Emporia Main Street is encouraging entrepreneurs to register for two different programs designed to benefit them in the coming weeks.
First up is the second annual Show of Hands pitch competition. Main Street Director Casey Woods says this is designed to get businesses off the ground. The contest lets entrepreneurs present their ideas for startups or expansions to the public, which then “votes” for favorite ideas through ticket dollars. It also helps entrepreneurs develop some vital connections with other businesses and potential funding sources.
Over the past year, seven of the eight participants in the 2022 contest either started or expanded. Lyon County businesses are eligible for Show of Hands. The participation deadline is Feb. 24.
Separately, Main Street and the Center on Rural Innovation are taking applications now for Emporia’s first-ever E-Tech Start-Up boot camp. Emporia is the test case for the nation, according to Woods, and CORI Tech Jobs and Entrepreneurship Specialist Ana Blandin, an Emporia native, says this is designed to help entrepreneurs develop their concepts and grow them rapidly.
The boot camp goes from April 3 through early May, with sessions twice a week.
Meanwhile, Main Street is just about ready for its annual Public Improvement Auction, which is coming Saturday night at the Granada Theatre. Activities begin with dinner and silent auction at 6 pm at the Granada Theatre, followed by a dessert auction at 6:45 pm, live auction at 7 and Dueling Pianos at 7:30. There are some tickets available for Dueling Pianos, but the dinner portion of the event has sold out. The auction has funded various projects in years past, including the downtown PA system — which will be expanded and upgraded soon — as well as veterans banners, Start Your Own Business courses, artwork, building upgrades and downtown Emporia’s historic district designation.
