NORTH OF BOSTON BUSINESS PLAN PROGRAM & COMPETITION

2019 North of Boston Business Plan Competition Winners Announced

The Enterprise Center at Salem State University today announced the winners of the 2019 North of Boston Business Plan Competition.

Woven Royal of Peabody, MA won the first place grand prize of $10,000.

Covalent Bonds of Salisbury, MA came in second winning $3000 and

Extreme Gloucester Fishing of Gloucester, MA took home the third prize of $2000. The Enterprise Center is a business growth center for entrepreneurs at every stage of business development.

Woven Royal is the creator of the Afrona, a stylish and easy to put on hat that prevents curly and voluminous hair from ever going flat, even after sleep. The Afrona lifts the hair up as opposed to flattening it down allowing users to Stand Their Crown and protect and preserve their curls. Users can keep their natural look and embrace their inner royalty.

Charlene Pena, the founder and owner of Woven Royal commented that: “I cannot thank the Enterprise Center enough for all the support they have given me to get me here today. The workshops and business clinics that I participated in motivated me to create a business plan, become a better business owner, and ultimately win this competition. I am looking forward to continuing to use the Enterprise Center Resources to keep building and growing my business.”

The second place prize of $3,000 was awarded to Covalent Bonds of Salisbury, MA. Covalent Bonds measures marketing and media for the life science industry. They have developed a measurement system (ACTsights™) that provides simple and actionable reports on marketing impact and budget optimization for the C-suite. They also offer data-led marketing strategy and optimization services.

The third place prize of $2,000 was awarded to Extreme Gloucester Fishing Commercial Fishing Training Center, LLC, a Commercial Fisherman Training Center. It is dedicated to providing professional instruction to the next generation of Aspiring Wild Caught Sustainable Seafood Harvesters. Innovative classroom curriculum and hands on training of all harvesting practices is its educational focus.

It has been a journey for each of these three businesses and their owners. They entered the Competition on October 16, 2019 along with other businesses. They were selected as semi-finalists on November 1, 2019 and then competed to be finalists. Today they made their winning presentations to an audience of judges, bankers, investors, and business people.

The purpose of the Competition is to identify and support businesses who want to start, grow and expand on the North Shore and thereby build the region’s economy. A special thank you to the sponsors of the 2019 North of Boston Business Plan Competition: First Ipswich Bank, The Hall Company, North Shore Bank, North Shore Alliance for Economic Development and WWLC.

2018 NORTH OF BOSTON BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED

In December 4, 2018, the Enterprise Center at Salem State University announced the winners of the 2018 North of Boston Business Plan Competition. Paw Mobility Rehabilitation & Wellness of Beverly, MA won the grand prize of $10,000. VeriGuide, LLC of Salem, MA came in second winning $6000 and The Artful Life Counseling Center & Studio, LLC took home the third prize of $4000. The Enterprise Center is a business growth center for entrepreneurs at every stage of business development.

It has been a journey for each of these three businesses and their owners. They entered the Competition on October 16, 2018 along with other businesses. They were selected as semi-finalists on November 1, 2018 and then competed to be finalists. Today they made their winning presentations to an audience of judges, bankers, investors, and business people.