Meet our Best in the West Finalists: ApeGrip Training Products
Brad Royer wasn’t getting the most out of his workouts. Whenever he lifted weights, the white chalk on his palms slid onto his wrists in ashy rivers of sweat. He tried researching alternative products, but he couldn’t find anything that sufficiently kept his hands dry and grip strong. So he decided to invent a product himself: ApeGrip Xtreme Liquid Chalk.
Meet our Best in the West Finalists: The Farmer's Perk
Like many entrepreneurs, Nelson noticed a hole in the market: no one at the West Tennessee Farmers’ Market was offering coffee to the patrons who came out on Saturday morning to browse the colorful selections of vegetables, herbs, and goods. Nelson invested $400 in obtaining a coffee pot and bags of coffee beans, and during the summer of 2012 he began a business that he would later name “The Farmer’s Perk.”
Best in the West: Top 10
theCO recently hosted its second edition of the Best in the West competition to foster entrepreneurial spirit in West Tennessee by connecting local entrepreneurs to funding and a collaborative community. Contestants from all sectors and industries pitched their original ideas. Among the many applicants, here are the ten ideas that stood out the most; find out how you can support these emerging local businesses.
Our Jackson Home: Jackson's Top Burger Tour
One of Our Jackson Home's favorite ways to support local businesses is to eat local, and next Monday they're celebrating National Cheeseburger Day with a Battle of the Burger event! RSVP and learn more on Facebook, and check out Katie Howerton's review of the three featured burgers here. And don't forget to vote!
CO.STARTERS Grad Spotlight: Krista Paul Event Planning
How did you get started with event planning?
In middle school, we had lots of parties—the good kind! But I was the person who coordinated where the parents should drop their kids off and what time to pick them up and which friends were bringing drinks, snacks, and cups—and all the details. So I really started as a kid. But officially I started in college when my friends asked me to coordinate their wedding because I’m a really organized person, and I have a lot of energy. So I did that in 2012.
Programming Languages Meet the Written Language
This summer, four Dev Catalyst students took on Jackson-Madison County Library’s Big Read website. Students from schools across West Tennessee were hand-selected to develop the official website for the project, an effort to get the nation reading.
Our Jackson Home: A Sweet Aroma
With Best in the West coming up, talks of entrepreneurship are in the air. We're so thankful that we got to know Tamara Reed of Studio 31 through Our Jackson Home's A Night of Storytelling. Check out this piece by Asanta Brooks highlighting this local's salon and fragrance.
Dev Catalyst Alumni Spotlight: Steven Prescott, SP Creative
Steven Prescott is a standout alumnus of Dev Catalyst. Prescott began the program in 2013 under Vicki Deloach’s computer class at Madison Academic Magnet High School. The program was new to both West Tennessee and Prescott, but the product of a semester of work would lead to lifelong impacts.
Dev Catalyst was a brainchild of the founders at theCO who noticed a need for educational development.
For Prescott, Dev Catalyst created friendships and freedom.