THATCHER — The SBDC at EAC gave local entrepreneurs a chance to get feedback from business experts Friday, as well as take home up to $1,500 in cash plus the chance at another $10,000.
Graham County’s first participation in the Moonshot Program was staged in the academic building on EAC’s Thatcher campus, and it was Royce Hunt-Bell, owner of Roycycled Treasures, who walked away with the top prize.
“Today was a workshop,” Hunt-Bell said. “The pitch was the end result, but the work that we did through the course of the day is where a lot of the value really was.”
Local business owners spoke about their needs in growing their businesses, and how they would use the winnings. Hunt-Bell spoke of developing warehousing for her line of decoupage papers, as well as seeking help in connecting with Arizona-based manufacturers.
She will next head to Flagstaff July 28, to once again pitch her business and its needs against 10 other winners from across the state, seeking the $10,000 top prize.
Second prize and $1,000 went to Shawna Taylor, to help her expand her business Heart of Valor. Heart of Valor provides equine therapy and specialty programs for children in the foster care program, those with special needs, at-risk youths, veterans and more.
Third prize of $500 went to Joyann Hernandez, who will use the money to market her business, Sunflower Environmental, which trains industries on how to avoid safety and ecological mishaps.
A special scholarship into the Moonshot training program was awarded to Alexa Rhodes, for her freeze-dried candy business, Space Snacks. Rhodes is looking to double her production capacity.
“For Graham and Greenlee counties, we had great representation,” said Eric Bejarano, SBDC director. “We had many different varieties (of business) represented. Even just those that provided presentations, their own personalities are just so different. It was great; it was a great day.”
Judges were Brandi Szymanski, Rural Lending manager for Community Investment Corporation; V. Faith Ritchie, senior program manager for Arizona Commerce Authority; Kiersten Hathcock, founder of Mod Mom Furniture; and Scott Hathcock, president and CEO of Moonshot.
“This is our way of sort of auditing local talent, of seeing where the mindsets are and to what we can eventually really boost and grow,” Scott Hathcock said. “Often times town have ideas of where they want to go, and sometimes those ideas don’t necessarily lend themselves to the talent. So we create these events to get a really good understanding of where the interests are, what are people thinking and dreaming about and so forth. And at some point, then make some more strategic approach to economic development in the future.”
In addition to the $1,500 first prize, Hunt-Bell will receive six months of free business internet service from Valley Telecom and a three-day Quickbooks online course through the SBDC.
Editor’s note: Hunt-Bell is the wife of reporter David Bell.
