.png)
WEARE TOWNSHIP — Two Oceana County entrepreneurs — Cheri Bandt and Julie Engle — have been selected as part of five finalists who will pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges during the annual Pitch North competition.
Pitch North is the region’s first-of-its-kind entrepreneurial pitching competition where entrepreneurs living in Lake, Newaygo and Oceana counties can pitch their ideas for a chance at one of five cash prizes.
Local entrepreneurs will pitch business ideas for a chance to win the top prize of $5,000, and a total of $11,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded. The live pitch event is set for Aug. 7, from 4-6 p.m. at the West Michigan Research Station on Oceana Drive in Weare Township.
The 2024 Pitch North finalists are:
- Cheri Bandt – Hoop & Home — Oceana County
- Julie Engle – Mrs. Cleaver/The Pasturage — Oceana County
- Nicolena Innis-Stubbs — Black Eden Brews — Lake County
- Heather Johnson — Newaygo Tours — Newaygo County
- Gerad Sarb – Grindstone Leather — Newaygo County
Each finalist will be given five minutes to present their business idea followed by a chance to answer questions from Pitch North judges. Pitch North is open to anyone who would like to attend to support the entrepreneurs. To attend the free live event, register at The Right Place — Pitch North 2024 by Aug. 5.
“Over the last five years, Pitch North has supported 25 entrepreneurs as finalists with more than $50,000 in cash awards that have allowed them to serve our rural communities and contribute to our local economies,” said Julie Burrell, who created the event. “We look forward to seeing our 2024 finalists continue this impact.”
Pitch North is hosted by The Right Place, Inc. in partnership with economic development alliances in Lake, Newaygo and Oceana counties.
“The Right Place, Inc., is a regional nonprofit founded in 1985 with the mission to drive sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity for all in the Greater Grand Rapids Region,” states a press release from the organization. “The Right Place works to achieve this mission by focusing on three core areas: people, place and prosperity. The Right Place is an Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) as designated by The International Economic Development
Council.”
_____________________________________________
Please Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.
Alternative methods:
We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress).
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2024, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.
fb.com/stars
.jpg)
