Winners of $20,000 REV, small business pitch competition announced
November 7, 2025
Council Bluffs, IA, November 7, 2025 - Advance Southwest Iowa and TS Bank, along with several community sponsors, are pleased to announce the winners of the REV pitch competition held Thursday, November 6 at Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center where small business owners competed for the chance to win up to $20,000 to grow their business. This year’s winners include Southern Hills Veterinary Services with $10,000, Coffee Alley – Callejón del Café, awarded $5,000 and Jarvis Quality Meats also receiving $5,000.
Based in Corning, Iowa, Southern Hills Veterinary Services is a rural mixed-animal veterinary practice providing comprehensive care for both large and small animals and one of the few remaining clinics in southwest Iowa offering 24/7 emergency services. The grant funding will help purchase a portable X-ray machine, which will provide safer, on-site diagnostics for animals with fractures, joint issues, tooth abscesses and more. This ensures animals receive timely, direct care without additional pain or unnecessary referrals outside the region.
Pictured left to right: Austin Diehm (TS Bank), Dr. Scott Shuey (Southern Hills Veterinary Services), Dr. Sam Hovasse (Southern Hills Veterinary Services) and Conner Mowery (Advance Southwest Iowa)
"We are incredibly grateful and honored to receive this funding. My passion for horses and all animals makes this especially exciting, as it will allow us to better serve our equine clients while keeping resources local to southwest Iowa," said Dr. Sam Hovasse Southern Hills Veterinary Services.
"This will help support the future of veterinary care in southwest Iowa. My advice to any business owner is to take the leap and embrace opportunities — you never know what doors might open when you put yourself out there," added Dr. Scott Shuey with Southern Hills Veterinary Services.
Coffee Alley, awarded $5,000, is an intercultural space that blends Mexican café culture with a family-centric experience, while also hosting community-based events on a weekly basis. The funding will purchase a Vulcan full-size commercial oven, enabling Coffee Alley to grow its bakery offerings and retail market in the Ralston area.
Pictured Above left to right: Conner Mowery (Advance Southwest Iowa), Rosie Granados Trejo (Coffee Alley), Austin Diehm (TS Bank)
"This was an incredible opportunity and thank you to everyone who organized such a meaningful event. We are truly honored to be named among the top finalists, and it was an amazing experience to share my story," shared Rosio Trejo.
Jarvis Quality Meats of Treynor was awarded $5,000 to support key equipment purchases, including a patty press machine. The funding will help expand production capacity, improve efficiency, and maintain product quality while offering more options and variety for southwest Iowa families.
"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are beyond words with this incredible opportunity. We're proud to be part of the Treynor community and excited to keep growing together," said Tony Jarvis and Krysta Stevens, owners of Jarvis Quality Meats.
Pictured above left to right: Conner Mowery (Advance Southwest Iowa), Tony Jarvis (Jarvis Quality Meats), Krysta Stevens (Jarvis Quality Meats), Logan (Jarvis Quality Meats), Austin Diehm (TS Bank)
This year's emcee was Matt Wilber, Pottawattamie County Attorney. Judges included Micah Walker with InnoVenture Iowa, Nate Watson, a local Council Bluffs attorney, Jim Reiff with Nebraska Enterprise Fund and Ben McDougal the Midwest Regional Rep with 1 Million Cups. After the pitches, judges deliberated and determined the distribution of funds.
The other entrepreneur finalists included Jibberty, a new language education platform designed to teach languages with an immersive approach based out of Omaha and Receivos, a receipt management app designed to eliminate the inefficiencies of manual receipt organization of Council Bluffs. Last night’s pitches took place in front of a live audience with 200 people in attendance.
This year’s spotlight businesses included Syndicate of Sound & Synapse (Council Bluffs), Delicias del Pan Bakery (Council Bluffs), Meadow & Charm (Council Bluffs), Ready Responders 130 (Underwood) and Only The Best Dog Treats (Council Bluffs). Through an audience QR code polling system, Delicias del Pan Bakery was selected as this year’s People’s Choice Award winner receiving a $500 cash prize.
Attendees met with all participants to learn more about their business ventures, networked with other entrepreneurial-minded guests and enjoyed food from Fig & Honey and signature drinks from 2023 REV finalist, Judge Richard Distillery. New this year, a performance featured the Iowa Western Community College dance team, adding excitement and celebration to the program.
Also announced Thursday evening was the Entrepreneur of the Year, awarded to Alejandra Valdez founder of Viva Fit Kitchen, a Latin-inspired wellness meal prep company built from her own transformative health journey. Alejandra was a 2022 REV winner and is the co-founder of Embolden Network, which empowers entrepreneurs. This award recognizes transformative achievements, remarkable growth and inspiring entrepreneurial impact.
Pictured above left to right: Matt Wilbur, Conner Mowery, Alejandra Valdez
Major premier sponsors include Advance Southwest Iowa, TS Bank, Google and 5L Performance Group. Gold sponsors include Big Prana Microgreens, Dream Forge, Iowa Western Community College, The Acres and Heartland Properties. This year's drink sponsor is Sprout Marketing Solutions and Nebraska Enterprise Fund is the People's Choice Award sponsor. Silver sponsors include Castle and Associates Inc., Greater Omaha Chamber, The Modern Hive, Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, InnoVenture Iowa and The Best Wrestler. Bronze sponsors include Terraform Tillage, Barleys, Bloom Works Floral and Better Homes and Gardens - Andi Coziahr, Full Fledged Brewing Company, Ice Cap Cold Storage and Fox Creek Fundraising.
TS Bank originally started REV in 2015 in an effort to spur economic growth and encourage business owners to continue pursuing their dreams. Advance Southwest Iowa Corporation and TS Bank teamed up in 2020, to help double the impact of the event and build upon the small business ecosystem in southwest Iowa. As of today, $177,000 has been awarded through this program.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about REV, please reach out to Conner Mowery at Advance Southwest Iowa at 402.738.0739 or Kelsey Stupfell at TS Bank by calling 712.487.0334.
About Advance Southwest Iowa: Advance Southwest Iowa Corporation is the economic development organization for Council Bluffs and all communities in Pottawattamie County. Advance is a one-stop shop for economic development with a focus on business attraction, retention, entrepreneurship and site development. The Advance staff are proud to work alongside our many community partners to enhance the image and increase the tax base to make Pottawattamie County a prosperous and desirable community to live and do business. For more information visit advancesouthwestiowa.com.
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 percent of their net income locally; hosting educational events and partners with local organizations and non-profits. TS Bank was chartered in 1923 and has $445 million in assets, along with the largest Iowa state-chartered C-Corp trust department west of Des Moines at nearly $215 million in assets named TS Prosperity Group. Locations include Treynor, Macedonia, Atlantic, Corning, Council Bluffs and Ames, Iowa. For more information visit tsbank.com.