Five Troy-area small businesses are the real winners of the Idea Empowerment Series and Competition hosted by the IDEA Bank and Regions Foundation

Five Troy-area small businesses are about to get a shot in the arm thanks to Jonas Shaw, the Regions Foundation and Troy University’s IDEA Bank.

Shaw, owner of 7S Media, won the Idea Empowerment Series and Competition – and its $10,000 prize – for his project “Empowering Small Businesses with Strategic Media for Sustainable Growth,” which will reinfuse the prize money into the local economy by providing five small businesses with a custom media plan to help them increase awareness, drive sales, foster economic grown and job creation. The plans will include video production, scripting, editing and social media optimization.

The competition was the culmination of a year-long TROY Starters Accelerator Program. The program included a workshop series that complimented the application process by offering timely guidance on topics such as idea development, proposal writing, business planning and business communications, said Lynne George, the IDEA Bank’s director.

Jonas Shaw is presented a check from Regions Foundation for $ 10,000.

“The workshops were free and open to anyone. Although they were tailored towards the competition requirements, the topics were broad enough to be beneficial to nonapplicants as well,” she said.

The workshops featured local speakers such as George, Pike County Chamber of Commerce President Bethany Allen, KW Plastics Director of Advocacy Stephanie Baker, who is also a Troy City Council member, and Laurie Chapman, director of the Elba Housing Authority.

“The workshops were very helpful and insightful,” said Shaw. “They were like study guides for the competition. Even if someone was clueless about how to go about making it past the next round, all that was explained through the workshops.”

Ultimately, the evaluation process consisted of multiple rounds of judging by a 15-member reviewing committee. A dozen projects were accepted in Round One, seven made it into the second round and four finalists were advanced.

“Jonas’ project stood out to the judges for its ability to positively impact the local business community, particularly small businesses, with his collaborative and innovative approach. Jonas impressed reviewers with his commitment to local economic development, a core pillar for focus for both Regions and the IDEA Bank,” George said.

Shaw’s aim is to support businesses that do not have a budget or the technical knowledge to deploy digital advertising campaigns.

“If we had the money to give these people free advertising, we would,” Shaw said. “We didn’t have it and that’s why this grant is so good,” Shaw said. “I did realize that there were some really important ideas in the room. People are really ‘bringing it’ for our community – they’re bringing good things that need to come to pass.”

For Shaw and 7S Studio, the next step is to begin a vetting process that will ultimately select the five local businesses that will get his team’s help.

“The majority of small businesses cannot afford a marketing team,” he said. “They need to know what it is to have a marketing team behind them. It will not only make their business stronger, but it will also teach them how to do it on their own.”

The grand prize grant wasn’t the only award handed out as part of the program. The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation handed out a surprise Ignite Impact Prize, a $500 scholarship, to TROY student Madelyn Johnson in recognition of her project that would create a public “makerspace” that offers access to 3D printers, digital fabrication tools and traditional art supplies to support students, artists and innovators regardless of their financial status. As an Ignite Impact Prize winner, Johnson will be teamed with a Sullivan Foundation mentor and be invited to competition in an additional pitch competition for a $1,000 prize.

Madalyn Johnson receives a $500 check from the Sullivan Foundation — The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation awarded TROY student Madalyn Johnson a $500 scholarship for her efforts.

George said the Sullivan Foundation learned of the Idea Empowerment Competition and partnered with the IDEA Bank to roll out their new prize.

Other finalists were Maggie Hammond’s idea to revitalize the amphitheater at the Pike Pioneer Museum as a vibrant community venue, and Dr. Elizabeth Dawson’s plan for the “Resilience Summer Camp and Afterschool Program,” led by the Troy Resiliency Project.

The Troy Starters Program consisted of three different accelerator programs for three different audiences. While the Idea Empowerment Series targeted the entire Pike County community, the other programs centered on high school and college audiences through the “Just Start Entrepreneurship Summer Camp” for high school students, where a $2,000 scholarship was provided to Diarra King for her original business idea “Phazers,” a “shoe for every phase of life.” The Sorrell Business Pitch Competition for college students awarded funding to three students, including Kamryn Mitchell, a TROY men’s basketball player, for his plan for “Details for Dayz,” freshman TROY student Jamarion Willie for his business and clothing brand, “Baller for the Ville,” and graduate student Vamsi Jupudi, co-founder of Cognera Health, who won not only the IDEA Bank grand prize but also won the $100,000 grand prize for Alabama Launchpad.

All totaled, the Troy Starters program this year has provided more than 40 business training hours to about 50 participants and has awarded more than $16,000 in funding to five standout innovators.