Carrie McKillip of the University of Illinois Extension office gave a rundown of an exciting business opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs. The 6-County Fast Pitch Competition will be encompassing Henderson, Henry, Knox, Mercer, Stark, and Warren counties, and will give people with an innovative business idea a chance to bring it to life. McKillip explained the details:
“It gives them the opportunity to get some technical assistance and also compete for a very large cash and service prize package. Our prize package will be worth somewhere around $100,000 in services and cash. We’re really excited,” McKillip said.
Informational meetings for the Fast Pitch Competition, which is scheduled to take place on March 14, 2018, will be starting on Oct. 17th in Galesburg. The competition has been going on in Henry and Stark counties since 2013, but the addition of four more counties will hopefully entice other business hopefuls to pitch their ideas. 11 new businesses and products have been started and expanded since the competition’s birth in 2013.
“We’re hoping that we can see similar kinds of results in all six of our counties now,” McKillip said. “And hopefully more because we have a bigger pool to draw from. We’re really excited about trying to get potential entrepreneurs from all six of our counties.”
Interested participants are invited to attend informational sessions at one of four locations in Galesburg, Kewanee, Monmouth, and Aledo throughout the rest of October. For more information on this exciting opportunity, visit www.6countyfastpitch.org.
written by Jackson Kane
