Sage Awards $20,000 to Winner of Small Business Start-Up Contest
Socially-conscious clothing designer INDIE PEACE takes home top prize in small business contest on MyBizCounts.com
Atlanta , GA (October 22, 2009) – Sage North America today announced the winner and runners-up in its $20,000 MyBizCounts.com Start-Up Cash Contest, aimed at helping entrepreneurs turn their business dreams into reality.
Contest participants were tasked with creating a brief video commercial for their business idea or new business (less than two years old), along with their business plan and a brief essay. Based on online votes, the 20 most popular videos advanced to the final judging round. Videos, business plans, and essays were then evaluated by a team of small business experts, including Wayne Rivers, co-founder and president, Family Business Institute and Bob Shephard, Director External Affairs–Florida, SCORE.
Atlanta-based INDIE PEACE, a socially-conscious fashion brand, secured top honors and the $20,000 cash prize, along with a suite of software and services: Peachtree by Sage, ACT! by Sage, Timeslips by Sage, and planning software from Palo Alto, to assist in managing the business.
“I am so honored and humbled to be selected as the winner,” said Lawton Ursrey, founder, INDIE PEACE. “These times are extremely challenging for new businesses, and we at INDIE PEACE are grateful to Sage for helping to make a difference in the lives of entrepreneurs. This contest will help accelerate our success and allow us to make even more of a positive impact on the world.”
INDIE PEACE was founded in July 2007 by entrepreneur, artist, and fashion photographer Lawton Ursrey and fashion designer John Van De Wiel. INDIE PEACE is a lifestyle brand that weaves premium apparel with an environmental consciousness to create SUSTAINABLE FASHION.
The company is committed to environmental responsibility literally from the ground up. This can easily be seen in the product and protection of the resources used to provide high quality fashion to the people who crave it, while leaving the lightest possible footprint on the planet in the process.
Indie prides itself on attention to detail and designs for men and women using highest quality organic domestic fabrics, with consideration to the social and environmental impact of the design, manufacture, sale, and distribution of their product. Their tagline, “make a mark without leaving one,” suits, as they use only certified organic cotton, hemp, RPET(recycled poly), or bamboo, and only natural or low impact dyes and water based printing inks. They also make every attempt to minimize the amount of travel Indie Peace clothing must make throughout the supply chain, and use minimalist, socially responsible packaging. INDIE PEACE products are available at various Nordstrom stores nationwide, as well as in exclusive boutiques.
“Small businesses are the main engine driving the economy, and while the past year has been difficult from an economic perspective, the passion and creativity that drive small business owners to success is as strong as ever,” said Doug Meyer, Chief Customer Officer, Sage North America. “The gifted entrepreneurs who participated in our startup cash contest–and millions of others like them across North America–are the reason that Sage employees come to work each day, supporting small businesses’ dreams, vision, and goals.”
In addition to INDIE PEACE, four other businesses were recognized by the contest as runners-up. All four will receive software and services with a retail value of nearly $4,000 to assist them in managing their businesses: Peachtree by Sage Premium Accounting 2010 Multi-user Version with one year of Peachtree Freedom Support; ACT! by Sage 2010 with 5 user licenses; Timeslips by Sage 2010 5-user version; Palo Alto Software’s Business Plan Pro Standard Edition Version 11; and Palo Alto Software’s Marketing Plan Pro. The runners-up are:
oWebIRB Software : A micro business located in Jackson, TN, providing a customized, Web-based software system to the niche market of Institutional Review Boards (IRB’s) Their product allows for Paperless Submission and Review over the Internet, reducing paper waste and contributing to Green Initiatives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aw0HjMvR4I
oCatoctin Creek Distilling Company : An artisan distillery producing the finest in organic and kosher distilled spirits, and is the first family-owned microdistillery in Loudoun County, Virginia since before prohibition. Producing high quality organic spirits and liqueurs: rye spirits and whisky from organic sources, brandy from Virginia wines, and seasonal specialty liqueurs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnTwa19WWs
oSoulRealiS, LLC : GameDevMasters’ mission is to help game developers and those who need their services to connect and collaborate on creating video games. GameDevMasters is part of an internet startup company located in NJIT’s Enterprise Development Center incubator in Newark, NJ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItmYqziL4oM
oQueen Fuel Components, LLC: A manufacturer of “hands free” onboard additive injection systems for diesel equipment and a distributor of diesel fuel additive blends and related products. QFC is a new-start company with one location in Shelby, NC, and their product is named EZ ADD (“EZ-ADD–So You Don’t Have To”). (Video unavailable)
Source: Sage