On April 27 and 28 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Kate Buchanan Room, the eight finalists in “Economic Fuel: The Humboldt County Student Business Challenge” will present their business plans to a panel of judges. Four teams will win $25,000; the first runner up gets $10,000; the second runner up receives $5,000; and two teams will be awarded $1,000 honorable mention prizes.
Each year, students and recent graduates from College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University are invited to submit business plans and compete for start-up funding.
“This is an important event for the community because the businesses that come out of Economic Fuel are going to be growing our economy in the future as we switch from a natural resource-based economy to an economy that is going to grow on small business development,” said Kathy Miller, Economic Fuel coordinator.
This year’s eight finalists include:
• Arcata Backpackers Hostel: Provides affordable short stay accommodation for international and domestic visitors in the downtown Arcata area.
• Charity’s: Food with heart. The Place to go in Garberville to eat, drink, socialize and relax.
• Evolve Botanicals: The first company in Humboldt County to produce bulk and retail massage and spa treatment products.
• FoodScapes: Installs and maintains vegetable gardens in clients’ yards, providing affordable and convenient nutrition.
• Humboldt Mobile Massage: Bringing the massage experience to wherever clients are.
• HumGeeks: If you have a computer problem, HumGeeks is the solution.
• Impact Ethanol: Refines fuel ethanol from agricultural and restaurant waste.
• Jimenez Stained Glass Studios: Creates handmade stained glass windows using different styles such as leaded, foiled, faceted, painted, and etched glass.
“It’s so much harder to get capital in the community now and this is essentially free money that doesn’t need to be paid back,” Miller said. “What’s nice for the folks who are starting their businesses is that they can use the money for working capital and sometimes with loans there are restrictions on what you can use the money for and they’re less likely to be able to use it as working capital.”
Last year’s grand prize winners included AlgaRhythms, Inc. headed by Brandon Hemenway; DeepSeeded Community Farm run by Eddie Tanner and Erin Mooney; Brian Hall and Shannon Dawson’s Little Learners Preschool; and Trillium Transit Internet Solutions operated by Aaron Antrim.
This year’s events, including the finalist presentations and the awards ceremony, can be viewed via webcast at www.economicfuel.org/vidgallery.html. The awards ceremony announcing this year’s winners will be held May 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Wharfinger Building in Eureka..
The competition is sponsored by Western Web along with the Humboldt State School of Business, College of the Redwoods, and the North Coast Center of the California Small Business Development Council. For more information visit the Economic Fuel website at www.economicfuel.org or call 707-476-2628.