news & events

‘Navigating COVID-19’ for small businesses offered via Zoom on March 27 Penn State Small Business Development Center and North Central PA LaunchBox will present free, one-hour video conference

DUBOIS, Pa. — The Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the North Central PA (NCPA) LaunchBox are hosting “Navigating COVID-19: Resources and Relief for Small Businesses,” a free, one-hour video conference via Zoom at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 27. This webinar is open to all small business owners seeking resources and financial/legal assistance as they navigate the COVID-19 crisis. During the one-hour session, an expert panel will offer their insights and respond to questions from participants. Panelists will help small business owners understand resources and relief in response to COVID-19 regulations, including: SBDC availability and resources SBA Disaster Loan program and process Working...

CANCELED: Area entrepreneurs pitch ideas for up to $10,000

Editor’s note: This event has been canceled in response to the global coronavirus outbreak. Contestants will still pitch ideas to judges in a closed event and winners will be announced at a later date. Six area startups including Emko Technologies (Evan Klapec), Odin’s Eye (Dr. David Parrott),Workflow Automation (Cesare Ferrari), Shop Local Fundraising (Kristen and Boyd Lewis), Lattus (Peter Schramm and Nick Furar), and Vandervort Photography (Kelly and Judy Vandervort) have been participating in Ben Franklin’s 10-Week Business Startup Boot Camp, the TechCelerator@DuBois. These company teams will pitch their business concepts to a panel of local judges for the opportunity to...

TechCelerator program offers up to $10,000 for tech-business ideas

DuBOIS, Pa. — Partnering with the North Central PA LaunchBox, Ben Franklin’s TechCelerator @DuBois, is inviting emerging entrepreneurs, students, professors, small businesses, and the general public from across the region to apply to the next 10-week Business Startup Boot Camp. The weekly sessions will run from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 15 until March 19, 2020, at the North Central PA LaunchBox (Old Deposit Bank Building), located at 2 E. Long Ave., Suite 120, in DuBois. Coaching sessions will follow. Business mentoring from Ben Franklin’s Transformation Business Services Network and Clarion University’s Small Business Development Center will...

Lanich, Conklin Winners of BIG Idea Competition

DuBOIS, PA - Joe Lanich with Laughing Owl Press, of Kane, PA, who is developing software that brings digital convenience to high-end letterpress printed products took first place in the BIG Idea Competition following presentations by the eight finalists to a panel of judges. He receives $30,000 to develop his business. David Conklin with Wilds Sonshine Factory in Kane, PA, has been announced as the second-place winner. Conklin is distilling a new spirit derived from the sunflower plant grown solely in the PA Wilds Region. He will receive $20,000 in funding to develop his business idea. Pitches got underway at...