The winners of the 2018 Callaway Chamber of Commerce Pitch Competition took home cash to jump-start their businesses and connections to help them flourish.
"It was such a fun day," first-place winner Jessica Caddell said. "I'd do it again if I could - and I want to support it in the future."
Before a panel of three judges - Marty Wilson of Missouri Workforce Development, Bill Anderson of Missouri Technology Corporation, and previous winner Cindy Baker, owner of KACO and Errand Runners - eight budding entrepreneurs pitched their ideas.
"I was so nervous," Caddell added.
Caddell is trying to get her entertainment concept Kid City off the ground. She envisions it as an indoor family entertainment facility with custom playground equipment, a soft toddler play area and a miniature city for children to run, complete with tiny stop signs.
"It's a safe play area for kids," Caddell said. "It will offer kids a place to unplug from electronics and use their imagination."
Imaginative play and socializing are important parts of children's development, she added.
Caddell is currently in the process of building the custom playhouses for the city and searching for the right building. She plans to put her $3,000 prize toward purchasing portable play equipment for the business to rent out to parties and events.
"It's been like five years that I've had this idea in the making," she said. "I have so many ideas."
She credited Jessie Yankee, executive director of the Missouri Women's Business Center in Fulton, for pushing her to take her idea and make it a reality.
Second place
Nikki Tiesing's pitch for Forever T Ranch (2518 County Road 156, Auxvasse) won second place and the audience choice award, for a total of $1,750. Her horse barn has been in operation just outside Auxvasse for almost three years.
"I do training, riding lessons and boarding," Tiesing said.
Tiesing puts her own twist on training. She's a board-certified behavior analyst - for humans.
"I realized we're all animals," she said. "It's all about the science of learning: increasing skills and decreasing maladaptive behaviors. I took what I knew and applied it to horses. That's how I found my niche."
Tiesing started by training her own horses with great results. Before long, she'd expanded from training friends' horses to having a wait-list of potential clients.
"This money is going toward my vision for the barn," Tiesing said.
She said the ranch currently has a good indoor arena, but it needs an outdoor arena and additional stall and turnout space to accommodate her current volume of clients. The money from additional clients will help her work on even bigger ideas, she said.
Tiesing added she's glad she competed in the pitch competition.
"I've met a lot of people," she said. "It's good networking, and it forces you to take a hard look at your business."
Third place
Brooke Bartlett, co-owner of GoPo Gourmet Popcorn Bar (526 Court St., Fulton) with husband Nick Bartlett, took third place, netting $750. Winners also received additional swag, such as free advertising in the Fulton Sun, tickets to the Chamber Business Breakfast and more.
Located in Fulton, GoPo serves fresh, tasty popcorn in unique flavors. The business debuted in 2013 and is well-established, but Bartlett wants to expand to more events by renovating a bus to serve as a mobile popcorn bar.
"The money will go toward fixtures on the bus," she said. "It means a lot to us - we work really hard."
People will be able to rent the bus for events such as weddings and parties.
Next year
CCOC executive director Tamara Tateosian said the chamber is already planning for next year's competition.
"We're trying to grow this every single year," Tateosian said.
In 2018, the chamber sweetened the deal with bigger, better prize packages. Next year, she said, the chamber will start offering classes early for entrepreneurs.
"We want to help them make connections and grow their business plans," she said.