Earlier this month entrepreneurs submitted their dream to start or expand a business in the Northwest Iowa Dream Big Grow Here grant contest and recruited family, friends and customers to vote for their entry. Nearly 8,000 total votes were cast and today we are announcing the top three vote getters along with two additional entrants chosen by a selection committee who will advance to the regional competition. These finalists will have the opportunity to present their idea to an audience and judges in
a pitch event for a chance to win thousands in cash prizes. The five finalists are:
– Northwest Iowa Firearms from Hull (James Van Veldhuizen)
– Awaken Yoga from Le Mars (Carmen Ohm)
– SnSLabz from Rock Rapids (Daniel Stillson)
– Grace Boutique from Sibley (Melinda Nasers)
– Brightside Café & Deli from Sioux City (Juan Munoz)
The economic development organizations in northwest Iowa will host the pitch-off event on Thursday, November 14
th at the Oscar Carl Vineyard (1473 Buchanan Ave) in Sioux City. A social hour with food and beverages will begin at 5:00 p.m. During this time, each finalist will have a booth set up to
showcase their business for attendees to visit. At 6:00 p.m. each finalist will have 6 minutes to present their business, followed by 5 minutes of Q & A from the panel of judges. The winners of the competition will be announced at 7:30 p.m. with first place receiving $4,000, second place receiving $2,000 and third place receiving $1,000 to grow their businesses. The Northwest Iowa regional contest is sponsored and organized by Iowa’s West Coast Initiative and Northwest Iowa Developers and includes the following counties: Cherokee, Lyon, Monona, O’Brien,
Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux and Woodbury. Siouxland Economic Development Corporation is also a sponsor of the event. The event is free and open to the public. Additional information about each entry and the finalists can be found by visiting https://www.dreambiggrowhere.com/Vote.aspx.
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CLIVE, Iowa — A Plymouth County woman has won a $50,000 lottery prize.
Alexis Price, 33, of Kingsley, claimed the big prize in the Iowa Lottery’s “5 of Hearts” scratch game. She and her husband, Joseph, purchased a pair of tickets at Mrs. B’s, 623 S. Marion St. in Remsen.
“We picked up our kids from school,” Price said. “They wanted something to drink, so we stopped at the store and decided we’d try our luck and get a couple of tickets.”
She was in disbelief when she returned to the car and scratched off the game’s third top prize.
“Honestly, I was like, ‘This can’t be real,’” Price said with a laugh. “I didn’t believe it. That’s why I wanted to go in the store and make sure that it was real.”
Price, a nurse, claimed her prize on Thursday at the lottery’s regional office in Council Bluffs. She said she plans to use her winnings to pay off debt and put a down payment on a house.
The 5 of Hearts is a $5 scratch game with a playing-card theme that features eight top prizes of $50,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.61. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit ialottery.com.
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The three governors from our tri-state area were in Dakota Dunes yesterday to participate in the 16th annual Tri-State Governor’s Conference. A variety of topics were discussed with local business and governmental leaders. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says the tri-state area continues to grow, but there are a few obstacles.
Iowa and Nebraska lead the nation in ethanol production and all three states have agriculture based economies. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts says they are confident in President Trump’s support of ethanol and farmers despite the ongoing fight with China over trade and the E.P.A over ethanol production numbers.
All three governors including Kristi Noem of South Dakota are concerned over what next spring may bring after a year of flooding the tri-state area.
Colonel Mark Muckey of the 185th Air Refueling Wing discussed bringing KC-135 training simulators to Sioux City or Lincoln. Other issues included workforce development and job training programs, affordable housing and broadband access. The event takes place every two years and is sponsored by the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce.
