Winners of $10,000 southwest Iowa business pitch competition announced

December 11, 2020 | TS Bank

Treynor, IA - TS Bank and Advance Southwest Iowa, along with several additional supporting sponsors, are pleased to announce the winners of the REV pitch competition held Friday, Dec. 4, 2020 where small business owners pitched for the chance to win $10,000 to grow their business. This year's winners included Full Fledged Brewery at $5,000, Tandem Works at $2,500, P@YD Omaha LLC at $1,250 and Farmhouse & Flowers at $1,250.

Full Fledged Brewing Company of Council Bluffs took the grand prize with $5,000 awarded. Owners Marshall and Dessie Redmond opened Full Fledged in 2019 as Council Bluffs first craft brewery and are truly focused on creating a community.

Niki Ferguson of Advance Southwest Iowa and Dave Wise of TS Bank pose with Full Fledged Brewing Company owner’s Marshall and Dessie Redmond.

“We could not be more thankful and excited to receive the REV Grant," said Dessie Redmond, co-founder of Full Fledged Brewing Company. "It’s going to ignite growth to our business and help expand our customer base into other markets. We are truly thankful to everyone involved in the process."

The Redmonds plan to use the $5,000 in REV funds to help pay for the expenses associated with completing an initial can-line run of three of their craft beers. Offering 12 oz. cans both in their taproom and at local grocery stores will add a new revenue stream to their business and allow them to reach new customers and markets.

Vivian Kvam and Machaela Clark of Tandem Works pose with Niki Ferguson of Advance Southwest Iowa and Dave Wise of TS Bank.

Tandem Works of Council Bluffs, Iowa was awarded the second highest prize of $2,500. Co-founders Vivian Kvam and Machaela Clark, started Tandem Works in 2019 and help business owners with their innovative ideas and passion for a clear strategy, organization while driving return on investment. They plan to use their $2,500 in REV funds to build an on-demand, online course for business owners to help them identify their brand story and create more powerful brand messaging.

P@YD Omaha and Farmhouse & Flowers of Atlantic both walked away with $1,250.

P@YD Omaha's cofounder Collin Shroeder stands with founder Gjordon Zealand along with Niki Ferguson of Advance Southwest Iowa and Dave Wise of TS Bank.

P@YD Omaha, owned by Gjordon Zealand, Collin Shroeder and Ted Williams, is a company based out of Omaha, Neb., that focuses on connecting local producers to their communities’ restaurants and homes. Utilizing a temperature-controlled enclosed trailer, they will provide mobile drop off and delivery services around the Omaha metro. Their $1,250 in REV funds will be put toward front end web development and app development. 

Amy Coenen of TS Bank poses with Farmhouse & Flowers owner/operator Ann Johnk. 

Farmhouse & Flowers, owned and operated by Megan Roberts and Ann Johnk, is a floral and gift retail space in Atlantic, Iowa. They plan to use their $1,250 in REV funds to continue renovations on their existing retail space and create a custom branded interior experience for both in-person and online shoppers.

TS Bank originally started REV in 2015 in an effort to spur economic growth and encourage business owners to continue pursuing their dreams. During the first three competitions (2015-2017) the bank awarded in total over $75,000 to the winners. TS Bank decided to bring the competition back in 2020 and partner with Advance Southwest Iowa offering entrepreneurs and business owners the chance to win up to $10,000 to "ignite their business."

From the pool of 12 applicants, TS Bank and Advance Southwest Iowa selected five applicants to pitch virtually to a panel of judges on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. Judges included Andrea Fredrickson of Revela, Josh Kallsen of POWERTECH, Jim Reiff of Nebraska Enterprise Fund and Michael Perrin of Next Level Ventures. Contestants were evaluated on many aspects of their business.

TS Bank contributed $5,000 and Advance Southwest Iowa contributed $1,250 to the REV prize money. Additional funds were raised via sponsorships. Gold sponsors include Nebraska Enterprise Fund, Revela, Pozzi Family Foundation, Chapman & Company and POWERTECH along with silver sponsors Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, Rachel Dorr Accounting, Centro Latino of Iowa and Mills County, IA Economic Development Corporation.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Dave Wise at TS Bank by calling 712.487.0337 or Niki Ferguson at Advance Southwest Iowa at 402.720.8799.

About TS Bank: TS Bank’s mission is to Ignite Prosperity® in the communities it serves. Leading the resurgence of community banking, TS Bank reinvests 10% of their net income locally; hosting educational events and partners with local organizations and non-profits. TS Bank was chartered in 1923 and has $365 million in assets, along with the largest Iowa state-chartered C-Corp trust department west of Des Moines at nearly $218 million in assets named TS Prosperity Group. Locations include Treynor, Macedonia, Atlantic, Corning, Council Bluffs and Ames, Iowa. For more information visit tsbank.com.