Cash awards of $6,000 were presented to Bluffton Center for Entrepreneur business plan competition winners this spring, according to Brendon Matthews, BCE board president.

Prize money and gifts-in-kind went to five competitors. Winners were announced at BCE’s business expo at The Centre, Bluffton, in late March.

Winners follow:

• Emerging Business Division –
• First place – Easter House Bed and Breakfast, Ada, $4,000
• Second place – PS Editorial Services, (Paula Scott), Bluffton, $1,000
• Winding Roads Antiques, Wapakoneta, $500

•Established Bluffton Business Division
• First place – The Dough Hook, $1,000
• Second place - CG Pro Bikes, $500 (gifts-in-kind)

This is the sixth year of BCE’s Ropp Triplett Business Plan Competition. Since its inception BCE has awarded $36,000 in prize money to 21 business winners. All of the prize money comes from local businesses that support BCE’s programming.

Competition businesses participated in an eight-week winter business plan course led by Kathy Keller of the Small Business Administration at Rhodes State College.

Competitors then made presentations of their completed business plans to a panel of judges. Scoring was based on several factors.  These included business plan concept, business opportunity, market, operations, financials and presentation of the plan.

Winners have 18 months to use prize money.

PHOTO ID:

Winners of the 2016 BCE business plan competition, from left, Marlena Ballinger (The Dough Hook), Liz Harner, Raymond Harner (CG Pro Bikes), Paula Scott (PS Editorial Services), Amy Eddings (Easter House Bed and Breakfast), Kathy Keller (Small Business Administration), representatives from Winding Road Antiques.