlo Farm.
Region's “innovative spirit”
“It's exciting to see so many entrepreneurs thinking about new or expanded business plans,” said Orly Munzing, founder and executive director of Strolling of the Heifers. “It shows that there's a lot of innovative spirit in our region. If we can help these contestants be successful, it's great news for the health of our local economy.”
The competition is being supported with a grant of $20,000 from the Thomas Thompson Trust. David Altstadt of David Altstadt Consulting LLC, Brattleboro, serves as competition coordinator.
Final presentations, lasting up to 12 minutes per finalist with an additional 10 minutes for questions, will take place on the morning of May 30 at the Marlboro College Graduate School. Winners will be announced that afternoon.
Immediately following the final awards presentation, finalists in all categories will have an opportunity to network with investors, entrepreneurs, bankers, educators, and others who are attending the Strolling of the Heifers Slow Living Summit.
Finalists will have access to assistance in preparing their business plans and presentations from Vermont Small Business Development Center (VSBDC) and Southeast Vermont Community Action. Each finalist will also receive a copy of “The Plan: A Step-By-Step Business Plan Workbook” from VSBDC.
The competition was open to for-profit businesses physically located within BDCC's designated region of Windham County, plus the neighboring towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Weston, and Winhall; and had to have an annual gross revenue that does not exceed $500,000.
Judges selected finalists based on such criteria as the likelihood of success and job creation (direct or indirect). For instance, they looked at whether proposed business or expansion would create new job opportunities, or positively affect other businesses such as suppliers or distributors, or make an ancillary impact such as drawing tourists to the area.
Two dozen community members volunteer as judges for the competition. Each judge sits on a six-member panel, which is responsible for reviewing and rating submissions and selecting finalists in one of the four designated subdivisions of the competition. The judges represent the business community. In the Farm/Food division, there are judges with particular expertise in agriculture and food-related enterprises.
Recognizing that some entrepreneurs wish to keep the details of their plans confidential, the competition is run privately, with materials kept secure and confidential; judging sessions are not open to the public, and only the business names of finalists and winners are disclosed.