Volume 2, Issue 12 AUGUST 16, 2024
REFLECTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY
Oceana Echo THE
YOUR LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NONPROFIT NEWS SOURCE Help ‘Lead this Legacy’ and become part of this gift to our community Lead. That word is one of the most important in the world of journalism and Any donations up to and including the following amounts will be recognized in our world in general. We lead our lives, we look to leaders and we lead others. in the newspaper at these levels: Throughout the history of newspapers, lead has been instrumental in applying • $250 - Reader the printed word to paper, and the lead (or lede) is the most important part of EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT: • $500 - Paperboy a news story. From lead type to leading technology, journalists are taught not Now offering subscriptions to anyone • $1,000 - Photographer to bury the lead and to get the lead out before deadline. Now, we need you to who does not currently receive The • $5,000 - Freelancer “Lead this Legacy” with us with our $1 million fundraising campaign. In just four • $10,000 - Reporter Echo or Mirror. Please call us at 231months, we will reach 1,000,000 issues of our newspaper given away to homes • $25,000 - Editor 301-8149 or email our office manager all across Oceana County and the White Lake area. That is an incredible number • $50,000 - Publisher at connie@oceanaecho.com. that would not be possible without the support of our community! If you would • $100,000 - Founder like to help keep The Oceana Echo and the White Lake Mirror available for your Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 192, Mears, MI 49436, or via Paypal (inforfriends and neighbors, please consider donating towards our goal. Each week, mation on page 4), directly through Shelby State Bank or by stopping at our office we will fill our logos back in to show how our community is helping to keep our in Mears. Please make checks payable to Echo Publishing Inc. newspapers vibrant, full color and free to all. Tax-deductible donations in any THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! amount are greatly appreciated.
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Grand parade delights at Pentwater’s 94th Homecoming
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Oceana County entrepreneurs take 2nd and 3rd place in Pitch North competition Five local entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges and an audience of over 50 people at the sixth annual Pitch North competition held on Aug. 7 at the Michigan State University AgBio Research Station in Hart. They were competing for the chance to win their share of over $11,000 in cash and prizes to bring their ideas to life. Pitch North was designed to spark entrepreneurial change and encourage more small businesses to start in Newaygo, Oceana and Lake counties. This year’s contest received 28 business idea submissions, from which five finalists were selected by a local committee to pitch at the live event. Each entrepreneur had five minutes to present, and judges had an opportunity to ask questions directly following. “This year’s entrepreneurs leveled up their presentations and truly showcased their passion for their businesses,” Newaygo County’s Senior Economic Development Director Julie Burrell said. “We are so proud to be a part of their journey.” The first-place prize of $5,000 was awarded to Nicolena Stubbs, Black Eden Brews, in Idlewild. Nicolena plans to use her prize
money to expand offerings at her pop-up coffee and breakfast spot. Second place was awarded to Julie Engle, The Pasturage, LLC, in Oceana County. The third-place prize went to Cheri Bandt from Hoop and Home in Shelby. “This event reflects Oceana County’s culture of entrepreneurship, with 15 of the 28 applicants representing Oceana County. Oceana County Economic Alliance engages in Pitch North to foster opportunities for inventions, innovations, and start-ups,” Oceana County Economic Alliance Executive Director Curtis Burdette said. “We’re always looking for more ways to support the great ideas in Oceana County that could be the next big business in West Michigan.” The finalists will receive the following: First place: $5,000, Nicolena Stubbs, Black Eden Brews (Lake County); second place: $3,500, Julie Engel, The Pasturage, LLC (Oceana County); third place: $1,500, Cheri Brandt, Hoop and Home, LLC (Oceana County); fourth Place: $1,000, Gerad Sarb, Grindstone Leather (Newaygo County); and fifth place: $500 Heather Johnson, Newaygo Tours (Newaygo County)
Volunteer judges for the event included Noble Graham-Lattin, owner of Birch and Blossom and the 2023 second-place winner; Jennifer Armstrong, loan officer for Lake-Osceola Bank; John Buckley, President and CEO of Gerber Federal Credit Union; Cyndi Langlois, Community Empowerment Manager with GVSU’s Muskegon Innovation Hub; and Scott Beal, Executive Director of the Hart-Silver Lake Sand Dunes Area Chamber of Commerce. Pitch North is hosted by The Right Place, Inc., in conjunction with the Newaygo County Economic Development Partnership, Oceana County Economic Alliance, and Lake County Economic Development Alliance. Pitch North 2024 was made possible through financial support from the Newaygo County Economic Development Partnership, Consumers Energy, Lake-Osceola State Bank, The City of Fremont, The City of Newaygo, City of Hart, GVSU Muskegon Innovation Hub, River Country Chamber of Commerce, Hart/Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce, Shelby State Bank, Northern Initiatives, Gerber Federal Credit Union, Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce and ITC.