Winners of $21,500 REV, small business pitch competition announced

November 6, 2026

Council Bluffs, IA, November 6, 2026 - 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 5 at Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center where small business owners competed for a share of $21,500 to grow their business. This year’s winners include Tipico Helado with $10,000, J. Selander Media awarded $9,500 and A+ Berry received $2,000.

Based in Council Bluffs, Tipico Helado is an artisanal ice cream business bringing authentic Mexican paletas, aguas frescas and snacks to the community. Proud to be among the first locally to offer many of these traditional flavors, the funding will be used to purchase additional equipment to increase capacity, efficiency and future growth.

Pictured left to right: Conner Mowery (Advance Southwest Iowa), Cindy Estrada (Tipico Helado) and Dave Zimmerman (TS Bank)

"I am very lucky to be part of the Council Bluffs and southwest Iowa community. Every leader and businessperson has wanted to help us and are so welcoming. We are so excited for what is next for our business. Being in Iowa and Council Bluffs has allowed me to pursue my American Dream. It’s real and not impossible," said Cindy Estrada of Tipico Helado. “This money has blessed me today, and I have now made an expectation of myself to help bless others and future entrepreneurs in our community.”  

J. Selander Meida, a photography and media business based in Glenwood, Iowa, specializing in real estate and portraits was awarded $9,500. The funding will be used to purchase photography equipment for their growing team and enable expansion of their offerings and content for clients throughout southwest Iowa and the Omaha metro.

 

Pictured Above left to right: Conner Mowery (Advance Southwest Iowa), Janna Selander (J. Selander Media) and Dave Zimmerman (TS Bank)

"I am just overwhelmed with gratitude and so appreciative of this event and the REV program. This is going to impact our company and employees immensely," shared Janna Selander.

A+ Berry based out of Lincoln was awarded $2,000 to support their ongoing innovation platform transforming Midwest-grown aronia berries into functional foods, beverages and ingredients including a partner engagement and pilot program for Iowa schools.

"This was such a great experience and grateful for this opportunity and what it will mean for expansion into Iowa," said Xiaoqing Xie of A+ Berry.

 

Pictured above left to right: Conner Mowery (Advance Southwest Iowa), Xiaoqing Xie (A+ Berry), and Dave Zimmerman (TS Bank)

This year's emcee was Matt Wilber, Pottawattamie County Attorney. Judges included Micah Walker with InnoVenture Iowa, Joe Clanton, a local Council Bluffs entrepreneur, Jim Reiff with Nebraska Enterprise Fund and Jenna Smith with the Commonwealth and ThinkFree Consulting.

The other entrepreneur finalists included Syndicate of Sound and Synapse, a neuroscience research and development company building music-based, sensory-stimulating environments and neurotechnology for cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease based out of Council Bluffs, and Mascot Merch, a custom-apparel small business located in Treynor with a mission to gear up and give back. Last night’s pitches took place in front of a live audience with nearly 200 people in attendance.

This year’s spotlight businesses included Aequitas Invest (Omaha), Bridget's Bookshelf (Council Bluffs), Honey's Yummies Pet Treats (Council Bluffs), Real Honest Tallow (Council Bluffs) and Sol Natural Health (Atlantic). Through an audience QR code polling system, Real Honest Tallow was selected as this year’s People’s Choice Award winner, receiving a $500 cash prize.

Conner Mowery with Advance Southwest Iowa, Courtney Kohl with Real Honest Tallow, Jim Reiff with Nebraska Enterprise Fund and Kaleigh Pearcy with Real Honest Tallow pose for a photo.

Attendees met with all participants to learn more about their business ventures, networked with other entrepreneurial-minded guests and enjoyed food from HyVee (Madison Ave) and signature drinks from 2023 REV finalist, Judge Richard Distillery. The evening also included a performance featuring the Iowa Western Community College cheerleading team, adding excitement and celebration to the program.  

Also announced Thursday evening was the Entrepreneur of the Year, awarded to Brianne White, founder of Breeze Bakery, a from-scratch bakery with nearly 50% of its ingredients locally sourced. Connected with Kitchen Council and a REV 2024 finalist, Breeze Bakery has become a business rooted in local food advocacy, community collaboration, strengthening the Southwest Iowa economy. This award recognizes transformative achievements, remarkable growth and inspiring entrepreneurial impact.

Pictured above left to right: Conner Mowery and Brianne White

Major premier sponsors included TS Bank, Advance Southwest Iowa and Google. Gold sponsors included The Acres, Iowa Western Community College, Big Prana Microgreens and Dream Forge, while silver sponsors include Castle and Associates Inc., Rasmussen Mechanical, Deloitte, Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce and Judd Knispel Insurance Agency. Bronze sponsors included Bloom Works Floral, Better Homes and Gardens - Andi Coziahr, Barley's, Jarvis Quality Meats, Baird Holm, Sprout Marketing Solutions, Rachelle Edwards - Realtor, Heartland Properties, River's Edge Towing, Zimmerman Electric and Vital Signs. This year's media sponsor was Loess Hills Media & Podcasts and Nebraska Enterprise Fund was the People's Choice Award sponsor. Additionally, Judge Richard Distillery was this year's drink sponsor and HyVee (on Madison Ave) was the food sponsor.

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, $198,500 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.