Grow Hays has announced the formation of the Robert E. Schmidt Entrepreneurship Series sponsored by the Robert E. and Patricia A. Schmidt Foundation.
The series will feature events designed to foster entrepreneurship in Ellis County. These events will include “Pitch It” events, The TriSpective Speaker Series, Grow Hays quarterly luncheons and the Network Kansas Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.
“We are honored to conduct these events in the name of Bob Schmidt. He was the consummate entrepreneur and business man and the sponsorship of these events by his foundation gives the series very special meaning” said Doug Williams, executive director of Grow Hays.
“Bob was not only an entrepreneur, but he was also passionate about Ellis County and its growth. He was a generous contributor in so many ways, and I know he would be proud to sponsor a series designed to promote entrepreneurship in his community,” said Gary Shorman, president of the Schmidt Foundation.
Pitch It events consist of “Shark Tank”-type presentations where prospective entrepreneurs present five-minute “pitches” on their ideas and products. The first event was held on Jan. 22 with the next event scheduled for April 23.
The TriSpective Speaker Series consists of presentations made by industry experts on a variety of business topics. The presentations will be similar to Ted Talks, 15 to 20 minutes in duration. There will be four events in 2019 with each event featuring three speakers.
Grow Hays quarterly luncheons will be events where attendees will be given updates on economic development activities in Ellis County and will also be a forum where new ideas and projects will be discussed.
The Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is an event sponsored by Network Kansas in which High School Students within Ellis County will compete in a business plan/presentation event. This will be the first event ever held in Ellis County.
Pitch Night
April 23rd at 7pm, doors open at 6:30
The Pitch Night events will be held quarterly, the first one being on January 22, 2019. Each of event will consist of 5 presentations. The presentations will be 5 minutes in length with 3 minutes of judge and audience Q&A to follow. There will be 3 judges who will determine the winner who will be awarded a $500 prize. Each event will be preceded by a 30 minute social gathering which will begin at 6:30pm. The presentations will begin promptly at 7:00pm. Our objective is to draw a diverse audience of potential investors, lenders, and professional resources. Presenters will include startups and existing businesses wishing to grow or develop new products or services.
Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
March 20th starting at 9am. Awards at 1pm.
The Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is an event sponsored by Network Kansas in which High School Students within Ellis County will compete in a business plan/presentation event. This will be the first event ever held in Ellis County. Other counties in Kansas have hosted competitions which have had up to 50-60 presenters in both Junior and Senior High Competitions. Network Kansas provides some of the funding for the event however there are students who do not have the financial means to purchase presentation materials and there is also little funding for promotion of the event.
TriSpective Speaker Series
March 25 at 6pm
The TriSpective events feature people with specific industry/business experience who do a 15 minute presentation on business related topics. Similar to a TED talk, these presentations to date have covered the topics of branding, market segmentation and business growth. The first event was held on December 6th and presentations were made by Scott Gross on Branding. Joseph Boeckner (JoeBob Outfitters) on business growth and expansion and Tim Speno on market segmentation. The presentations were excellent. We plan to kickoff our 2019 TriSpective series by asking this group to come back and present again. Future events will cover a wide range of topics.
219 W 10th Street Hays, KS 67601 785-628-3102 www.growhays.com
Grow Hays Quarterly Luncheons
Grow Hays will be holding quarterly luncheons in 2019 with invitations extended to community and business leaders for the purpose of conveying Economic Development activities, educating the community regarding economic development processes and enlisting the support of attendees in achieving economic development objectives. Effective communication has been one of the ingredients that has been lacking in local economic development efforts. We believe that these luncheons will be an initial step towards resolving that issue.
All events are open to the public.
— Grow Hays