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2005 Business Plan Competition Presentations 2006 Business Plan Competition Presentations 2007 Business Plan Competition Presentations
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ERC NEWSNovember 21, 2007 “Art to Gogh” Wins Grand Prize in 3rd Annual Business Plan Competition By Janice O'Connor
Lynn Toomey, Art to Gogh; Lisa Derby Oden, Competition Organizer; Rachel Chery, Le' Burg Teen Talk Show; Matthew Raher, Toonces Home Services GARDNER—Art to Gogh, a mobile company that reinforces the importance of art and creativity by bringing hands-on activities to homes, businesses, schools, festivals and other outlets, is the grand prize winner in Mount Wachusett Community College’s third annual Business Plan Competition. The competition is sponsored by MWCC’s Entrepreneurial Resource Center, with the support of numerous community sponsors. Art to Gogh founder Lynn Toomey of Lunenburg won $13,400 in cash and in-kind service, plus six-months of free office space, to grow her three-year-old company. The grand prize included $5,000 in cash for business expansion and a variety of in-kind services from competition sponsors, such as legal guidance, web design, marketing, printing and Chamber of Commerce membership. “One of the great things about this competition is it reflects the ingenuity in our region,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “We see such a different mix of businesses every year and we really want this to be a catalyst that helps them reach that next level of success,” he said. Toomey, a wife and mother whose academic and career background in business, marketing and art led her to found her company, said the competition winnings will enable her to increase marketing efforts and develop a licensing program to launch the business model to other independent owners. The business offers art-based creative education and entertainment services for children and adults. “I’m thrilled to have been chosen as the winner of this fantastic contest,” Toomey said. “I would encourage any entrepreneur with an idea for a business product or service to put together a business plan and submit it for next year’s contest, because there’s a strong possibility that you could be a winner and get some funding for the next phase of growth or to launch a business. It’s a great opportunity.” The award was announced on Nov. 19, following evening presentations by the three finalists before a panel of five judges. W. Rachel Chery of Fitchburg, executive director of the nonprofit Le’Burg Teen Talk Show, received $3,400 in cash and in-kind services as first runner up in the competition. The talk show, created to provide a positive environment for teenagers while dealing with teen-related issues and providing educational opportunities, is aired through the Fitchburg Access Television and Leominster Access Television. Matthew Raher of Leominster, owner and founder of Toonces Home Services, a one-stop shop for home service needs, received $2,900 in cash and in kind services as second runner up. “We do have a wonderful base of support in our competition from the sponsors throughout the community,” said Lisa Derby Oden, director of MWCC’s Entrepreneurial Resource Center. “We also have had the benefit of some tremendous talent on the judges’ panel.” Premier sponsors for the 2007 competition were WXLO 104.5 FM and the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. Unitil was this year’s growth sponsor, and start up sponsors were Jean D. Sifleet, Esq., Phoenix Park, Community Builders, and Central Mass Web Design, Inc. Incubating sponsors were MWCC’s Institute for Nonprofit Development, Gardner Redevelopment Authority, Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wachusett Chamber of Commerce, Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, Image Software Services, MWCC’s Entrepreneurial Resource Center, Rose & Marble Design, Parkerhill Technology, the Print Shop at Dunn & Company, and Bowen & Bowen, LLP. Supporting sponsors were: Wiltec, Inc., W.E. Aubuchon Company Inc., Fidelity Bank, Fitchburg State College, Wachusett Village Inn, Onsite Studios, Enterprise Bank, Clinton Savings Bank, APEX Properties, Marketing and Management of New England, and Richard LeTarte, CPA. Nineteen professionals from area businesses and organizations volunteered their time as judges. The five judges for the grand prize presentations were Mike Nolan, Chief Operating Officer of Micron Products, Inc.; Shiko Gathuo, associate professor and graduate coordinator of the nonprofit management program at Worcester State College; Patsy Lewis, consultant in nonprofit management and board development; Sarah Plaza, vice president of commercial lending at Clinton Savings Bank; and Jack Purdy business counselor with Worcester Regional SCORE. In addition, the following 14 volunteers served as judges during early phases of the competition: Ray Belanger of Fish Park Consulting; Nicole Carter, MWCC director of marketing; Peter Cormier, Sterling Music Exchange, Inc.; Robin Duncan, NWCC director of budgets, grants & contract management; Nicole Gagne, general manager, North Central Human Services; Sherry Handel, executive director, Center for Women and Enterprise; Katherine Jasmine, MarketingFIRST; Heather Layton, MWCC grantwriter; Paul Lambert, business consultant; Amy Mosher, associate, Legacy Consulting; James Notaro, executive assistant to the president, Fidelity Bank; Mort Rosenberg, MR Associates, Inc.; LuAnn Thibodeau, financial manager, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce; Herb White, assistant vice president, business development officer, Workers Credit Union.___________________________________________________________________ October 2007 MEET THE 3RD ANNUAL MWCC BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION ENTRIES! ABC Follow Me Art To Gogh Bariatric Living The Break Room Historical Happenings Lady Yve Le'Burg Teen Talk Show Rental Elegance San Juan Cleaning Services Toonces Home Services ### --------------------------------------------------------------------- November 17, 2006 CLINTON WELLNESS CENTER WINS GRAND PRIZE IN MWCC’S 2ND ANNUAL BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION By Kimberly B. Caisse Clinton Wellness Center won the grand prize in Mount Wachusett Community College Entrepreneurial Resource Center’s second annual Business Plan Competition. The announcement was made at the conclusion of the finalists’ presentations Thursday, Nov. 16 at MWCC’s Gardner campus.
The competition’s three finalists, Clinton Wellness Center in the expanding business category, Wrap-It Products in the startup business category and Sterling Music Exchange Inc.’s Step Up to Music in the nonprofit category, each won $4,200 in cash and in-kind services at the semi-final contest on Monday, Nov. 13. Based on Thursday’s results, Clinton Wellness Center also won $7,200 in cash and in-kind services; Wrap-It Products received the Fitchburg business prize of $2,500 in cash; and Step Up to Music was awarded the Community Builders volunteer program prize of $2,000 in cash and the Phoenix Park office space prize valued at $3,000. “On behalf of the other judges, I want to tell you how pleased we were with all your business plans. They were first-rate,” said community leader Ronald M. Ansin. “We were pleased to be part of the process.” MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino announced the grand-prize winner and special prize winners. “I have been reflecting on how important something like this contest is to our community,” he said. Innovation is important to thriving communities, and entrepreneurs are a key source of this, he noted. Clinton Wellness Center, founded by Maureen Kittredge of Clinton, will offer acupuncture, massage and other modalities. It is an expansion of Kittredge’s already successful business, Healing At Hand Massage Therapy. The need to expand has come from not only the success of her massage therapy business, but also from the expanded knowledge of Kittredge. She will complete her master’s degree in acupuncture at the New England School of Acupuncture in April 2007. Wrap-It Products of Fitchburg, founded by Donna Henderson, manufactures and distributes a line of innovative headbands. Wrap-It Products began in 1995 as a sole proprietorship to conduct test marketing for its flagship product, “Wrap-It, the Sports Headband with a Twist,” and resumed in 2006 with an all season product line for year-round sales. Those include The Original Wrap-It, Visor Wrap-It, Fashion Wrap-It, Winter Wrap-It and Flap-It Wrap-It, and the Winter Do-Wrap-It. Henderson told the finalists judges that she had to stop development of Wrap-It Products in 1995 to return to the workforce. Henderson’s idea for these specialty headbands came from her dissatisfaction with existing visors. “I needed a comfortable headband that would keep the hair off my face and also hold my ponytail...to wear under my motorcycle helmet, under my ski helmet, as a Visor Wrap-It when I golfed or enjoyed the sun,” she states on her website. Henderson has established a partnership with Malden Mills to use the company’s PowerDry polartec for some products and partnerships with local vendors to help with her order fulfillment process. She told judges she is awaiting the arrival of her first sample order. Step Up to Music is a new program of Sterling Music Exchange. Aimed at adolescents who are being treated for emotional problems and/or depression, this program will provide them with free music lessons, access to a guitar and eventual ownership of a guitar. Pete Cormier, founder of Sterling Music Exchange, wants this new program “to enhance the self-esteem and self-confidence of adolescents who for a variety of reasons find themselves in a situation that warrants counseling, outpatient therapy or residency in a group home situation.” Cormier said the program will cost $240 per student. To cover those costs, he expects to apply for grants, to solicit donations from local businesses and to receive payments from treatment centers. Sterling Music Exchange will also cover a portion. Like Sterling Music Exchange, Cormier said Step Up to Music will be run by volunteers. Carefully selected music instructors will be paid for their services. The finalists judges were Ronald M. Ansin of the Ronald M. Ansin Foundation; Darrell LeMar, integration director of business resources at Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development; Worcester State College Professor Dr. Shiko Gathuo; and Patsy Lewis, a nonprofit management and board development consultant. 2nd Annual MWCC Business Plan Competition Attracts 15 Competitors from across North Central Massachusetts The deadline for submissions closed on September 18, with the following start-ups, expanding businesses and nonprofits having submitted their business plan: Start-Up Profit Based Entries: Wrap-It Products, Fitchburg, MA – A sole proprietorship that manufactures and distributes its proprietary line of fashion-forward sports-specific headbands. San Juan Cleaning Services, Fitchburg, MA – A partnership that provides janitorial services for residential and commercial markets. Infoservicio Uno, Lancaster, MA – An Limitied Liability Company that will provide bilingual services for Spanish speaking individuals and businesses in general. Toonces Home Services, Leominster, MA – A sole proprietorship that will offer customers a one-stop shop for all of their home service needs. Country Dogs Inn, East Templeton, MA – A sole proprietorship that offers a dog and cat boarding, doggie daycare, and full-service grooming facility with a small retail storefront. The Paper Police, Winchendon, MA – Patented software that offers an all inclusive writer's handbook on a toolbar. This Word add on addresses writing needs from essay templates,to paragraph structure,to formatted citation and reference. It provides step-by-step instruction offering something for every type of writer, from the struggling to the proficient. Expanding Profit Based Entries: Bridges Language Institute, Leominster, MA – A private, language school that specializes in customized Spanish classes, trainings and seminars. This business targets businesses such as financial institutions and manufacturing plants, but also have some classes for the general public as well as tutoring. Happy Trails Natural Foods, Gardner, MA – A sole proprietorship that provides a holistic center where the customers can make an informed decision about their health. They provide their customers with quality foods, vitamins, minerals, and herbs, as well as high quality service and information. Clinton Wellness Center, Clinton, MA – This expanding business offers acupuncture and massage services to their clients. Hearthwise, Leominster, MA - Bringing manufacturing of a firelog made on Canada's West coast to us in the East coast so therewill be a cost effective replacement to cordwood made from biomass with no binders. Historical Happenings, Baldwinville, MA - A family owned and operated business dedicated to helping children and adults have fun while learning history. They offer a variety of products and services that enable hands-on learning. Non-profits: FATV New Teen Challenge, Fitchburg, MA - Intends to establish a link to the youths of Fitchburg and Leominster, MA – communicating to them in a medium that they are receptive to, a message that they are willing to listen to, in an entertaining “cool” way. By bridging the gap between teens and other non-profit organizations and authorities in the area, a cooperative effort geared to adjust the attitudes and life objectives of the next generation of leaders and decision makers could be implemented. Wise Choices, Rutland, MA - Provides a continuation of available resources in Massachusetts, addressing many issues women face. This resource guide will be a readily available resource for women’s services in the state, in written publication format along with future web-site access. Top Fun Aviation Toy Museum, Fitchburg, MA – Fundamental mission is all about aspiration, about encouraging youngsters—all visitors, but primarily young people—to have a larger vision for the possibilities in their lives. Toys, puzzles, games, computer simulations, activities, talks, workshops, and interactions with Museum staff are all part of the Museum’s educational mission. Step Up To Music, Sterling, MA - A new program targeted at a specific underserved population: adolescents who are suffering from emotional problems. This program involves providing free guitar lessons, the use of a guitar and eventually a gift of a guitar, to adolescents who make the commitment to practice and learn how to play the guitar. The goal of this program is to provide a positive incentive to young people while giving them an opportunity to develop a meaningful talent and a means to express themselves. The business plans are now being evaluated by the First Round Judges. The judges scores will narrow the field of contestants who will become semi-finalists. The semi-finalists will be announced on November 1. The semi-finalists then go on to provide a public presentation of their plan in their category on Monday, November 13 from 6-9PM at MWCC Gardner Campus. Category winners will be announced that evening. The Category winners will then compete Thursday, November 16 from 6-9PM in Gardner for the honor of Grand Prize winner. Prizes include cash and small business services with a cumulative total value of $30,000. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ June 19, 2006 Speed-Demon Wins NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation Competition
Troy Janisch of BizFilings, Plan For the FutureSM winner Jon Fischer, NFIB President Todd Stottlemyer; photo credit NFIB Speed-Demon, the grand prize winner of the 1st Annual MWCC Business Plan Competition, has just been named the grand prize winner of the National Federation of Independent Business YEF Competition. Speed-Demon president Jon Fischer will be a senior in high school this fall. Prizes from the MWCC competition included a membership to the Incubator Without Walls at the Entrepreneurial Resource Center. Fischer learned of the NFIB competition as a result of the membership. "Winning the ERC business plan competition convinced me that I could really start my own Company. The prize money funded my patent application and startup costs. The continuing support and encouragement that I have received from Lisa Derby Oden and the staff of the ERC led me to enter the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation, Plan for the Future competition for high school and college students. I won the Grand Prize at this event and just returned home from an all expenses paid trip to Washington DC with check for $7500 I am looking forward to using the resources at the ERC to further my business goals in 2006 and will be entering more business plan competitions this year." _____________________________________________________________May 15, 2006 MWCC Accepting Applications for Second Annual Business Plan Competition (GARDNER) -- The Entrepreneurial Resource Center at Mount Wachusett Community College is accepting applications for its second annual Business Plan Competition. The competition, initiated last year to highlight, celebrate and stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit in North Central Massachusetts, is open to any start-up or growing business and nonprofit that is located or willing to locate within the college’s service area. The competition gives innovators in the business and community involvement sectors an opportunity to submit business plans and vie for up to $18,000 in cash prizes, as well as over $10,000 of in-kind services. One finalist will be chosen in each of the following four categories: start-up profit, expanding profit businesses, start-up nonprofits, and expanding nonprofit. A grand prize winner will be selected from among the four finalists. In addition, special awards will be given in the following categories: Gardner profit or nonprofit, Fitchburg profit and Community Builders profit or nonprofit volunteer program. “We were delighted with the success of last year’s Business Plan Competition and the interest it generated in spurring business growth and entrepreneurship in our region,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Through the continued support of our sponsors, we are able to expand the program this year to include three new special award categories, thereby increasing the cash awards,” he said. “This competition provides a unique and fantastic opportunity for nonprofit and for-profit organizations to develop or expand upon their ideas,” said Lisa Derby Oden, director of the Entrepreneurial Resource Center. “The winners of last year’s competition have gone on to make tremendous strides in advancing their businesses” she said. “The cash and in-kind service awards have been instrumental in getting us this far,” said Jonathan Fischer, co-founder of Speed-Demon, Inc. of Lunenburg, winner of the grand prize in last year’s competition. Speed-Demon is a high-tech start-up that has developed a portable dashboard box that will enable parents to monitor the driving habits of their teenage drivers. The device records speed and GPS data and can be plugged into a PC loaded with Speed-Demon software, which uses Google’s map technology, to allow parents to see what roads their teenager traveled and if they drove dangerously fast on any of them. Other finalists in last year’s competition included high Impact Health & Fitness Services of Fitchburg in the Fitchburg “Main Streets” category, and Crystal House Clubhouse of Gardner in the nonprofit category. MWCC established the Entrepreneurial Resource Center in 2004 in part through a $25,000 grant from The Coleman Foundation and the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship to initiate new business programs and to serve pre-startup, new and existing small businesses in North Central Massachusetts. The Business Plan Competition was chosen as a finalist from a field of 50 programs across the United States for the prestigious Bellwether Award. This award was presented at the Community College Futures Assembly in Orlando, FL in January. Competition guidelines and applications are available at http://erc.mwcc.edu. All entries are due on Sept. 18. The Entrepreneurial Resource Center will provide business plan writing workshops June 7 through Aug. 16 to assist applicants with their proposals. Semi-finalists will be announced on Nov. 1, and the grand prize winner will be announced on Nov. 16 following public presentations and final judging. MWCC’s service area includes the towns of Ashburnham, Ayer, Ashby, Athol, Barre, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Oakham, Orange, Pepperell, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Shirley, Sterling, Townsend, Templeton, Westminster and Winchendon. The competition’s premier sponsor is the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. The growth sponsor is Unitil Corporation of Fitchburg. Clinton business attorney Jean D. Sifleet is the start-up sponsor. Incubating sponsors are MWCC’s Institute for Nonprofit Development and Entrepreneurial Resource Center, Community Builders, a partnership between the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and MWCC to promote volunteerism, TD Banknorth, Gardner Redevelopment Authority, Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wachusett Chamber of Commerce, Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, Image Software Services of Devens, Rose & Marble of Ayer, Parkerhill Technology of Lyman, N.H., and The Print Shop at Dunn & Company of Clinton. Supporting sponsors are Wiltec, Inc. of Leominster, W. E. Aubuchon Company Inc. of Westminster, Fidelity Bank of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State College, Wachusett Village Inn of Westminster, A Basket Case of West Boylston, and Onsite Studios of Boylston. Sponsorships and competition judges are still being accepted. _____________________________________________________________January 24, 2006 MWCC BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION SELECTED AS FINALIST FOR NATIONAL AWARD The MWCC Business Plan Competition was chosen as a finalist from a field of 50 programs across the United States for the prestigious Bellwether Award. This award was presented at the Community College Futures Assembly, Orlando FL on January 24, 2006. The Bellwether Awards are an integral part of the Community College Futures Assembly, established in 1995. The Assembly is sponsored by the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida and focuses on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs that other colleges might find worthy of replicating.
Dr. Linda Hagedorn, chair of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy at the University of Florida, left, and Susan Arscott, president-elect of the Council for Resource Development, far right, stand with MWCC Vice President of Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development Jacqueline Feldman and Lisa Derby Oden, director of MWCC's Entrepreneurial Resource Center, at the 2006 Bellwether Awards. MWCC was a finalist in the Planning, Governance and Finance category. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 31, 2005 LUNENBURG STARTUP WINS GRAND PRIZE IN MWCC’S
FIRST ANNUAL BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION Speed-Demon Inc. of Lunenburg won the grand prize in Mount Wachusett Community College Entrepreneurial Resource Center’s first annual Business Plan Competition. The announcement was made at the conclusion of the finalists’ presentations Thursday, Oct. 27 at MWCC’s Gardner campus.
The competition’s three finalists, Speed-Demon in the startup business category, High Impact Health & Fitness Services in the Fitchburg “Main Streets” category and Crystal House Clubhouse of Gardner in the nonprofit category, each won $2,000 in cash and $2,300 in services in the semi-finalist contest on Wednesday, Oct. 26. Based on Thursday night’s results, Speed-Demon also won $4,000 in cash and $2,900 in services; High Impact received the Fitchburg business grant award of $3,000 in cash; and Crystal House Clubhouse won the job creation prize of $2,000 in cash. “These businesses and their services will strengthen our communities,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “I’m so proud of the winners and all the entrepreneurs who submitted business plans for this competition. They’ve shown the entrepreneurial spirit is strong in our region.” Speed-Demon is a high-tech startup that has developed a product that would allow parents to monitor the driving habits of their teenage drivers. A portable box mounted on a car dashboard will record speed and GPS data. Once parents remove the device, they can plug it into a PC loaded with Speed-Demon software, which uses Google’s map technology, and see what roads their teenager traveled and if they drove dangerously fast on any of them. Speed-Demon, the result of Jon Fischer’s Lunenburg High School science fair project, is expected to cost $99.95. While the main goal of the company is to be profitable, a secondary purpose is to spark a dialog between parents and their teenagers about safe driving. In 2003, 3,657 drivers 15 to 20 years old were killed and 308,000 were injured in motor vehicle accidents, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis.
Fitchburg-based High Impact Health & Fitness Services, led by MWCC graduates Steve Holt and Bill Stefaniak, and has two divisions: Wellness Connection and Premier Health & Fitness Resources. Wellness Connection is a national vendor for one-stop health and fitness services that allows corporations, organizations and communities to access resources for health screenings, wellness program consultation, fitness center development and Internet services. Premier Health & Fitness Resources supports a new website for health and fitness professionals that features a variety of educational, networking and resource-sharing materials. Company president Steve Holt operates High Impact out of his home in Fitchburg and pledged to locate an office in the city as the company expands. Crystal House Clubhouse, a nonprofit vocational program for mentally ill citizens, has operated in the greater Gardner area since 1997 and now seeks to expand. One of its purposes is to provide transitional employment and support for independent employment to its members at area businesses. Clubhouse staff learns jobs and then trains members to do them. They will perform the jobs when members cannot be at work. Brenda Castrichini, director of community services at the Crystal House Clubhouse, said there are about 20 members who could be placed in transitional employment if more companies agreed to hire them. To find more interested employers, Crystal House needs to increase its visibility among and the marketing of its job-placement programs to area employers. “It was not an easy decision because all of you did a wonderful job presenting,” judge Kim Philbrick McCabe said. “You have a lot of great, innovative ideas.” The other finalist judges were Ron Ansin of The Ronald M. Ansin Foundation, Chris Bowman, chief of staff of the Massachusetts Office of Economic Development and Reinaldo Lopez, CEO of Resource Management Inc. Fourteen entrepreneurs, small business owners and nonprofit organizations submitted business plans by Aug. 29. The field of competitors was narrowed to seven semi-finalists, who presented their plans to a panel of judges Wednesday, Oct. 26 at the Gardner campus. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 18, 2005 Semi-Finalists Named in 1st Annual Business Plan Competition Round One Judging of the MWCC 1st Annual Business Plan Competition has concluded. The semi-finalists that will go on to Round Two Judging and the public presentations are (alphabetically): Bridges Language Institute, Leominster; Crystal House Clubhouse, Gardner; Friends of Sholan Farms, Leominster; High Impact Health & Fitness Services, Fitchburg; Massage Therapy Business Plan, Groton; Pony Paths, Pepperell; Speed-Demon Inc., Lunenburg. The semi-finalists will present their business plan at the public presentation to the Round Two panel of judges on Wednesday, October 26. The presentations will be held at the Gardner Campus from 6-9pm. The “Start-ups and all others” category will make their presentations in Room 127. The “Nonprofit” category will make their presentations in the Murphy Conference Room. The Category winners that are chosen that night will then go on to compete for the Grand Prize at the public presentation to the Round Three panel of judges on Thursday, October 27. The finalist presentations will be held at the Gardner Campus from 6-9pm in Room 127. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 1, 2005 1st Annual MWCC Business Plan Competition Attracts 14 Competitors from across North Central Massachusetts This competition has been organized by the Entrepreneurial Resource Center and is a first for the region. The deadline for submissions closed August 29, with the following start-ups, businesses and nonprofits having submitted their business plan (alphabetic order): Bridges Language Institute, Leominster, MA – This businesses vision is to connect the world through language instruction seasoned with cultural awareness in order to bridge the gaps of misguided presuppositions and prejudices that oftentimes exist in our culture today. The Institute aims to counteract this by empowering people to achieve their dreams through language instruction and cross-cultural management. Crescent Innovations Inc., Westford, MA – This business is an early stage medical product company that focuses on the use of biologically compatible polymers to provide non-surgical therapies for treating chronic and acute episodes of pain. Crystal House Clubhouse, Gardner, MA – This not-for-profit vocational program for mentally ill citizens in the greater Gardner community has goals for expansion of the program focus on that will increase visibility in the community and marketing its job placement programs as a benefit to both the members and the employers. Diversified Publications, Winchendon, MA – This sole proprietorship is in the business of editing, publishing and marketing fiction and non-fiction books of first time authors in the North Central Massachusetts region. FGNE Sports Marketing, Ayer, MA – This company offers a collection of multi-purpose guides that provides comprehensive detail on freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Fine Products, Inc., Gardner, MA – This company offers a value-oriented service to provide the average innovator with the means to commercialize their ideas. Products and intellectual property currently being developed for clients are consumer products, commercial products and medical products. H & K Corporation dba The Spa of Groton, Groton, MA – This S Corporation’s main function focuses on relaxing and rejuvenating its clients. The Spa focuses on massage, specializes in natural nails and also practices esthetics. High Impact Health & Fitness Services, Fitchburg, MA – This business is comprised of two divisions: 1) Wellness Connection – marketed as a national vendor for “one-stop” health and fitness services. Corporations, organizations and communities will be able to access resources for health screenings, program consultation and development, and Internet services. 2) Premier Health & Fitness Resources (www.phfr.com) is a new website for health and fitness professionals that features a variety of educational, networking and resource sharing materials. Jennifer De Varney Consulting, Townsend, MA – This sole proprietorship provides paint or decoration consulting, and also performs many other services including painting, wall repairs and wall finish technique classes. The goal of this business is to create a relationship with the client and provide all of the services they will require to complete a home renovation project. Massage Therapy Business Plan, Groton, MA – This business is a start-up massage therapy practice which will evolve into a holistic wellness center with other healthcare professionals. Pony Paths, Pepperell, MA – This nonprofit is a therapeutic riding program in its start-up phase. The founder s committed to bringing equine-ssisted activities to the Pepperell area. The Public Theater and Performing Arts Center, Leominster, MA – This business is a second-run/classic movie theater and performing arts center designed to be used by the residents of Leominster/Fitchburg and the surrounding areas. Friends of Sholan Farms, Leominster, MA – This nonprofit is comprised of dedicated citizens who promote the importance of local agriculture and the stewardship of our natural resources. Expansion plans include building several structures which will make the property a twelve-month operation and will offer cultural and recreational opportunities to groups and individuals. Speed-Demon Inc., Lunenburg, MA – This company is a hi-tech startup that has patentable intellectual property, product development expertise and a target market of 18.7 million teen drivers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business Owners from Kyrgyzstan Visit ERC On July 25, 2005, a group of Kyrgyzstan business owners visited the Entrepreneurial Resource Center. They were visiting the US to learn about our business practices and business support services, and toured selected sites. While at the ERC, they heard presentations on Workforce Development initiatives that Mount Wachusett Community College is involved in, as well as the initiatives that the Entrepreneurial Resource Center is involved with. Following these presentations, the group toured Southern Container.
General Manager Ron McGuigan (left) answers questions and provides safety instructions for the tour. The group translator, Andre (center), provided simulataneous translation.
Stephen Cappellini, Director of Human Resources, (left) explains the corrugating process.
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