$20,000 Bradford Business Competition Announced
New Business Competition to offer seed money and support for Bradford startups and existing businesses
Bradford, PA – The Bradford Area Alliance announces the launch of a brand new business competition for startups and new business ventures of existing businesses. The competition will award $20,000 in seed capital and include in-kind services to the winner. The annual business competition looks to entice aspiring or budding entrepreneurs to move from idea-to-vision-to-market. The competition is part of a larger effort in re-invigorating Bradford’s rich history of entrepreneurial spirit. That spirit is an outcome of our heritage as the birthplace of the U.S. domestic oil industry. Given that long-standing history and the profound impact of our current energy sector, the tag line for the competition is “The Spark to Fuel Your Business”. However, we are inviting all those in our community who have a new idea – no matter if it is in energy, manufacturing, retail, tourism, seasonal, etc., to come forward.
Ultimately the goal of the competition is to create new wealth and new net jobs in our community – even if it is one job at a time. The competition is open to anyone who would like to open a business in the Bradford region. The competition is also open to any existing business that is interested in expanding into a new venture. The Bradford region includes the City of Bradford, as well as Bradford, Corydon, Foster, and Lafayette Townships. Interested parties must submit a business plan by April 3, 2020 and participate in a pitch event (similar to “Shark Tank”) being hosted by Pitt-Bradford on April 16th where the winner will be announced.
City of Bradford Mayor James McDonald stated “We have many talented and innovative people in the Bradford area. This competition represents a great opportunity to help transform an idea into a marketable and profitable product or service that can spur economic development and job creation.”
The competition was structured based on valuable input from many of our local supporting companies, agencies and departments including private-sector industry representatives, Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce, Bradford’s Office of Community & Economic Development, McKean County Commissioners, McKean County Economic Development, McKean County Redevelopment & Housing Authority, North Central PA Regional Planning & Development Commission, Northwest Bank, PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Small Business Development Center, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, and Workforce Solutions of North Central PA.
Additional details can be found at BradfordAreaAlliance.com.
Carolyn Boser Newhouse, Executive Director of the Bradford Area Alliance stated “The Alliance is launching this new business competition as part of its focus on ‘economic gardening’ (a.k.a. homegrown economic growth) in the Bradford region. This fits our mission of advancing prosperity in the businesses and citizens of the Bradford region that is locally focused, regionally connected and global in view.”
Do you have the next great idea? Whether it’s a new app, a new product to be manufactured, a new store, a consulting business, or, perhaps a seasonal business, we want to help you make that idea a reality.
The competition is open to anyone who would like to open a new business in the Bradford area. The competition is also open to any existing business that is interested in expanding into a new venture.
