Tama County Economic Development Director Heath Kellogg awards Sue Rutledge, Dysart and her business, The PetShed, LLC as the winner of the 9th Pitch & Build contest.

In many of the rural communities that dot the Tama County landscape it may be easy to assume that residents would need to travel a distance to take advantage of certain “premium” services. That assumption became a bit harder to make recently as a group of local entrepreneurs showcased their plans to offer unique services like a pet salon, a limousine service, and a computer repair business to customers right here in Tama County.

The Tama County Economic Development organization hosted its ninth Pitch & Build competition on Tuesday, April 28, at the Reinig-Toledo Civic Center. The event provided not only an opportunity for new and aspiring Tama County business owners to present their business plans in a competition style environment but also for former participants to return to the group with some exciting progress reports on their ventures.

Judges for the competition included Tama City Councilman and chair of the Tama County Economic Development Board, Mike Carnahan and Gladbrook City Mayor Keith Sash. The judges were asked to assess each proposal based on five categories including business strategy, economic impact, clarity of vision, creativity, and the likeliness to succeed.

Heath Kellogg, Director of Tama County Economic Development, started off the evening with a brief introduction and summary of the Pitch & Build initiative.

Before turning the podium over to the contestants Kellogg delivered an update from the September, 2014 Pitch & Build winner, Brian Gumm and his coffee roasting business Ross Street Roasting Company. Over the course of seven months Gumm has taken his business from a small hobby operating out of his garage to an investor backed operation with a long-term business plan.

The Sleigh Runners Village Group, pictured (L to R) Hugo Chairez, Amber Chairez, Mike Jesina, Audrey Smith, Amy Walters, and Jodi Philipp. Photos/Darvin Graham

After some slow but steady growth in the fall and winter months a private investor approached Gumm in February about partnering with Ross Street Roasting. Gumm went to work on a three-year financial plan that, with a conservative growth projection, showed profitability in its third year.

The business is now in the process of becoming a LLC and in the coming months will be upgrading it’s roasting equipment and relocating from Gumm’s garage to a newly renovated section of his house. Gumm hopes to have his new, higher capacity roaster fully operational by June or July 2015. Kellogg praised the efforts of Ross Street Roasting, Gumm’s investment in his dream and his persistence through several hurdles along the process.

RMH Technology, Toledo

The first pitch of the night came from Ryan Hansen, Owner and Manager of RMH Technology in Toledo.

Hansen took over for Dave Perkins and his business previously known as Innovative Communications. RMH Technology, much like its predecessor, offers computer repairs and upgrades to both business and individual customers.

Hansen is able to offer on-site service to area customers as well walk-in service at his workshop located on High Street in Toledo. RMH Technology currently employs Hansen and his wife Maggie who assists with bookkeeping and administrative work.

As a child growing up in the small town of Haverhill the young tech entrepreneur developed a passion for working on computers and after graduating from Marshalltown Community College put his skills to work at the Staples store in Marshalltown as a computer tech. After Staples shuttered its Marshalltown location, Hansen was forced to reevaluate his options.

He soon learned of Perkin’s impending retirement and saw an opportunity to take over a well-established business while making his own mark in a field he felt passionate about. Hansen stated that business has been steady and that he has continued work with several of Perkin’s former clients. Looking to the future, Hansen hopes to someday move into web design and wants to help customers create a full web presence for their businesses and projects.

The PetShed, LLC, Dysart

Sue Rutledge from Dysart pitched her business, The PetShed that is slated to open its doors in the second week of May. The PetShed is a full service grooming salon for dogs and cats that will offer a wide variety of grooming packages based on the size, age, and breed of the animal. All of the packages will include a nail trim, ear cleaning, bath, and blow dry. Rutledge recently acquired a building on Wilson Street in Dysart (a half block away from Main Street) that will house the salon and provide a storefront for walk in customers. A key factor in the decision to open The PetShed was a need in the area for a nearby pet grooming service.

After doing some research Rutledge determined there is only one other pet grooming business in operation within a 22 mile radius of her location. She hopes to pull in new business from many of the small communities around Dysart that would normally send customers to Cedar Rapids or Cedar Falls. Rutledge has compiled 11 years of grooming experience that began in 2004 when she was trained by and began working at a PetSmart grooming salon.

After working there for four years she took a groomer position with a veterinary clinic in Waterloo where she worked full time until her recent decision to strike out on her own in Dysart. Rutledge took her business proposal to the Dysart Development Core and was awarded a low interest business loan that she is using to fund her startup costs. Several former customers of Rutledge’s have been so satisfied with her work that they have committed to making the drive down to Dysart from the Waterloo area to keep their pets looking so fresh, and so clean-clean. Rutledge hopes that her salon will help drive in out-of-town customers, not only for The PetShed, but for other Dysart businesses as well.

Sleigh Runners Village, Chelsea

The third pitch presentation of the night may have been one of the more unique entries in the history of the Pitch & Build project. Jodi Philipp, a former Pitch & Build winner and judge, brought with her a group of people that could be considered a business collective for the whole town of Chelsea. Philipp was previously the co-winner of the April 2014 Pitch & Build contest for her Periwinkle Place Manor Bed and Breakfast business that continues to grow in the town of Chelsea. As Kellogg described her, the “entrepreneur on steroids” from Chelsea has spent the past year developing relationships with other like-minded local dreamers and also acquiring storefront property in Chelsea. What has emerged is what Philipp is calling the Sleigh Runners Village in Chelsea. The Village, set to open on May 1, will feature antique, craft, and picker shops such as The Rusty Junk Shack, The Chicken Coop, and Stairway to Picker’s Heaven. Also opening on May 1 will be a multi-functional restaurant space that is currently known as The Cheshire Caf. The caf will serve coffee, drinks, sandwiches, salads, and treats throughout the week in its Alice in Wonderland themed dining room. New to the caf will be the addition of two full menu establishments that will share the caf’s dining space during the week. On Monday through Thursday from 7 am to 7 pm a full menu of “authentic Mexican food” will be available under the Loco Bueno moniker. Hugo and Amber Chairez of Chelsea will manage the Loco Bueno business. During the weekends (Friday through Sunday) the caf will transform into Alfs BBQ where Audrey Smith will be serving her “Real Smoked Barbeque” meat entrees and homemade side dishes. Philipp also brought along Mike Jesina who recently began operating a limousine service out of Chelsea called Chelsea Diamond Limousine. Earlier this year Jesina was offering his limousine as a shuttle service for the guests at Philipp’s bed and breakfast. Once prom season arrived he soon discovered an opportunity to enter a market where local customers were being forced to spend top dollar for limousine services as far away as Cedar Rapids or Des Moines. Jesina looks to promote the service to area customers as an affordable alternative. Philipp’s stable of projects and the network she has been developing over the past year prove that it really takes a village to raise upa village.

The night’s final presentation was a tasty update from Audrey Smith and her barbeque business, Alfs BBQ. Smith was a participant in the previous Pitch & Build event and was back to share a progress report as well as some delicious smoked barbeque sandwiches and homemade potato salad that the group enjoyed during their supper break. Last year Smith was running a cleaning business full time and while at a Pitch & Build event got acquainted with Jodi Philipp. She expressed her dream of running her own barbeque business to Philipp and after much discussion the two decided to bring Smith’s barbeque into the Cheshire Caf in Chelsea on a part time, trial basis. Smith stated that during the past summer she experienced good traffic and no complaints with a sandwich board and word of mouth as her only marketing tools. With a successful run in 2014 under her belt, Smith wanted to take the next step with her business and has since committed to offering a full menu out of the Cheshire Caf going forward. Alfs BBQ will have its opening weekend along with the other Sleigh Runners Village businesses starting May 1. If the samples on Tuesday were any indication of Smith’s barbeque skills, the folks in and around Chelsea are in for a treat.

After the last bits of barbeque sauce were cleaned off everyone’s plates Kellogg returned to the podium to close out the night and award the winner of the Pitch & Build contest. Kellogg has been pleased with the diversity of the businesses that have come through his door over the last two and half years and spoke optimistically about several past Pitch & Build projects. He commended the people of Chelsea for pulling together as a small community and hoped that other Tama County communities with more resources would follow suit saying that, “by working together, wow, things can really move rapidly”.

Kellogg then announced that the winner of the 9th Tama County Pitch & Build Contest was Sue Rutledge and The PetShed, LLC.

The next Pitch & Build contest is already on the calendar and is scheduled for Wednesday September 9, 2015.