Students from twelve area colleges will showcase their businesses at the 7th annual Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation Entrepreneurship Initiative Awards Ceremony and Banquet.
This will take place on Wednesday, April 28th at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA starting at 5:30 p.m. Mr. Michael Kittredge, founder of Yankee Candle Company and one of Western Massachusetts' most successful entrepreneurs; will be the banquet keynote speaker.
During this academic year, thirty-four students from twelve area colleges won monetary Grinspoon Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards for demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit with their ventures. All of the businesses, which will be exhibiting at the Banquet, are for-profit and range from:
- Independent Solutions, Inc., a caregiver agency for traumatic brain injury patients founded by current Bay Path College student, Stacey Bilodeau, to
- CoFabrication, a design and fabrication Company, founded by Jake Horsey, a Hampshire College student.
In addition to receiving Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards, both Bilodeau and Horsey also won one of this year's five competitive "Grinspoon, Garvey & Young Entrepreneurship Awards".
Other businesses include:
- VMO Longboards, quality custom longboard skateboards founded by UMass student Vincent Morano;
- McFarland Productions, custom recording studio founded by Greenfield Community College student Gabriel McFarland;
- Emergency Action Protection, information database for emergency responders founded by Westfield State College students An Nguyen
Professor James McKeon of Western New England College and a faculty advisor to the Initiative says: " The availability of monetary funds makes a huge impact in helping students move forward with their businesses… it is what sets this student entrepreneurship program apart."
In addition to the Entrepreneurs Exhibit, banquet attendees will watch a "Live Elevator Pitch Competition" where thirteen students will deliver 90-second pitches to the audience of over 350 people including business leaders, senior college administrators, faculty, and fellow students. Judges and sponsors of this competition are area community bankers including: Berkshire Bank, Country Bank for Savings, New Alliance Bank, PeoplesBank, The Bank of Western Massachusetts, and United Bank. The first place winner with the best 'pitch' will win $1000.00.
Unique in the world of higher education, the Entrepreneurship Initiative, sponsored by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, brings together faculty and students from 12 area colleges to promote entrepreneurship. Mr. Harold Grinspoon founded the Initiative in partnership with the twelve colleges to show the students that entrepreneurship is a viable and prestigious career option. His hope is that this Initiative will also help sustain economic growth in the Pioneer Valley.
Dr. Daniel Gordon faculty member at the University of Massachusetts and faculty advisor to HGCF EI says: "The Banquet is the premier event for entrepreneurial college students throughout Western Massachusetts . Students developing their own businesses come together every spring to network with each other and to get inspiration from a stellar guest speaker--this year, Michael Kittredge."
The Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation Entrepreneurship Initiative Awards Ceremony & Banquet will take place:
April 28th from 5:30p.m.-9:00p.m.
The Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA
Student Entrepreneurs Exhibit: 5:30p.m.-6:30p.m.
Elevator Pitch Competition: 6:45p.m.
Mr. Michael Kittredge keynote speech: 8:00p.m.
Participating Colleges:
- American International College
- Bay Path College
- Elms College
- Greenfield Community College
- Hampshire College
- Holyoke Community College
- Smith College
- Springfield College
- Springfield Technical Community College
- University of Massachusetts
- Western New England College
- Westfield State College