Team Minard Productions Wins 3rd Annual Harvey L. Golubock Business Competition
[Bradford, PA] On Thursday October 20, 2021, the Live Pitch Event for the Harvey L. Golubock Business Competition was hosted at the Bromeley Family Theater at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The competition was fierce after the field of 40 total applicants was trimmed down to four finalists who pursued the $20,000 grand prize. The winner of the evening ended up being Team Minard Productions, a long-time commercial screen printing and embroidery shop located in Bradford.
Team Minard Productions has been in operation in Bradford for over 16 years, where it started in a small three-bedroom house in Rixford, PA. Initially, the business was more of a hobby and the owner, Jim Minard, never foresaw the demand and success the business would experience. Over the course of the next several years, the business outgrew four different facilities before the business found its long-term home on East Main Street. However, operating the business has not been without its fair share of challenges. Team Minard Productions has always utilized a manual screen-printing press to create their shirts and similar products. Automatic screen-printing presses are far faster than manual ones and much of their competition in close proximity has already switched to automatic presses.
This has put the business in a major disadvantage in the local market and it has caused unnecessary productions bottlenecks and slow turnaround times. It has also caused capacity-related issues and has made it difficult for the business to accept new customers. Jim Minard always wanted to switch to an automatic press but making the finances work has been difficult. That’s when he heard about the opportunity to compete in the Harvey L. Golubock Business Competition, and he decided to give it a try. Throughout the competition, he was able to create a business plan outline and a full business plan with the assistance of the Clarion SBDC and the Bradford Area Alliance. From there, he also competed in the live pitch event and was selected as the winner. This new equipment will turn their once stressful capacity-related issues into major strengths for the business and elevate it to the next level by increasing capacity by 300%.
It was an incredible night for the other finalists as well including Rocco Pompa with The Magic Bean Café, who walked away with second place and the fan favorite vote, totaling $3,500. Brett Butler and Andy Eliason with SafeTech Fire Protection took home third place and $2,000. Lauren Melka also did an incredible job representing Al’s Gym and collecting fourth place.
The Harvey L. Golubock Business Competition is a major part of the Bradford Area Alliance’s strategic initiative of re-invigorating the area's rich history of entrepreneurial spirit. This was the third year of the competition, and it will be returning for the fourth-year next year. Do you have the next great idea that will take home the $20,000 grand prize? Be on the lookout for future updates regarding next year’s competition and where you can sign up.
