The Great Social Enterprise Pitch
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LAUNCHING THE GREAT SOCIAL ENTERPRISE PITCH

In the Spring of 2014, ASSETS and the Community Foundation launched the Great Social Enterprise Pitch, an idea incubator and friendly business competition which aims to empower local entrepreneurs whose businesses have a triple bottom line – people, planet, profit. At the close of the pilot program, over 600 donors invested over $15,000 as a show of their confidence in these ideas. 5 finalists were then chosen to present to a panel of judges and a crowd of over 200 community supporters. These finalists competed for over $40,000 in cash and pro-bono prizes to help launch and grow their social enterprise.

2014 Winners

First Place
THE COMMON WHEEL
$5,000 cash prize and $13,520 in pro-bono services
Second Place
SOLAR SHEPHERD
$2,500 cash prize and $9,150 in pro-bono services
Third Place
WILL & WHIMSY
$1,000 cash prize and $6,350 in pro-bono services

Live Pitch Recap

The Common Wheel Takes Top Prize

In the end, The Common Wheel rolled to victory.

The community bike center, which opened for business last month in the former pump house at Reservoir Park, took top prize Friday evening at the Great Social Enterprise Pitch.

Co-founders Chris Caldwell and Brad Copeland earned themselves $5,000 plus products and services worth more than $13,000, donated by local companies.

Read the News Article »

The Participants

2 Fish 5 Loaves
Arrow Right

A Pay What You Can Food Truck.

Crowdfunding Video »

Live Pitch Video »

The Common Wheel
Arrow Right

A Community Bike Center.

Crowdfunding Video »

Live Pitch Video »

Website »

Earthbound Artisan
Arrow Right

Landscapes in harmony with nature.

Crowdfunding Video »

Website »

Lancaster Transplant
Arrow Right

A resource for new people in a new place.

Crowdfunding Video »

Website »

Lemon Drop Inn Youth Hostel
Arrow Right

A social enterprise youth hostel in downtown Lancaster.

Solar Shepherd
Arrow Right

A nomadic animal grazing system.

Crowdfunding Video »

Live Pitch Video »

Record Eraser
Arrow Right

Pardon and expungement services.

Live Pitch Video »

Website »

Will & Whimsy
Arrow Right

Handcrafted loungewear with a mission.

Crowdfunding Video »

Live Pitch Video »

Website »

Judges

Tom Baldrige – President
Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Charlie Crystle – Co-Owner
Lancaster Food Company
Dorothy Dulo – Owner
Rifiki Deli and funds Rafiki Foundation
Joann Flett – Director of the MBA program
Eastern University
Miriam Soto – Senior Community Lender
Community First Fund

Featured Speaker

Rev. Julius Walls is an A.M.E. Zion Church minister, President of the Greater Centennial Community Development Corporation, and the former CEO of Greyston Bakery, a $7 million social enterprise that proclaims “we don’t hire people to bake brownies, we bake brownies to hire people.” Walls is the co-author of “Mission Inc; The Practitioners Guide to Social Enterprise.” He serves on many boards in Yonkers, NY including the Workforce Investment Board and the Community Action Program. Nationally, he’s served on the Corporate Leadership Advisory Council of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Social Enterprise Alliance.

Watch Keynote Video »

Sponsors

360 PA Media Solutions
Anchor Development
Infantree
The Candy Factory
Gibbel, Kraybill & Hess
The H&H Group
Harbor Business Compliance
Shop Lancaster
McNees Wallace & Nurick
Moxie House
NxtBook Media
Simon Lever
Summer Crow Photos
MT Accounting Services
Melissa Engle Photography
City Limits
EG Stoltzfus
Kinectiv
Harbor Compliance
Utility/Keystone Trailer Sales, Inc.
Master’s Advisors
North Group Consultants
TCW Computers
Tweed-Weber, Inc
Trout, Ebersole, & Groff, LLP
One2One, Inc
Hershey Advisors, P.C.
Garber Metrology
Nxtbook Media
Rhoads Energy

The Great Social Enterprise Pitch is Made Possible By

Rodgers and Associates Assets Lancaster County Community Foundation

Questions? Contact ASSETS by emailing pitch@assetsPA.org or calling 717-393-6089.