Hormel Business Plan finalists selected

McCOOK, Neb. -- Seven finalists have been selected to present their business plan and a chance at $25,000 to help infuse area business startups and expansion in the 2019 Ben Hormel Business Plan Competition through McCook Community College’s Business and Community Education.

Competition is set for Friday, April 26 beginning at 1:15 p.m. on the McCook Community College campus, in McMillen Hall, room 213. Judges will deliberate at 5 pm and make their announcement at 5:45 pm. Presentations are open to the public.

Finalists include: McCook Mechanical Services, LLC; Smart Hopperz, Inc.; Woody’s Small Engine; Anderson Sales; Pure Shrimp; Republican Valley Trucking (Harris Trucking); and 308 Coffee Roasters

For this year’s competition, 21 applications were received and 14 semi-finalists were awarded scholarships to pay for tuition and fees (about $321 worth) to enroll in the mandatory eight-week on-line Entrepreneurship Business Plan writing course offered through Mid-Plains Community College.

The Hormel Entrepreneurship Competition is a partnership with McCook Community College and Southwest Nebraska area business sponsors, to help local business startups or expansion using business plan writing and a business grant and was open to those in seven Southwest Nebraska counties including Chase, Dundy, Hitchcock, Hayes, Frontier, Red Willow, and Furnas.

Gold sponsors include Community Hospital, McCook Economic Development Corp., McCook Community Foundation, MNB Financial Group and the McCook College Foundation and Mid-Plains Community College. First Central Bank and Pinnacle Bank are bronze sponsors.

The Hormel Family Foundation was founded in 1999 by the late Ben F. Hormel to support MCC. Among his entrepreneurial ventures, Hormel operated the Chevrolet dealership in McCook. When he died in 2002, he passed on the torch to his children and grandchildren, who operate the foundation today. The main objective of the competition is to stimulate entrepreneurship and support business expansion in Southwest Nebraska.