Le Mars, Iowa — Winners in the annual “BIG Challenge Entrepreneur Contest” have been selected.
Winning the contest was Next Level Health and Fitness of Rock Rapids. Coming in second was The Market at Shop Near The Corner in Le Mars, and coming in third was Sewn 2 Dance of Sioux City.
Thirteen entrepreneurs submitted their ideas to start or expand their business in the BIG Challenge grant competition and recruited family, friends, and customers to vote for their entry. (BIG stands for Build, Innovate, and Grow) And most of the entrants were from our part of northwest Iowa. Nearly half of the contestants were from Lyon County.
Over 5,000 total votes were cast. The top three vote getters, along with two additional entrants chosen by a selection committee, advanced to the pitch competition. The finalists had the opportunity to present their idea to an audience and judges in a pitch event for a chance to win thousands in cash prizes. The top-three vote getters were
Jessica Knobloch of 4:13 Protein in Rock Rapids, with 941 votes
- Priscilla Kenowith of The Market at Shop near the Corner LLC in Le Mars, with 761 votes
- Kayla Engleman of Next Level Health and Fitness in Rock Rapids, with 698 votes
The two entrants chosen by the selection committee were
- Jennifer Schwade of Route 10 Drive-In in Hawarden (257 votes)
- Charmaine Regino of Sewn 2 Dance in Sioux City (123 votes)
Next Level Health and Fitness wins a $5,000 grant; The Market at Shop Near the Corner gets a $3,000 grant; and Sewn 2 Dance gets a $2,000 grant to help grow their business.
KIWA Staff Photo
