Winners of Pitch It Bladen County announced at Small Business Expo
BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Entrepreneurs took center stage this week at the Small Business Expo at Bladen Community College.
Over the past two months, participants engaged in the Pitch It Bladen County small business accelerator program.
The program is designed to transform ideas into viable businesses and offers hands-on training, guided development, marketing strategies, and financial models.
The program culminated in a live pitch competition, where contestants presented their concepts to a panel of judges.
Taking first place was Jeane Pop Bordeaux, owner of Stitch & Style.
Stitch & Style is a full-service alterations, embroidery, and apparel personalization studio located on Owen Hill Road in Elizabethtown.
Stitch & Style will offer professional garment alterations and small-batch custom apparel for events, churches, schools, and local organizations.
Bordeaux received a $1,500 award to support the launch of her business.
Second place was awarded to Rebecca Allen of Beck Black Productions.
Allen plans to bring her film production expertise back to Bladen County, creating promotional content for local businesses while producing videos that showcase the area.
Allen received $1,000.
Third place went to Robby and Cooper Mills, the father-and-son team behind Copper’s Cards & Collectibles.
Their business will begin as a mobile sports card and memorabilia shop, starting with a tent setup and expanding into a food-truck-style trailer.
They plan to grow into a permanent retail location.
The Mills team received $500.
Sean Swoboda, founder of VoxNova, Inc., earned fourth place and a $250 award.
VoxNova, Inc. is an education-focused software company developing an online platform designed to streamline collaboration between special education teams and families.
Bladen Community College said Pitch It Bladen County is made possible through the support and partnership of the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurs’ Everyday Entrepreneur Program, the Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, Bladen Community College, and the Small Business Center at BCC.
