GROW News
September 1, 2010
Below is this weeks news from GROW Nebraska. As always, if you have any questions, please let us know at
info@grownebraska.org.
Paperless Choice Digital Fundraising Challenge: Please Vote for GROW
GROW Nebraska is competing with other non-profits for $20,000. We need YOU to vote and leave a comment on our Justmeans Paperless Choice Challenge profile to show your support to GROW Nebraska and entrepreneurs across the state. If GROW gets the most votes and comments, the money will be used to start an innovation fund, to create more marketing workshops and to help in the retail/training centers.
Vote Now >>
Learn More >>
Win Free Membership
Become involved in the GROW Membership Drive ... Member Mania! The first place winner will receive free bundle membership or $325 in GROW Bucks to buy Nebraska products (winner's choice) plus a full color ad in the next GROW Book. Prizes will also be given out for 2-5 place winners. How do you win? Refer members to the program, and get points towards Member Mania. More information coming soon, but be sure to start thinking about good members for the program!
Current Leaders:
- Sherri Roberts of 67th Street Goodies referred Randy's Garage Studio
- John Marquis of Ogallala Bay Rum referred My Still Water Massage
- Katrina Frey of Heavenly Creations referred My Ear Jazz
- Larry Martin of Heartland Nuts 'N More referred Bliss Soap Company
Video of the Week
Do you need a cold water at this year's Nebraska State Fair? Stop and get a refreshing bottle at the GROW Nebraska Buy It Local Store.Gary Miller of Prairie Industries gives a little background about his product in this GROW Nebraska Podcast.
Do you want your video featured? Please send the file to info@grownebraska.org.
GROW Featured in Grand Island Independent
GROW Nebraska Helping Local Businesses Bloom
Back in the late 1990s, Janel Anderson Ehrke of Holbrook had an idea for a nonprofit co-op to help Nebraska artisans market their crafts.
Twelve years later, that idea has developed into GROW Nebraska. It comprises 333 small Nebraska-owned businesses and 19 services, which help provide jobs and economic growth.
GROW Nebraska has brought a store featuring more than 80 local businesses to the Nebraska State Fair. The store is in the Exhibition Building next to the Sheep Barn.
Anderson Ehrke, GROW Nebraska chief executive officer, said the organization is the state's only nonprofit focused totally on "market access growth platforms."
"We have two simple marching orders as our mission -- promotion and awareness," Anderson Ehrke said. "The State Fair store is an opportunity to showcase these products. We welcome store owners, consumers to come in and get a good sampling of what is actually made in the fine state of Nebraska."
One tool GROW Nebraska uses to help a startup business develop its product is market testing, she said.
"When the sales aren't there, we need to go back to the drawing board and determine whether the price is not right, or is it the color or the packaging, and what are the issues with this product so it can become marketable," Anderson Ehrke said.
She said the goal is to develop a "sustainable and profitable business" for that entrepreneur.
GROW Nebraska operates commercial stores at the Conestoga Mall in Grand Island and in Kearney and Lincoln. It also has an online presence at
www.growneb.com.
According to its website, "GROW Nebraska is an entrepreneurial service organization, which is membership-based and -driven. GROW provides 'entrepreneurial coaching' and market access opportunities to its members. Entrepreneurial coaching includes initial consultations, counseling, product evaluation and market access assistance. GROW Nebraska's goal is to connect entrepreneurs and small businesses to the world marketplace."
GROW Nebraska helps Nebraska businesses through training and technical assistance. It increases the survival rate of startup businesses by facilitating marketing and networking opportunities that "help micro businesses in Nebraska increase their triple bottom line, and they actively work with members to create brand awareness."
The whole idea is that, when local products are promoted and marketed among local people through GROW Nebraska, it helps sustain local economies and creates jobs. In the bigger picture, buying locally also helps the global environment by reducing carbon emissions because fewer goods are shipped from overseas or trucked into the area.
GROW Nebraska was established in 1998 under the Central Plains Foundation as a statewide outreach program. It is headquartered in the Central Plains Development Center in Holbrook, and Anderson Ehrke said the organization is focused on "building successful Nebraska businesses one at a time."
According to its website, Central Plains Foundation received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Grant in 1995 to create a business plan and solidify objectives.
"After significant research into similar state-based programs and hosting a showcase event in November 1996, the GROW Nebraska Program officially began accepting members in 1998 and created the first annual GROW Nebraska Market. The initial membership included 61 businesses and five services."
GROW Nebraska has also received support from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. A statewide board of directors was created in 2003.
Recently, Mosaic Tri-Cities of Grand Island, which serves people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, joined GROW Nebraska to market products made by its clients. Anderson Ehrke will be working with Mosaic to market rugs, which are being offered at both the Grand Island and Kearney stores.
A number of Grand Island businesses that are GROW Nebraska members will be featured at the State Fair store, such as Fairbanks Studio, Photos by Ms. Mac and Two Ewes Bath&Body.
Anderson Ehrke said the store at the Conestoga Mall has been a success. The GROW Nebraska store was seasonal at the Conestoga Mall but is now open year round, offering many goods made by businesses throughout Nebraska. The store is open 10 a.m. through 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Anderson Ehrke said GROW Nebraska has helped create an image "that we are not only a great state, a great work force and an agricultural leader, but we are also a very creative and artistic state. We are really not known for those qualities, but GROW Nebraska is helping to build that image in this country."
She said GROW Nebraska is helping to connect local people to local businesses. The 333 businesses that are GROW Nebraska members generate more than $15 million in sales annually and employ about 500 people.
At the State Fair, Anderson Ehrke said, the group is kicking off its Buy Local store.
"With a new location and a new fair, we are really trying to set an image and create exciting opportunities."
Story by: Robert Pore of the Grand Island Independent
Would You Like Your Business Featured on Facebook?
GROW Nebraska would like to feature companies on Facebook, but want your help in promoting it. We are considering running coupon specials. If you are interested in having your business featured, please e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org and our social media guru Winsome will contact you with more information.
Who Sold Online This Week?
Member News
James with Pur Java was on NTV's The Good Life yesterday. You can see the interview
here.
Branched Oak Farms will be featured in a Diversified Ag Tour. Congrats! Learn more
here.
Jeanna Stavas, owner of Whispering Pines Bed and Breakfast, will be hosting a workshop on October 11 on what it takes to be an innkeeper. Jeanna currently serves as the President of NABB and has been in the B&B business for 5 years. Learn more
here.
Do you have news about your business? Please let us know at
info@grownebraska.org.
New Store Opportunity for GROW Members
Connie Brott of Midway Motel is opening a new business - a store for GROW Nebraska member products. This is a great opportunity to get your product in another retail venue. If you have an interest in having your product in her store, please be sure to contact her at
lcbrott@gpcom.net.
Specialty Gift Product Awards
The Early Bird Entry Deadline for the first-ever Specialty Gift Product Awards, “The Giftys,” is drawing near. Don’t miss this opportunity to present your best products to specialty gift shop buyers.
To receive the Early Bird discount, entries are due by Friday, Sept. 3.
These awards will recognize the best in the following categories: Paper & Stationery, Gifts & Souvenirs, Jewelry & Wearables, Toys & Games and Merchandising & Display. Five awards will be awarded, one in each of the mentioned categories. We invite you, the manufacturers and designers, to submit entries in as many of the categories as you wish.
Early Bird entries with a discounted entry fee of $50 are due Friday, Sept. 3, and the final submission deadline is Friday, Sept. 17 with a fee of $65.
You may submit as many entries as you’d like in as many of the categories as you choose. Entries submitted in more than one category count as separate entries and have separate entry fees. For submission information and an entry form, please view the attached PDF or visit
www.thegiftys.com.
For the complete, schedule, voting rules and an entry form, visit
www.thegiftys.com, call Sara Middlebrook at 616-887-9008, ext. 121, or e-mail
giftyawards@museumsandmore.com. Get updates and information about the Gifty Awards by following us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/GiftyAwards.
The Giftys are sponsored and managed by
Museums & More magazine.
Simple Marketing to be Covered at I2E Club
Mark Hutchison, Senior Manager of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Food Processing
Center, will serve as the I2E Club speaker for the September 14th meeting. Mark knows that the demands of life are becoming greater as time and attention are
becoming more crunched. Consumers over time have become calloused to the ploys of
marketing in today’s hectic environment. Mark also knows how entrepreneurs can get
around this obstacle to successfully and effectively market to potential clients.
Mark explains, “How can you, as a business owner, do that? Make my life easier, simpler.
Tell me what I care about—which is two simple things when it comes to your business.
What do I get out of it? How do I know you can deliver on your promise? Answer these two
questions and you will be well on your way to maximizing your marketing dollars and
increasing your sales. Join Mark Hutchison for the next I2E Club meeting on September 14,
2010 to learn more about these two simple marketing concepts that can transform your
business.”
The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a social sponsored by the UNL Kimmel Education &
Research Center. Mark will share his education and experiences with entrepreneurial
marketing during his presentation following the social.
I2E Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at the UNL Kimmel Education and
Research Center, 5985 G Road, Nebraska City, NE.
The Club is a collaborative effort of the
Southeast Nebraska Partners for Progress and has been made possible by funding from a
Building Entrepreneurial Communities Act (BECA) grant. There is a $10 per session fee or
participants may choose to join the club and pay a small annual membership fee.
For more information about the I2E Club or any of its programming, contact Dr. Connie
Reimers‐Hild at the UNL Kimmel Education and Research Center at 402‐873‐3166 or
creimers2@unl.edu. You can also learn more about I2E, including access to past video
presentations and meeting materials, online by visiting i2eclub.org. Become a fan of I2E on
Facebook! Log into Facebook and simply search I2E Club.
GSA executive to discuss marketing for small businesses during workshop and webinar
GSA Small Business Executive Karen Poole of Kansas City will be a presenter during the upcoming workshop GSA schedules-What are they? Are they for you? GSA Schedules are used by the General Services Administration to provide federal purchasers with cost-effective high-quality products and services from commercial vendors.
This workshop is delivered at the College of Business and Technology on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney on Thursday, September 9 from 9 to 11 a.m. The program will also be broadcast as a live webinar through the Small Business Administration webinar program.
Scott Knapp of the Nebraska Procurement Technical Assistance (PTAC) office in Kearney will host the event and be a co-presenter along with Poole. They will focus on the opportunities for marketing products and services through the GSA schedules to government agencies across the world. Businesses from across the state are invited to take part in this program either on the UNK campus or through the webinar. Registration can be completed at the PTAC website at nbdc.ecenterdirect.com/Conferences.action.
The workshop is free, but space is limited so preregistration is recommended . Those who want to attend the webinar portion need to pre-register to receive the connection information. Please contact Scott Knapp at 308-865-8244 or knappse@unk.edu for more information.
The workshop is being sponsored by the Nebraska Procurement Technical Assistance Center at Nebraska Business Development Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha, University of Nebraska Kearney and the Nebraska Rural Initiative.
In cooperation with the University of Nebraska Rural Initiative
BECA Grant Deadline
The Rural Development Commission is initiating a pre-application process for the Building Entrepreneurial Communities grant program. Pre-application participation will allow you to amend or improve your grant application prior to the final deadline of September 30. Any grants going through the pre-application process will be awarded 10 extra points in the scoring, however pre-application does not guarantee funding. The application is available at ruralnebraska.info.
Pre-apps should be e-mailed to me at the address below and received by Friday, September 10. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the grant program or this new process.
Linda Fettig, M.A, M.S.
Executive Director
Nebraska Rural Development Commission
308-380-4966 (phone and cell)
308-749-2223 (fax)
linda.fettig@nebraska.gov
www.ruralnebraska.info
