ECD Announces Winners of Statewide Entrepreneurship Competition
Pennington Seed & Supply of Dyersburg Takes Top Prize for Video
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber today announced Pennington Seed & Supply of Dyersburg as the winner of a statewide entrepreneurship video competition – “What Makes You an Entrepreneur?” Pennington Seed & Supply will receive a $500 cash prize in addition to a professional marketing package valued at $2,000 for the business.
“Congratulations to all of the winners and entries to the ‘What Makes You an Entrepreneur?’ contest,” Commissioner Kisber said. “Entrepreneurs and small businesses are the backbone of many Tennessee communities, and we are honored and encouraged to be able to pay tribute to them in this way.”
The first annual “What Makes You an Entrepreneur” video competition was hosted by ECD’s Business Enterprise Resource Office and the Tennessee Main Street Program in an effort to draw attention to the strong entrepreneurial spirit in Tennessee. Participants were asked to prepare a short video answering the question “What makes you an entrepreneur?” Finalists were selected from five business categories: Main Street/downtown; home-based; agri-business; arts and entertainment; and innovation. The statewide winner was selected from the finalists of each category.
In addition to the overall statewide winner, Pennington Seed & Supply, the following winners were identified in their respective category:
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Competition Finalists
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Business Name
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Category Winner
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Trigger Beeler
Kingsport, Tenn. |
Home-Based - Any business that is operated out of a home and that does not have a store-front, including Internet-based businesses
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Job Site Recycling
Columbia,Tenn. |
Innovation - Any business that creates and/or develops new products, services or systems, including technology, marketing, social entrepreneurship and/or inventions.
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Donnell Beef
Jackson,Tenn. |
Arts & Entertainment - Any business related to the production or promotion of art, music, food or other entertainment business.
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Donnell Century Farm Jackson, Tenn.
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Agri-Business - Any business that produces an agricultural product, including farms, gardens, value-added product manufacturers.
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Wish! Memories LLC
Collierville, Tenn. |
Main Street - Any business located in a traditional downtown area.
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The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development will use the winning entries in a department-produced video and print piece intended to identify and promote innovative entrepreneurs in Tennessee communities and encourage others to join them as small business owners.
To watch all of the competition videos, including the winners, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/group/GEWContest and to learn more about the competition, please visit the official website: http://www.tnecd.gov/tnopenforbusiness.
About Business Enterprise Resource Office
The Business Enterprise Resource Office (BERO) works to expand economic opportunities for small, rural, minority and women-owned businesses in Tennessee by providing information on procurement opportunities, loan programs and management programs with Tennessee private industry and government entities. BERO is an office within the Department of Economic and Community Development.
About Tennessee Main Street
The Tennessee Main Street Program is a comprehensive revitalization program designed to promote the historic and economic redevelopment of traditional business districts throughout the state. The Tennessee Main Street Program provides communities with technical assistance and expertise that promotes economic growth through the context of historic preservation.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to create higher skilled, better paying jobs for all Tennesseans. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. To find out more, go to www.tn.gov/ecd.
