David Ames, Town Manager, Town of Athol Carol Giguere, Teacher, Ralph C. Mahar Regional School Rick Kwiatkowski, Town Administrator, Town of Orange Amber Ortiz Houghton, The Literacy Project and Franklin Hampshire REB Zita Rasid, Co-Owner, Orange Innovation Center Tammy-Lynn Chace, Executive Director, North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce Noel Vincent, Co-Owner, Orange Innovation Center Steve Raymond, North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce Lynne Price, Office Manager, AOTV and North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce Nicholas Wheeler, MBA student, Southern New Hampshire University State Representative Denise Andrews (D-MA) and Co-Owner, Legacy Unlimited Charlie Pierson, GCC student and YES member Ben Simon, President, North Quabbin Young Leaders Council and YES member Jerry Whaland, YES alumnus, incorporator, and president emeritus
BizIdea Judges
Rick Kwiatkowski, Town Administrator, Town of Orange Tammy-Lynn Chace, Executive Director, North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce Phil Corrinet, , Owner, Corrinet Marketing Richard Roth, Owner, TnR Global David Ames, Town Manager, Town of Athol Noel Vincent, Co-Owner, Orange Innovation Center Steve Raymond, Executive Director, North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce Darren Alston, Assistant Clerk Magistrate, Orange District Court Rebecca Bialecki, Executive Director, North Quabbin Community Coalition
Staff & Key Volunteers ("The BizTeam")
Program & Operations *Tim Cohen-Mitchell, CEO & Founder Tyler Sweeney, Coordinator (Job-Ready AmeriCorps) Diana Wheeler, Coordinator (Commonwealth Corps)
Promotion *Jenessa Kupcho, Promoter (UMASS, Amherst Federal Work-Study) Jonathan ‘Yoni' Glaser, Public Relations (UMASS, Amherst Federal Work-Study) Nick Sweeney, BizTour MC, President, North Quabbin Young Leaders Council
IT / Design David Wiles, Web Developer, Owner of Backslash Studios, and YES Member (Commonwealth Corps) Joshua Nichols, Graphic Design Student, Mt. Wachusett Community College (Senior Capstone Intern) Kenan Jackson, BizTour presentation and BizQuiz sampler (Commonwealth Corps)
Fundraising Rondale Davis, Sponsorships (UMASS, Amherst Federal Work-Study) Christine McMahon, Manager, YES BizCenter, raffle (and much more)
Acknowledgements
Innovations are always scaffolded on ideas that precede them. Even past failures become fertilizer for new growth. BizVenture is no exception. Few of its elements are original; it is their arrangement that makes them unique. We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone whose ideas and experiences have guided or influenced ours, directly or not, consciously or not. If we have erred in not acknowledging a debt or reference, please forgive us (and let us know).
Steve Mariotti, President and Founder of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), for his friendship and mentoring and for writing the curriculum used at BizKamp.
NFTE for inspiring BizPlan, BizAwards and many other elements of BizVenture.
Amy Shapiro, Director of Business Assistance at Franklin County Community Development Corporation, for her decade-long support of YES and for helping secure SBA funding for the research and development that helped BizVenture from a stand-alone class to an annual series.
To all of YES' NFTE-certified teachers who each contributed to BizVenture over the years.
Dr. Andrew Hahn of Brandeis University, for some of the questions used in BizQuiz.
The creators of the erstwhile Ideablob.com (R.I.P) for inspiring BizIdea.
Staff & Volunteers, 2010 (pilot Series), 2011
Diana Wheeler, Coordinator, Young Entrepreneurs Society
Jonathan ‘Yoni' Glaser, Public Relations (Isenberg School of Management, UMass, Amherst, '09)
Kenan Jackson, BizTour presentation and BizQuiz sampler
Christine McMahon, former Manager, YES BizCenter, for staffing the raffle table (and much more)
The helpful AOTV production and office crew, for producing Manager's Corner
Marie Coleman, YES volunteer, for spreading the word
Tyler Sweeney, Coordinator and BizAwards entertainer
Rondale Davis, Sponsorships Joshua Nichols, Graphic Designer/Mt. Wachusett Community College
Nick Sweeney, BizTour MC, President, North Quabbin Young Leaders Council and YES member
Bobby Falco-Killoran, BizAwards DJ, Manger, Phil Harmonix Studio and YES member
Josh Davoren, BizAwards facility assistance and YES member
Jacki Bergert, BizTour postering, BizAwards videographer and YES member
Greg Stewart, BizAwards speaker, owner of MP3J Digital DJ and YES member
Join us. Become a Partner! Tim Cohen-Mitchell: tim at bizventure dot org 978-544-1869
2012 CONTEST DEADLINE MIDNIGHT, APRIL 30th
68 days 0 hours 46 minutes
