Stone Soup Cafe Executive Chef and Director Kirsten Levitt presents a pitch for the Stone Soup Culinary Institute at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield during the “Take the Floor” pitch event on Thursday. STAFF PHOTO/CHRIS LARABEE
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Jason Garcia, 17, presents his mobile car detailing business, Distance Detailing, to the crowd at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield during the “Take the Floor” pitch event on Thursday. STAFF PHOTO/CHRIS LARABEE
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Wendell resident Kelly Suprenant showcases one of the jackets she designed for her upcycled clothing business, The Rainbow Rack, at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield during the “Take the Floor” pitch event on Thursday. STAFF PHOTO/CHRIS LARABEE
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GREENFIELD — Three local entrepreneurs won a total of $10,000 to invest in their businesses through the “Take the Floor” pitch competition at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center on Thursday.
The six finalists were split into the three categories of “Social Entrepreneurship,” “Small Business” and “Creative Economy.” Each winner receives a to-be-determined share of the $10,000 prize. The winners were the Stone Soup Culinary Institute, Distance Detailing and The Rainbow Rack. The event, which involved several qualifier rounds, was sponsored by Franklin First Federal Credit Union, Athol Credit Union, Greenfield Savings Bank and the Orange Innovation Center.
Contestants had 10 minutes to pitch their business to the panel of judges and the crowd, followed by a question-and-answer session with the judges. The panel was composed of Ian Vukovich and Mpress Bennu of Greenfield Savings Bank; Raymond Lanza-Weil, president of nonprofit community loan fund Common Capital; and Hope Ross Gibalbi, the executive director of Valley Venture Mentors. At the end of the event, the audience and panelists selected their choice for the winner of each category.
Greenfield Community College Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Max Fripp said Franklin County has entered a “new era of entrepreneurship” and events like Take the Floor can help boost small businesses off the ground.
“My hope is that this becomes something we do a couple times a year,” Fripp said. “We’re building and launching all new kinds of businesses in Franklin County. … I think it needs these kinds of events.”
Wendell resident Kelly Suprenant was chosen as the winner of the creative economy category with her Wendell-based business, The Rainbow Rack, which takes old clothing from thrift stores and upcycles (creative reuse) them by adding new designs. She said her business can help fight the waste of the “fast fashion” industry.
“We are rich with textiles that are everywhere and they are constantly going into the thrift store,” Suprenant said. “I keep these things in circulation and I’m using things that are right here.”
Suprenant said she will use her share of the prize money to upgrade her embroidery machine and her design software to make her business more efficient.
Speaking after the event, she said her business is “really nimble” and can fit into any niche it needs to. She is grateful the community has shown support in “sustainable business ideas.”
“It’s really huge to feel the support,” she said.
In the small business category, 17-year-old Jason Garcia took home the prize for Distance Detailing, a mobile car detailing business he hopes will be more accommodating of people’s busy schedules.
“Mainly my business is to help give you a choice for what you want to do with your time,” he said, giving the example of a busy schoolteacher who doesn’t have time to leave their job during the day to have their car detailed.
He added he wants to keep prices low because many people cannot afford to have their car detailed.
“Some people don’t have a large amount of money to be spending or throwing out to get their car cleaned,” he said.
Ross Gibalbi said she loved Garcia’s idea, but suggested he not drop his prices too low because a mobile detailing business provides a lot of convenience, which people will gladly pay for.
“I appreciate you want to make your services affordable … but if I’m going to pay you to come to my house and detail my car, that’s a premium,” she said. “People pay for the convenience factor, for sure. Don’t sell yourself too short.”
With the prize money, Garcia said he will kickstart his business and continue to work with GCC and Fripp in developing a business model.
“It’s really big. Now I can buy most of the expensive stuff,” he said of winning the prize. “I’m very grateful and I want to thank GCC and Max for the opportunity.”
The Stone Soup Culinary Institute and Executive Chef and Director Kirsten Levitt won in the social entrepreneurship category. The Stone Soup Culinary Institute, which is educating its first cohort of students in Greenfield, trains folks in the fundamentals of cooking, along with safe handling and serving of food and beverages.
“This is a direct response to a lack of services that is here. There is no culinary training for adults in Franklin County,” Levitt said. “We’re going to make a community impact here. We want to make sure restaurants stay open here because they have qualified staff, and by the way, wait times will be shorter.”
She added that two of the Culinary Institute’s five students already have jobs in local restaurants.
“We can make workforce development, that’s already proven,” Levitt said.
Levitt said the grant will help Stone Soup work toward hiring a consultant to explore additional revenue streams in an effort to diversify grant opportunities by “retooling and thinking outside the box.”
“We can have a little revenue to have a consultant who understands our mission,” Levitt said. “I can teach you how to hold a knife, but I don’t know everything.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.
An earlier version of this story provided an incorrect amount of prize money. The three winners will split the $10,000 prize.
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