Entrepreneurs Sought for Pitch Across Maryland Contest
Do you have a business or product idea that's ready to go to the next level? Now's your chance to pitch your idea in the Pitch Across Maryland contest on Wednesday, September 24 at the Tides Restaurant, located at 46580 Expedition Drive, in Lexington Park.
The St. Mary's County Department of Economic Development, the Southern Maryland Innovation and Technology (SMIT) Initiative and StartUp Maryland invite entrepreneurs and startup companies to Get On The Bus and "pitch" their ideas, products and businesses with a concise 2-3 minute professionally produced videotape message for entry into the contest. The videos will be posted online by StartUp Maryland to determine which pitches are the "Fan's Favorites" and which suggest the "Strongest Potential for High Growth."
Eight semi-finalists will be selected to pitch to a state-wide audience at this November's Entrepreneur Expo. Three finalists will then be selected to enter the 2015 InvestMaryland Challenge to compete for over $400,000 in grants and business services.
The contest is free to enter and each contestant will receive a copy of their tape and a one-year Pro Membership subscription to CoFoundersLab, a OneVest company. To learn more and to register for the Pitch Across Maryland contest, contact Laura Boonchaisri, Business Development Division Coordinator, St. Mary's County Department of Economic Development at 301-475-4200, ext. 1408.
Commissioners Celebrate National Senior Center Month
Recognizing the role older Americans play as significant members of society, the Commissioners of St. Mary's County have proclaimed September, 2014 as National Senior Center Month in the county.
Lauding the county's Department of Aging & Human Services efforts as a catalyst for "mobilizing the creativity, energy, vitality and commitment of the older residents of St. Mary's County," commissioners noted the vast accomplishments of the county's three senior activity centers.
The proclamation further honored the work of the Senior Activity Centers, noting "the St. Mary's County Senior Activity Centers affirm the dignity, self-worth and independence of older persons by facilitating their decisions and actions by tapping into their experiences, skills and knowledge and enabling their continued contributions to the community."
Lori Jennings-Harris, Aging & Human Services Director, was joined by Alice Allen, Division Manager of Senior Center Operations, Kathy Mather, Garvey Senior Activity Center Operations Manager and Joyce Raum, Loffler Senior Activity Center Operations Manager, to receive the proclamation and provide an update on current activities and programs taking place.
St. Mary's County Recognizes National Recovery Month
The Commissioners of St. Mary's County have officially recognized September, 2014 as National Recovery Month. Now in its 25th year of observance, the month is meant to emphasize that "behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment is effective and people recover."
The theme for 2014 is Join the Voices for Recovery: Speak Up, Reach Out" and is meant to encourage people to speak openly about mental and substance use disorders and the reality of recovery.
According to the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, over 21 million persons aged 12 or older required treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem and 31.6 million adults aged 18 or older received mental health services.
Commissioners acknowledged the efforts of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration, St. Mary's County Department of Aging and Human Services and Healthy St. Mary's Partnership. They also encouraged all citizens to "Join the Voices for Recovery."
SMIT Awards CoFoundersLab Pro-Memberships to Smartronix and Coherent Technical Services
The Southern Maryland Innovation and Technology (SMIT) initiative has awarded Smartronix and Coherent Technical Services, two locally headquartered technology firms, Pro Memberships to CoFounders Lab.
CoFounders Lab, a OneVest Company, is an online partnering platform of more than 40,000 founders, advisers and interns available to help launch and grow businesses. A Pro Membership provides access to entrepreneurs nation-wide to help individuals connect with the right partner, investment or resource needed to take a business to the next level. SMIT will award 40 Pro Memberships to individuals and companies to encourage technical innovation and commercialization in St. Mary's County.
SMIT is a collaboration between the NAWCAD Technology Transfer Office, Maryland Technology Development Corporation, and the University of Maryland working with St. Mary's County Government to bring entrepreneurs, inventors, developers, researchers, mentors, investors and the broader entrepreneurial community together to participate in a MeetUp on the fourth Wednesday of each month. MeetUps are the breeding ground for innovation and technology oriented start-up businesses.
Mr. Alan Parris, President, accepted the award on behalf of Smartronix, Inc. Smartronix specializes in engineering, enterprise software solutions; cloud computing, network operations, cyber security, and health IT. Mr. Tom Sanders, Managing Director of Coherent Technical Services, Inc. (CTSi) represented the small, veteran-owned company which specializes in web development, fabrication services, including prototype machining, electro mechanical assembly, composite, and circuit board design and assembly needs for both government and private markets. Both Smartronix and CTSi will use the Pro Memberships to identify new commercial market opportunities for their businesses.
On September 24th, SMIT will host the state-wide Pitch Across Maryland Contest, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Tides Restaurant, located at 46580 Expedition Drive in Lexington Park. SMIT and StartUp Maryland invite entrepreneurs and startup companies to Get On The Bus and
"pitch" their ideas, products and businesses with a concise 2-3 minute message which will be professionally videotaped for entry into the contest. StartUp Maryland will post the videos online to determine which are the "Fan's Favorites" and which suggest the "Strongest Potential for High Growth." Eight semi-finalists will pitch to a state-wide audience at the Entrepreneur Expo this November with three finalists selected to enter the 2015 InvestMaryland Challenge to compete for over $400,000 in grants and business services.
There is no cost to join SMIT or to enter the Pitch Across Maryland Contest but only serious minded technologists, innovators, entrepreneurs and investors will be considered to participate. To learn more about SMIT go to: http://www.meetup.com/Southern-Maryland-Innovation-and-Tech/. To be considered for a Pro-Membership and the Pitch Across Maryland contest, contact Laura Boonchaisri, Coordinator, Business Development Division, St. Mary's County Department of Economic Development, at 301-475-4200, ext. 1408.