Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU) is inviting the community to choose one People’s Choice Finalist in each regional Idea Leap Grant – the credit union’s annual program that awards funds to entrepreneurs within TVFCU’s 17 county service area. The People’s Choice Finalist in each area will participate in one of the upcoming pitch competitions in which TVFCU is giving away $75,000 in the Chattanooga, Northwest Georgia, and Ocoee Regions. The remaining finalists who will compete in each pitch night will be selected by volunteer panels of community judges in each area based on recent site visits.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the 31 semifinalists and share in the excitement leading up to the finalist announcement and competitions,” said Tommy Nix, vice president of business and commercial services.“With $225,000 in funding available for selected small business owners across our 17-county service area, we want the community to be part of the journey. That’s why we’ve introduced People’s Choice Voting—giving everyone a voice in deciding which entrepreneurs receive this valuable support.”
Semifinalists across all three regions are competing for 15 grants totaling $225,000. At each regional competition, grants ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 will be awarded – first place will receive $30,000, second place wins $15,000, and three runners-up will receive $10,000 each.
The Chattanooga-region semifinalists are:
- Bird Fork Farm
- Carving Rock Kitchen
- Cha Cha Masala Chai
- Dynamic Labels
- Hinton & Co
- Hi-Tech Tire & Wheel Auto Repair, Inc.
- Jordan Ariel Agency, Inc.
- Scenic City Therapy
- Tiny Tigers Learning Center
- Unveiled Bridal Studio
The Ocoee-region semifinalists are:
- Athens Movie Palace
- Bigfoot Outfitters
- Downtown Beauty Lounge
- Fitted Stitches
- Flory Custom Woodworking LLC
- Frazier’s Fabrication
- Positive Reach
- The Alderman Group
- Theme Fusion
- Visionary Motorsports & Fabrication
The Northwest Georgia-region semifinalists are:
- ALL Family Care
- Bobbi Jo Brooks Fine Art & Photography
- Gowin Valley Farms
- Jessie Thornton’s United Karate
- KB Pressure Washing
- Mariscos El Cuhhhmaron
- North Georgia Center for Educational Excellence
- Red Eyed Rooster Coffee Co.
- Rosie Mae’s
- Shankly Elite Training
- Top End Fabrication
Voting opens on March 31 at 8:00 a.m. and closes on April 4 at 5 p.m. To vote, visit tvfcu.com/vote and select a regional competition. Then, watch the semifinalists’ videos showcasing their business and vote. Each person may only vote once in each competition.
This year, pitch competitions for the Northwest Georgia and Ocoee regions will premiere on Local 3 News. Viewers can tune in on May 5 to watch the Northwest Georgia competition and on May 6 for the Ocoee competition, both airing from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
On the evening of May 8, TVFCU will host an in-person pitch competition in Chattanooga, open to the public. All Idea Leap Finalists will present their businesses to a panel of local judges and compete for grants ranging from $10,000 to $30,000. RSVPs for the Chattanooga Pitch Competition will open in the coming weeks. Stay updated by following TVFCU on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn for Idea Leap updates.
The Idea Leap Grant, which started in 2018, is an extension of the credit union’s Idea Leap Loan Initiative that was created specifically for small businesses in 2016. To date, TVFCU has funded approximately $6 million in loans to emerging and early-stage businesses through the loan initiative and has awarded over $720,000 in Idea Leap grants and related scholarships.
For more information about the Idea Leap Grant, please visit tvfcu.com/idealeap.
