JUMPSTART EVANSTON Has Successful First Year—Awards Funds to Three New Businesses
4 Sep 2020
Entreprenuer, startup, economic development
JUMPSTART EVANSTON is proud to announce three new startup businesses will be receiving a cumulative total of $10,000.00 in cash prize funds. The winning companies are: Crazy Good Digital Marketing, (Owner: Rameen Amirkhizi), 307 Roasting, (Owner: Pete Bass) and Small Concrete Solutions, (Owner: Rick Rosser). The funding, donated by various local sponsors, will assist the new companies with assorted startup costs such as, equipment, rent, payroll, etc. The winners are also eligible for one year of rent-free office space in the Uinta B.O.C.E.S. #1 building.
Evanston Community Development Director Rocco O’Neill stated, “On behalf of the JUMPSTART EVANSTON board, I congratulate our very deserving winners and thank them for their participation and hard work. It is because of companies and business plans like theirs that we put this program together. We are excited to see these companies grow and thrive.”
JUMPSTART EVANSTON was organized in the fall of 2019 and launched in January 2020 through a variety of partnerships, including the City of Evanston, Uinta B.O.C.E.S. #1, Evanston Chamber of Commerce, Uinta County Economic Development Commission, Evanston Urban Renewal Agency/Main Street, Lincoln-Uinta Revolving Loan Fund, Horizon High School, First Bank and many other local businesses. The mission of the program is to provide education and resources to entrepreneurs to help them start and grow their businesses while providing jobs, spurring economic development and improving the quality of life in our community. JUMPSTART EVANSTON consists of seven (7) free, two-hour classes with one held each week. Participants are coached on developing a business plan, forecasting and funding, accounting, marketing and sales, business structure, customer service, business expansion and working with local authorities.
The free classes were consistently well attended with an estimated 35-40 participants each week. Generous business owners and community leaders volunteered their time to teach the courses. While the program was delayed due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the subsequent classes were taught online, and the final “pitch day” was held with safety measures in place. JUMPSTART EVANSTON will continue in the spring and/or fall of 2021.
“JUMPSTART EVANSTON is a great program. It encourages small businesses in Evanston and we need more of that,” stated winner Rameen Amirkhizi. “[The JUMPSTART funding] will allow me to expand into other areas that I wouldn’t have been able to do,” he added.
Our business sponsors for the program are: Aspen Cinemas, Clean Energy, Evanston Carbon Fiber-Mitsubishi Chemical, First Bank, Impact Physical Therapy, Long/Reimer/Winegar/Beppler, LLP (LRW), Murdock’s Ranch & Home Supply, NGL Connection, PacifiCorp, Sponenburgh and Co., Trona Valley Federal Credit Union, Uinta Realty, Inc., and US Bank. Coaches for Spring 2020 were: Rob Condie, Nathan Sponenburgh, Nathan Prete, Tim Beppler, Monica Vozakis, Brent Hatch, Ben Bell, David Benton, Emily Huggins, Eric Hansen, Jessica Kendrick and Dave Huggins. Pitch Day Judges 2020: Mark Anderson, Randy Barker, Susan Evans, Brent Hatch and Shandee Welling.
For more information about JUMPSTART EVANSTON, please visit our Facebook page or email us at jumpstartevanston@gmail.com.