May 2024 Entrepreneur of the Month: The Trendy Pineapple Boutique
The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and North Iowa Area SBDC are proud to announce Bethany Fisher of The Trendy Pineapple Boutique in Garner, IA as the May 2024 Entrepreneur of the Month. The Trendy Pineapple is a family-focused clothing boutique in Garner, IA. The boutique offers unique styles, from everyday wear to occasion wear, and […]
Youth Entrepreneurial Academy
Applications due May 17MASON CITY, IOWA – The North Iowa Area Community College John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center will hold the Youth Entrepreneurial Academy (YEA) on Monday June 3 – Friday June 7, 2024, with pitch presentations on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Thanks to generous financial support from the John K. and Luise V. Hanson Foundation, […]
NIACC Student Wins Top Prize at 2024 Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition
North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) student Catherine Dow was named one of the top three winners at The Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition, sponsored by John Pappajohn, Equity Dynamics, Inc. Catherine was awarded one of three $5,000 prizes. Catherine is currently a freshman at NIACC where she is studying Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management. […]
North Iowa Businesses Compete in Venture School Launch Day
The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center hosted the University of Iowa Venture School Launch Day competition on Thursday, April 11, 2024. The NIACC Spring 2024 Venture School cohort competed in person after attending classes virtually for 7 weeks of training, customer discovery, and developing their business model alongside local entrepreneur coaches. A panel of judges […]
NIACC Student Entrepreneurs Advance to Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition Finals
Three students representing North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) competed in Round 1 of the 2024 Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition and advanced to the Finals. The competition was held during the Student Entrepreneurship Conference at Drake University in Des Moines, IA on April 5-6, 2024.The three NIACC student entrepreneurs competing in Round 1 were:Each […]
NIACC Pappajohn Center & SBDC April 2024 Entrepreneur of the Month
NIACC Pappajohn Center & SBDC recognizes Holly Neuberger of Lake Animal Clinic as the April 2024 Entrepreneur of the MonthThe NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and North Iowa Area SBDC are proud to announce Holly Neuberger of Lake Animal Clinic in Clear Lake, IA as the April 2024 Entrepreneur of the Month. When Holly Neuberger opened […]
March 2024 Entrepreneur of the Month
NIACC Pappajohn Center & SBDC recognizes Colton Card of Twenty Fore Seven Golf as the March 2024 Entrepreneur of the MonthThe NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and North Iowa Area SBDC are proud to announce Colton Card of Twenty Fore Seven Golf in Mason City, IA as the March 2024 Entrepreneur of the Month. Twenty Fore […]
Applications Now Open for the Annual John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition
The 2024 John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition application portal is now open. The nineteenth annual statewide competition will award $100,000 in cash prizes to early stage Iowa startups and entrepreneurial ventures that intend to scale operations in Iowa. The $100,000 in seed funding includes a $50,000 contribution from the late John Pappajohn, matched by $50,000 […]
February Entrepreneur of the Month Shawn Dietz
The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and North Iowa Area SBDC are proud to announce Shawn Dietz of OnTheGoMedia, Inc. in Hampton, IA as the February 2024 Entrepreneur of the Month. OnTheGoMedia is a full-service, community-oriented media company. OnTheGoMedia owns two radio stations – 104.9 KLMJ-FM, Hampton and 98.9 KQCR-FM (99 The Wave), Parkersburg – and […]
Venture School Helps North Iowa Entrepreneurs Succeed
Applications Now Open for Spring 2024 CohortMASON CITY, Iowa – North Iowa entrepreneurs are achieving success with the assistance of the NIACC Pappajohn Center cohort of the University of Iowa Venture School. Venture School is the premiere business training program in Iowa, emphasizing real-world entrepreneurship and innovation based on a leading-edge curriculum. Participants learn to […]
Tiffany Rottinghaus of Mara Bridal Boutique and Cardigan in Charles City is the December 2023 Entrepreneur of the Month
NIACC Pappajohn Center & SBDC recognizes Tiffany Rottinghaus of Mara as the December 2023 Entrepreneur of the MonthThe NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and North Iowa Area SBDC are proud to announce Tiffany Rottinghaus of Mara Bridal Boutique and Cardigan in Charles City, IA as the December 2023 Entrepreneur of the Month.Tiffany Rottinghaus opened Mara […]
North Iowa Entrepreneur Billie Asmus Makes a Splash at Lowe’s Into the Blue: Product Pitch Event
Billie Asmus of Repaint Studios in Hampton, IA made a splash at the 2023 “Into the Blue: Lowe’s Product Pitch Event” held on December 5, 2023 in Charlotte, NC. Competitors traveled from around the world to compete in this global pitch competition after a rigorous application process. Asmus’s invention, the Repaint Tray, received the coveted […]
North Iowa Entrepreneur Wins 2023 InnoVenture Iowa Challenge
Jayson Ryner of Nora Springs, IA won the top prize at the 2023 InnoVenture Challenge on Wednesday, December 6 in Des Moines, IA. The InnoVenture Challenge invites the best and brightest Iowa entrepreneurs to participate in a pitch competition where three early-stage startup companies compete on-stage for a winner-take-all $100,000 award.Jayson Ryner is the founder […]
North Iowa Businesses Compete in Venture School Launch Day
$5500 in Prizes Awarded to Local EntrepreneursMASON CITY, Iowa— The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center hosted the Venture School Launch Day competition on Thursday, November 16, 2023. The Fall 2023 Venture School cohort competed in person after attending classes virtually for 7 weeks of training, customer discovery, and developing their business model alongside local entrepreneur […]
North Iowa Students Compete in NIACC Everyday Entrepreneurs Pitch Competition
The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center hosted the Everyday Entrepreneurs Pitch Competition on Monday, November 13, 2023. The Everyday Entrepreneur Program is sponsored in conjunction with the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), helping to provide access to entrepreneurial education and funding for students to take their businesses from an idea to a thriving […]