The Great Lebanon County Pitch is returning to the Lebanon Valley for the fourth year to offer local entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop business plans and pitch them to a live audience for the chance to win thousands of dollars.
Karen Groh, president and CEO of the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce, spoke with LebTown about the origins of The Great Lebanon County Pitch and the specifics of this year’s competition.
Origins of The Great Lebanon County Pitch
In the fall of 2014, the City of Lebanon started to develop an economic development strategic plan called the Grow Lebanon 2020 Plan. The strategic plan included various initiatives, one of which Groh said was “to open a one-stop, free entrepreneurial resource within the City of Lebanon.”
When Groh started at the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2017, she became the leader of the task force made up of other community figures that assembled and, “after much research and focus groups,” developed the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence in the spring of 2019.
Lebanon city, the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Lancaster-Lebanon chapter of SCORE worked together to launch the center, which provides free resources, education, mentorship, and networking opportunities for local entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses.
“To try and engage our entrepreneurial community, we launched the first Lebanon County Pitch so that we could work with entrepreneurs on developing a good business plan,” Groh said, “because we saw so many businesses open and close or fail because they hadn’t properly prepared a business plan.”
Groh has been involved with The Great Lebanon County Pitch since its launch; although scheduled for 2020, it was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2021, the Great Lebanon County Pitch has been held annually.
Read More:
- The Great Lebanon County Pitch will see $8,000 awarded to local business pitches
- The Great Lebanon County Pitch awards $8,000 to local business pitches
- You could win thousands in prize money for your local startup with one great pitch
- Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence offers funds to jumpstart new businesses
When asked about the organizational process behind this year’s competition, Groh said, “Because this is the fourth annual Pitch, there is not a lot of prep that’s going into it, other than making sure that our process is good, that we don’t need to alter any of our rubric or application process, that we have all of our partners lined up to be a support to those who enter into or have an interest in participating.”
The fourth annual Great Lebanon County Pitch
The fourth annual Great Lebanon County Pitch’s final pitch presentation will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the center at 989 Quentin Road, Lebanon.
Entrepreneurs who are interested in participating in the competition should submit a letter of interest, which is a one-page form, before Oct. 1. After the deadline, entrepreneurs can still submit a letter of interest for consideration.
When entrepreneurs submit a letter of interest, they are not committing to participate in the competition. They are simply expressing interest in participating in the competition and making themselves open to being contacted.
Groh said that submitting a letter of interest “gives us contact with that individual to say, ‘Where can we help you? Who do you want to talk to? Do you need a business mentor to help develop your business plan? Do you need some additional guidance?'”
She said they have received 10 to 15 letters of interest from entrepreneurs in previous years, with five to eight of the entrepreneurs submitting a final application and business plan. “So, that’s a pretty good chance that you’re going to get in as long as you’re eligible,” she said.
“This year, we have had some early interest, which is great,” Groh said. “We’ve been really trying to talk to a lot of individuals and groups about getting involved. And I think this is probably, we’ve had the earliest entries for participation so far this year.”
Once entrepreneurs have submitted a letter of interest, the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence will offer free workshops once per month, and the Lancaster-Lebanon chapter of SCORE will offer free mentorship.
Entrepreneurs must use these resources as they develop their business plan, which, along with their final application, will be due by 4 p.m. Nov. 1.
A panel of five judges will review the final applications and business plans for eligibility. If necessary, the panel of judges will narrow down eligible entrepreneurs to six finalists, who will participate in the final pitch presentation.
During the final pitch presentation, each finalist will have five minutes to pitch their business plan to a live audience. Then, the panel of judges will have 10 minutes to ask each finalist questions.
A $5,000 check will be awarded to the winner, and a $3,000 check will be awarded to the runner-up. Judges will choose these entrepreneurs, who will also receive media coverage from local and regional outlets following the competition.
Groh said the panel of judges is made up of one representative from the City of Lebanon, who is usually Mayor Sherry Capello, the Lancaster-Lebanon chapter of SCORE, Community First Fund, Fulton Bank, which is The Pitch’s primary financial supporter, and the previous year’s winner of the competition.
The five individuals who will serve as judges for the competition must act independently and cannot have an existing connection with the entrepreneurs.
During the final pitch presentation, the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce Women in Business committee will also award $2,000, which is raised through an annual fundraiser, to an entrepreneur of its choosing.
“Usually, that will go to [a business] who is women-owned, women-operated or -run, -managed, or a business that supports women in the community,” Groh said. “And it is the Women in Business committee that determines, based on the applicant’s business plan and their presentation, who they award that grant to.”
In closing, Groh said, “I think it’s really important to note that there is no fee to participate, that there’s really just the opportunity to win the grant money in the end.”
“And that along the way, if they’re intimidated by the process or the items that are listed as required in the business plan, that there is support all the way through if they want it, that we will provide the connections to individuals who will walk through that business plan, who will help them prepare their presentation, and who will just guide them through to the end, so they don’t have to do it alone.”
For more information about the competition, click “The Pitch” tab on The Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence’s website.
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.
More Top Stories
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
