Best of the West business competition gets underway
Best of the West Competition
2011 winner, Lindsey Meyers, presents her Food as Medicine project to the selection committee of Colleen Laraux of Donlin, Mary Pete of KUC, Nick Pollock of BNC, Thom Leonard of Calista, David Hames of AVCP and Jerry Drake of BCSF.
The fourth annual Best of the West small business competition was announced last week by Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center and University of Fairbanks Kuskokwim Campus.
The competition is open to all Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta residents. People with small business ideas and dreams are inited to apply for start-up prize money by entering the competition. Awards from the competition range from $2,000 to $8,000.
After applications are received, the selection committee will choose the best applicants to continue to the finalist stage. Final presentations will be made in person to the selection committee in September at YPCC.
All applicants who want to develop their business plans and work on their applications can attend an open workshop anytime between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. July 9, 10 and 11 at YPCC.
Competition Schedule
• Application assistance workshops, July 9-11
• First round submission deadline, July 13
• Announcement of finalists, July 25
• Second Assistance workshop, Aug. 20-22
• Finalist deadline, Aug. 31
• Presentations and Awards, Sept. 5
For applications and information contact Reyne Athanas at 543-4538 or rmathanas@alaska.edu, or stop by the cultural center.
This year the partners supporting competition with KUC/YPCC are Association of Village Council Presidents, Bethel Community Services Foundation, Bethel Native Corporation, Calista, Orutsararmuit Native Council and Donlin Creek LLC.