Media kit media kit

Media kit media kit

Media kit media kit
Media kit media kit
Media kit media kit
Media kit media kit
Media kit media kit
Media kit media kit
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 table of contents
2. Press Release

3. Panel of Judges

4-5. Final Competitors

6. Sponsors

pitch schedule
TIME BUSINESS NAME
9:30 a.m. Bug Hounds, LLC

9:40 a.m. Little Batch Company

9:50 a.m. Manhattan Brewing Company

10 a.m. ieDiscoveries

10:10 a.m. Little Apple Cellular Repair

10:20 a.m. RollBedder, LLC

10:30 a.m. Done Wright Outdoors

10:40 a.m. Magnaporium

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Nov. 5, 2020 Angie Moss
Public Relations Specialist
angie@jntcompany.com

Local business pitch competition to award $20,000 to start-ups

MANHATTAN, Kan. – With the goal of deepening the entrepreneurial scene in Manhattan despite COVID-19 challenges,
StartUp MHK has returned for its fourth annual business pitch competition – and $20,000 is up for grabs during the final
round taking place Nov. 14.

The competition invited Manhattan-area residents to pitch their business plan to a panel of judges, providing that the
business is three years or fewer and has not previously won the competition. Cash prizes will be awarded to at least two
competitors – $8,000 to first place, $8,000 to second place. Additionally, there is a $4,000 People’s Choice award, which
is voted on by the public during the livestream.

StartUp MHK is funded and presented by Peoples State Bank – with additional help from other sponsors including JNT
Company, Alliance Realty, Nex-Tech Wireless, Able Printing Co. and several others.

“Providing a platform from which local entrepreneurs can share their vision and develop their ideas among like-minded
individuals is crucial to Manhattan,” PSB Director of Marketing and Community Outreach Coleena Woods said. “Sparking
the interest of not only the community, but also the region is really important for any startup business, and being involved
in giving people a ‘kickstart’ to that exposure is really exciting.”

Many changes have been implemented to maintain the health and safety of competitors and judges amid the pandemic.
After registering for the competition, business pitchers were required to submit a video entry for a qualifying round ahead
of the final competition date. Once the qualifying submissions were received, judges narrowed the competition down to
eight finalists. These finalists will present in-person to the judges at Peoples State Bank East Manhattan branch.

“We made some big adjustments to the planning and execution of StartUp MHK this year, but we are so appreciative of
the flexibility everyone has shown,” Woods said. “We are excited for the opportunity to expand people’s choice voting by
taking that piece 100 percent online, and we know our finalists will bring their very best to the competition. Most of all we
are eager to continue supporting entrepreneurship in Manhattan.”

The livestream can be accessed at https://www.startupmhk.com on the home page from 9:30-11:15 a.m. on Nov. 14.

ABOUT STARTUP MHK

The entrepreneurial spirit is thriving in the Manhattan community. In 2017, an effort was created to bolster that pervasive
spirit and strengthen its foundation - StartUp MHK was born. Each Fall, competitors gather to pitch their businesses and
ideas to a panel of qualified and connected judges – all for a chance to win cash prizes and gain valuable exposure.

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 panel of judges

Mary Vanier Dr. Dawn Deeter Enrique Garibay

President, Grand Mere Development
spark Board Member
Mary Vanier is the President of the Grand
Mere Development Organization and a
Spark MHK Board Member. Mary says, “If
Manhattan is going to grow and flourish,
we need to be effective in attracting,
retaining and supporting entrepreneurial
talent. StartUp MHK is exactly the kind
of program to identify, support and
showcase local talent.”
Kansas State University Professor
Director, KSU Strategic Selling Center
An experienced sales leader, Dr. Deeter
built and leads the National Strategic
Selling Institute at Kansas State University.
After earning her Ph.D. from the University
of South Florida in 1998, Deeter has
served on the faculties of Monmouth
University, Ohio University and Kansas
State University. During that time, she has
earned numerous teaching awards.
Owner, Great Paper Straws
2019 Non-Tech StartUp MHK Winner
Enrique Garibay is the proud owner of
Great Paper Straws. His company is the
2019 StartUp MHK winner. Their company
mission is to help rid the world of single-
use plastic, one paper straw at a time.
They manufacturer the world’s only water
resistant paper straw.

Daryn Soldan Shawn White

Director, Manhattan Area Chamber
of Commerce
Daryn Soldan is the Director of Economic
Development at the Manhattan Area
Chamber of Commerce. Entrepreneurship
is one of the key pillars of the Chamber’s
economic development strategy and the
region has a strong history of homegrown
businesses. Daryn is excited to be part of
StartUp MHK and looks forward to helping
facilitate opportunities for business and
job growth that supports our regional
Owner, Kestrel Drone & Mapping
Solutions
2019 Tech StartUp MHK Winner
Shawn White, from Kestrel Drone and
Mapping Solutions. Shawn says, “I am
thrilled to continue to be a part of this
competition. I have participated every
year of StartUp, culminating in a victory
last year in the tech category. But what
I love about this event is how it brings
Manhattan’s entrepreneur community
together. It isn’t just a place to compete.
StartUp is a way to hone your business,

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economy.
pitch your ideas, network, and get real
world advice on how to improve.”
 final competitors
Bug Hounds, LLC utilizes canines to locate bed
bugs in businesses and residences. Canine ieDiscoveries is a unique space that inspires learning
detection is the most accurate and efficient way to through play. In our indoor play space, we encourage
confirm or deny the presence of bed bugs. Knowing children of all ages to engage with one of a kind materials,
whether you have bed bugs, and their location, can solve problems, think creatively, and have fun!
save time and money in treatment. We also offer an
affordable heat treatment option to kill bed bugs in
all life stages including eggs.

With nearly 20 years of collective experience

in the craft beer industry, we’re focused
on brewing and serving high-quality craft
beers in a family-friendly atmosphere in the
heart of downtown Manhattan.This town is
our home, and we want to bring the best
possible beer experience and education
to the wonderful people of Manhattan. We
want to create a place for everyone to come
out and have a good time with friends and
cultivate a craft beer culture Manhattan can
be proud of.

We are a local bakery and Handmade magnesium lotion

production kitchen. We focus on along with other handmade
fresh, made from scratch, sweet magnesium infused products
and savory baked items.

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final competitors
Little Apple Cellular Repair is an
electronics repair company in downtown
Manhattan, which specializes in the repair
of mobile phones, tablets, computers,
laptops, and other appliances. Having
worked at the corporate level of this
industry for 3 years, and being responsible
for 90+ 5 star reviews, I intend on bringing
competition to a monopolistic market and
a high quality of repair for consumers.
Storage System RollBedder® kits are the latest
improvement for versatile pick-up truck storage
systems. The simple dual roller design enables
truck owners to easily load cargo into their pickup
bed. They can also easily retrieve cargo from their
truck bed by having the Bi-Liner® placed on four or
more of the low profile RollBedder® dollies.

Done Wright Outdoors

Lawn care, snow removal, mowing, and other
handyman services.

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 2020 sponsors