ENID, OKLA. ⎯ The 2017 Cherokee Strip Business Model Competition has come to a close. The winners were announced May 4 at the awards ceremony at the Oakwood Country Club. Fourteen businesses submitted their business plan in the competition.
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First place went to BaseConnect whom will receive $10,000. BaseConnect, founded by Tony Weedn and Chase Williams, is an app that will help connect troops to the community as well as connect the community to troops on base.
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“I heard about a class offered through Autry that was targeted to people with an entrepreneurial mindset and thought ‘that’s me’,” said Weedn. “This new business is meant to solve problems. It will help communities and military personnel in those communities.”
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Second place and the People’s Choice Award went to Monkey Wrench Plumbing. With over 30 years of experience, Doug Carson and Sam Vadder started the business to offer high-end customer service to Enid and the surrounding areas. Their goal is to provide not only plumbing solutions but problem solving as well. They received $5,000 and an addition $1,000 for the People’s Choice Award.
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Third place received $3,000 and went to Clean Connections LLC. Brian and Christine Clark strive to be a one stop shop for cleaning services. They use safe chemicals and offer a variety of services including dishes, laundry and lawn care. Their goal is to help you enjoy your weekend.
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All winners receive one year of Self Employment Training client status. SET status includes access to the James W. Strate Center for Business Development during business hours to use the conference room, copier, printer, plan room, computer with adobe suite, and three business coaching sessions.
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To be eligible for the competition, businesses had to be in the Enid and Northwest Oklahoma area and less than five years old. The competition consisted of three phases: submission of a business plan, a ten-minute presentation, and a third presentation in front of a judging panel. Judges were a diverse group of professionals with experience based in academics, investment, financial institutions, entrepreneurship and business. Funding for the competition is provided in combined effort by donors in the Enid Entrepreneur Leadership Series.
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Autry Technology Center has been a part of the Enid community since 1967 and is one of 29 CareerTech schools across Oklahoma. The center has more than 25 career programs and offers a wide variety of evening and weekend short-term courses and certifications for many diverse career fields. Autry serves nearly 16,000 individuals each year, including many area employees who receive training through the Business and Industry Services Department that works with over 500 local businesses each year.
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Cherokee Strip Business Model Competition Winners
