WELLSBURG — Various men and women or groups with suggestions for new small business ventures will vie for various thousands of dollars to support them make their ambitions a reality in a contest to be held Tuesday at Brooke Higher College.

The Ohio Valley Small business Alliance Corp. will hold its initial Small business Pitch Contest at five:30 p.m. in the school’s auditorium.

Admission is totally free for the occasion, which OVBAC member David Klick expects to be very exciting.

“We have a lot of folks who have place a lot of time and believed into their projects,” stated Klick, noting the seven competitors from Brooke and Hancock counties with ambitions for a wide variety of enterprises.

Klick is co-chairing the occasion with Dr. Heather Stone and Joan Simonetti.

He is amongst lots of alliance members with previous ties to the Wellsburg Chamber of Commerce and the former Brooke County Financial Improvement Authority, which had teamed for various years to hold small business pitch contests.

“This year I’d say we have the most effective applicants given that I’ve been involved with the pitch. And it is the largest pot for the winners,” he stated.

Klick stated thanks to the generosity of regional enterprises and other organizations, the group will divide $eight,000 amongst the two winners, with the biggest quantity going to the a single that areas initial.

He noted the prize funds will be disbursed as the two small business ideas are created.

Klick stated the contest is comparable in format to television’s “Shark Tank,” with the contestants offered a restricted time to provide their proposals to a panel of 5 judges.

The 5 are: Luke Diserio, chief executive officer of American Muscle Docks and Fabrication Kelly Jeffers, winner of the final small business pitch Ingrid Loy, a advertising and marketing instructor at West Liberty University Jay McLaughlin, vice president of accounting and finance at Wheeling-Nippon Steel and Weirton lawyer Michael Simon.

Every single of the contestants has been instructed to prepare a presentation that contains estimated charges for their endeavor, their targeted market place and their vision for the small business in two to 5 years.

“We have a lot of folks who have place a lot of time and believed into their projects,” stated Klick.

To support the contestants prepare, the Ohio Valley Small business Alliance has invited them to the West Virginia Modest Small business Improvement Center’s Inspiring You series of seminars and referring them to other sources.

Held at the Brooke County Public Library, the totally free seminars offer you guidance to aspiring and current small business owners in subjects ranging from establishing a small business program to advertising and marketing their goods and solutions to possible buyers to understanding economic statements.

In addition to the event’s sponsors, Klick expressed thanks to the chambers of commerce of Weirton, Follansbee and Wellsburg, which also have supplied help and Brooke County college officials for generating the auditorium offered for the group.

He stated the group hopes to spur financial development all through the Northern Panhandle and sees events like the contest as a way to help that.

“We assume this could seriously be sufficient to move the needle for somebody,” stated Klick.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)

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