Original Link: https://indiancountrytoday.com/the-press-pool/navajo-thaw-project-wins-federal-grant-to-support-navajo-entrepreneurs-c0MSXqeiKEKvn4GqWEUPDg

$150,000 federal grant will support Navajo entrepreneurs and existing businesses in the 10-chapter region
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News Release
Moonshot at NACET

A $150,000 federal grant to provide business planning and entrepreneurship training for Navajo entrepreneurs has been granted to Navajo Thaw, an extensive economic development plan to address the long-term impacts of the "Bennett Freeze" and the forced relocation eras of Navajo History.

The funds, awarded through the USDA Rural Business Development Grant program, will support Navajo entrepreneurs and existing businesses in the 10-chapter region. Moonshot at NACET, an entrepreneurial development program based in Flagstaff, will provide services under the grant.

"We are so pleased to be a part of the Navajo Thaw effort to bring business planning and entrepreneurial services to our neighbors, the Navajo people," said Moonshot President and CEO Scott Hathcock. "The Navajo Nation has great potential, and we look forward to helping to equip the people with skills that will cultivate new jobs and better wages."

Navajo Thaw is a response to the Bennett Freeze, a 43-year development ban on 1.5 million acres of Navajo land imposed by the federal government for the stated purpose of promoting negotiations to resolve a land dispute between the Navajo and Hopi. After decades of economic devastation, the freeze was lifted in 2009. When regional efforts to revitalize the area began last year, all participating Chapters indicated an interest in entrepreneurial development.

Participants in the program will identify business development opportunities, conduct research to understand the marketplace and their potential niche, create financial spreadsheets and projections, gather information on business development resources and, if desired, start business operations.

Navajo Thaw is supported by Native Builders LLC, a Priority 1 Navajo company; Building Communities, a national economic development strategic planning company; and was launched under the leadership of Navajo President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer. The Navajo Hopi Land Commission Office (NHLCO) is the lead organization for the overall Navajo Thaw project.

"We, the Nez/Lizer Administration, have always intended the Navajo Thaw to be about plan implementation, not just planning," said Robert K. Black, Jr., Executive Director for the Navajo Hopi Land Commission Office. "This is one of the first implementation steps for the plan as envisioned by President Nez."

The project, starting this month, is anticipated to take one year. For more information, visit www.navajothaw.com and www.moonshotaz.com. 

https://www.flagstaffbusinessnews.com/baking-for-health/

​Cookies, cupcakes, donuts and brownies are not typically considered healthy foods, but Health Coach Karen Russell has found a way to bake for one’s sweet tooth without the processed sugar and gluten.
Owner of Sedona-based Karen’s Gluten Free Living, Russell says her introduction to baking started as a child with an Easy Bake Oven.  She recalls making Rice Krispies treats, cookies and brownies. “I was the oldest of seven siblings and I was always hungry, so I made snacks.”

Russell’s pilgrimage into health started in college where she studied nutrition. “I started to eat healthier, but when I was in my 40s, I was diagnosed with chronic insomnia and fibromyalgia. I decided to change my diet to gluten- and dairy-free and threw out all my regular flour, dairy, butter, cheese and sugar and replaced them with gluten-free flour, coconut sugar and other healthier food options,” she said.

As her health improved significantly, she decided to become a health coach, guiding others to a better way to live healthy. During this journey, she published a book called, “Gluten Free Living.”

However, her dissatisfaction with the gluten-free products on the market inspired Russell to begin making her own. “The gluten-free food available didn’t taste fantastic and they were dry and crumbly and full of sugar and processed ingredients. So, I began to formulate recipes that were healthy and tasty.”

Her first product was her Chocolate Chip D-Lites. “I would take my cookies to a party or picnic and people loved them so much I would have to hide a few so there would be some left over for me.”

In 2014, Russell started selling her Chocolate Chip D-Lites at the Sedona Farmer’s Market.  She began to add more products such as her Red Rock Energy Bites, Pecan Delights and her Gluten Free Paleo and Sour Dough Breads. “Two years later, I quit health coaching and decided to devote all my time to this business. I registered as an LLC, and sought investors to finance my kitchen packaging/marketing for the products.”
“We love to support local sellers,” said Flagstaff Natural Grocers Store Manager James Rowe. “Previous to working here, I worked at the Sedona store and Karen’s gluten-free products were a big seller. They are selling well in Flagstaff, too. Pecan Delights are my favorite.”

Karen’s Gluten Free Living kitchen is a Certified Gluten Free Kitchen, which means there is no cross-contamination. “I pay a fee and get audited every year; plus, I have to keep paperwork. It’s an involved process, but worth it because people with serious gluten-free health issues such as celiac disease can be assured they have a genuine gluten-free product.”

During the 2019 Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization (VVREO) Moonshot Pitch Event, Russell’s products were a hit. “Her passion for her field and quality of product really shone through,” said Moonshot Vice President of Operations and Finance Amanda Kristinat. “On a personal note, after being given the opportunity to try some samples, I was hooked.  My whole family loves Karen’s shortbread cookies.”

A regular shopper at Russell’s weekly Sedona Farmer’s Market, Margaret Weant- Leavitt says she absolutely loves Karen’s cupcakes, cakes and cookies. “I’m a self-professed chocoholic and can’t go a day without these wonderful baked goods. I couldn’t find good bread until I tried her sourdough bread and bagels…they are amazing. When I share with my friends, they are in disbelief that they are gluten and sugar free. Plus, they taste like gourmet baked goods.”

Packaged mixes are available from Karen’s Gluten Free Living, as well. “We have a brownie, muffin, bread and shortbread cookies mix,” said Russell, who plans to add more products.

A heart-warming recollection for Russell was when she was at the Sedona Farmers Market and a young boy walked up. “He was eyeing my cupcakes and told me how good they looked but he was sure he couldn’t have one because of his allergies. His mom came and read the ingredients and he was so happy because he could have one. Those are the moments that make it all worthwhile.”

Born in Japan and raised in Ohio, Russell is married and has lived in Sedona for eight years. She has three adult children and four grandchildren. Her kitchen is currently based out of her home. “Someday, I’d like to grow bigger and get a bigger space.”

​FBN
By V. Ronnie Tierney, FBN
To find Russell’s products, visit karensglutenfreeliving.com or call 928-282-8918.

https://www.flagstaffbusinessnews.com/picture-perfect-pitch/

in-person mentoring, pitch contests and conferences to inspire and mentor budding entrepreneurs in Flagstaff and beyond, is now pivoting to provide that guidance and support in the era of social distancing.
The non-profit is launching Mission Control Startup Pitch, a free service connecting new entrepreneurs with “moonshot” ideas to a panel of successful business leaders via teleconferencing.
“Just like astronauts need Mission Control to provide vital guidance and support during their journeys in space, we want to provide risk takers and change makers with what they need as they take their innovations and turn them into viable businesses,” said President and CEO of Moonshot at NACET Scott Hathcock.
Entrepreneurs are invited to complete an online application on the Moonshot website. A video conference session is scheduled so they can make a five-minute pitch to a panel of Moonshot mentors.
After the presentation, the mentors provide feedback, guidance and in some cases, assistance by providing contacts who can help the entrepreneurs with their business.
An official from the City of Flagstaff, one of the main financial supporters of Moonshot at NACET, noted that these free sessions are both an innovation and an investment in marketing the city to potential businesses and job creators.
“I feel what Moonshot at NACET has put together for their virtual start-up mission control program is beyond next level,” said Director of Economic Vitality Heidi Hansen. “There are so many entrepreneurs globally that are looking for this type of mentorship by experts in the field. Moonshot, along with their partners, is offering an opportunity to put their ideas in motion. I also love that they are not only assisting our locals, but welcoming others from out of the area to come visit, discover and possibly grow in Flagstaff – virtually and someday, in person.”
The virtual pitch is just the latest innovation from an organization that has been encouraging disruptive thinking and the entrepreneurial spirit for more than two decades. The original iteration of Moonshot was a business incubator for homegrown talent that opened its doors in 2001. Its first two clients were Kahtoola and Aspen Communications.
Through the years, the facility grew from a series of offices on Milton Ave. to its own campus on McMillan Mesa with a business incubator and accelerator for startups looking to scale up.
Believing that an entrepreneurial hub should be more than a brick-and-mortar location, Moonshot at NACET began concentrating on programs, education, mentoring and events to support entrepreneurs and their new businesses. It also began to export that knowledge to other communities for a fee.
“We discovered that Moonshot as a program did not have to just live on McMillen Mesa,” said Hathcock. “It could be exported to other communities who would pay for the expertise in growing entrepreneurial ecosystems – and those funds would go right back into programs for local startups.”
In addition to Kahtoola and Aspen Communications, graduates of the Moonshot program include Symple Surgical, POBA Medical, Love You Foods, Mother Road Brewing, Canyon Coolers, War2In, Mosaic and Tepa Burger.
Once the era of social distancing is over, Hathcock said, Moonshot at NACET will continue to grow its programs, including more initiatives designed for high schools and summer camps to encourage entrepreneurship in teens, as well as an expanded focus on women entrepreneurs and women leaders though its W.E. (Women Entrepreneurs) Mean Business initiative.
Understanding that new cutting-edge businesses will not thrive without a matching workforce, Moonshot is also partnering with organizations like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Promineo Tech to develop workforce development training modules with an emphasis on targeting those who are not pursuing secondary education paths or are seeking to shift to careers that require a new skillset.
“This will have multiple benefits,” said Hathcock. “These partnerships will enhance technological talent in communities, which in turn creates access to high paying jobs for employees. For new businesses, it means a tech-savvy local labor force ready to help them grow.” FBN


For more information about Moonshot at NACET, visit moonshotaz.com.

https://www.flagstaffbusinessnews.com/dan-kasprzyk-russ-yelton-drinking-horn-meadery-honored-in-moonshot-awards/

​Dan Kasprzyk, founder of startups Symple Surgical and Poba Medical, received the Carolyn Shoemaker Award at the first Moonshot Entrepreneur Awards, presented by Moonshot at NACET, the region’s entrepreneurial development program.

The Shoemaker Award was created to honor entrepreneurs who have graduated from the Moonshot program at NACET and gone on to establish businesses in the greater Flagstaff area that hire local employees. The recipient is chosen by a panel made up of members of the Northern Arizona Leadership Alliance.

The award is named for Carolyn Shoemaker, a pioneering astronomer who at one point held the record for the most comet discoveries (32) in addition to more than 800 asteroids and almost 400 minor planets. With her husband, Gene, she established the USGS Center for Astrogeology in Flagstaff.

“Carolyn is the perfect example of entrepreneurship and the process of reinvention,” said Moonshot at NACET President and CEO Scott Hathcock. “She is a trailblazer, a true moonshot thinker in astronomy – a field she didn’t begin working in until she was 51 years old. She perfectly illustrates that with passion and a newly discovered purpose, you can achieve great things.”

Katoohla and Mother Road Brewing Company were also honored with honorary Shoemaker awards as past graduates of the program.

This year, in addition to cultivating entrepreneurs in Flagstaff, Moonshot at NACET held a “Pioneer Pitch Tour” throughout the state, a series of events to identify promising startups in Navajo and Apache counties, Flagstaff, Page, Chandler and the Verde Valley. The tour was sponsored by APS, which selected Drinking Horn Meadery, a Flagstaff brewery, as the overall winning business from the tour.

Russ Yelton, former head of NACET, received the Mission Control award for his past service to building the entrepreneurial program. This award is given to a past or present volunteer or employee of Moonshot at NACET.

The ceremony kicked off a weekend of events celebrating entrepreneurship, including a premiere showing of the documentary series TrueFuture.tv at the Orpheum Theater. The program highlights people in the medical device industry and the communities that nurture their ideas and startups. The first episode featured Flagstaff and local entrepreneurs and innovators, including Kasprzyk.

In addition to APS, sponsors of the Moonshot Awards ceremony included Amazon Web Services, the City of Flagstaff, Foothills Bank, Real AZ, AWD Law, WL Gore, POBA Medical, Kinney Construction, Lowell Observatory, Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization and Little America Hotel, where the event was held.

Sponsors for the TrueFuture Flagstaff screening included Machine Solutions, POBA Medical, Symple Surgical, Wanderlust Brewery, the city of Flagstaff and the Orpheum Theater. 

​FBN
By Cindy May, FBN

​One manufactures the next generation of outdoor gear to protect camping and backpacking provisions from being ransacked by rodents, birds and other critters. Another is a band of self-described “renegade recyclers” addressing the problems of plastic waste products. A third is giving the time-honored task of tutoring a facelift with technology.

While the products and services provided by these companies are quite different, they have some notable similarities.They are Flagstaff-based businesses working with Moonshot at NACET, the region’s entrepreneur development program, and they are all mentored by Leonard Quimby.

Quimby is a recent transplant to Flagstaff, having moved here last year. A serial entrepreneur who has started half a dozen successful businesses and sold three of them, he currently is the chairman of Sonherd, a business acquisition company that has 11 brands ranging from a brokerage agency to a school supply store.
“I started out my career in sales – door-to-door, sitting-at-the-kitchen-table type sales,” Quimby said. “A good 15 years in, I realized that my most important commodity was not money but time, and the only thing that affords latitude with time is not having to answer to anyone else.”

It is a philosophy that Quimby is bringing to the companies he mentors – Armored Outdoor Gear, Praxis Waste Solutions and Tailored Tutoring – as he coaches them in starting or scaling their businesses.

Moonshot at NACET has eight volunteer mentors assigned to its entrepreneur clients. Their insights, coaching and expertise are all key to the success enjoyed by Moonshot’s startup clients, said Moonshot President and CEO Scott Hathcock.

“All of our mentors are successful entrepreneurs in their own right, so they have the experience, but we also ask that they have a passion for seeing others succeed,” he said. “In Leonard’s case, he just connects very well with people and he goes above and beyond in his dedication to these companies.”
It is a view shared by the company founders with whom Quimby works.

“Leonard has helped Armored Outdoor Gear and myself more in the last few months than anyone else has,” said Tom Monroe, who started the company with a partner back in 2002 as a side project and only pursued it as his full-time career 10 years later.
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The manufacturer is housed in NACET’s business accelerator, and Quimby was introduced to Monroe when the company was undergoing some cash flow challenges. Monroe was working on buying out his former partner and, simultaneously, the company had just won a massive order, but did not have the funds for necessary materials.
Quimby helped Monroe negotiate with banks in order to fund both the buyout and meet increased production demands. Quimby is also helping the company with in-kind services, conducting an email marketing campaign on the company’s behalf to increase awareness of the brand. The result has been a “huge” increase in traffic to the company’s website.
“This is stuff I never would have been able to do on my own and I’m sure it would have cost me an arm and a leg to do it,” said Monroe....
READ MORE AT: 

https://www.flagstaffbusinessnews.com/moonshot-mentors-bringing-expertise-to-local-startups/

Check out the latest news from Moonshot at NACET...
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Have you ever had an idea for a business or a desire to expand the current one you’re in? If so, mark Thursday through Saturday, April 11 through 13, on your calendar for Moon Shot AZ Pioneer Pitch. 
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The city of Sedona has partnered with the Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization and Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology to bring a “Shark Tank”-like event to the Verde Valley. The networking event will be on Thursday, April 11, at the Yavapai College Sedona Campus. All day training will take place the next day at the Yavapai College Clarkdale campus. The live pitch event will be at Blazing M Ranch on Saturday morning, April 13. 

According to Sedona Director of Economic Development Molly Spangler, the event is designed so that Verde Valley small businesses and entrepreneurs can network and receive high quality hands-on training. 

There, they can craft their business pitch and then pitch those ideas at a live event the third day for the potential to win a NACET scholarship, business services and cash.The city of Sedona and VVREO supports its local small businesses and entrepreneurs, Spangler said. They have a focus on helping residents grow and sustain in the Verde Valley. Many entrepreneurs need an opportunity to network with other like-minded people, she said. Crafting their pitch and telling their story is a needed skill set to help attract more capital and opportunity.

“We have many entrepreneurs in Sedona on the verge of success, so an event like Pioneer Pitch can give them the education and confidence they need to take the next step,” Spangler said. 
“Further, we have an even broader network of resources and partners to continue to help these entrepreneurs succeed beyond this event. 

“Entrepreneurs chose to stay in our beautiful community for our quality of life. Part of our economic development strategy is to help our entrepreneurs thrive in Sedona so they can continue to attract private investment and created jobs.

”NACET brings a team of professionals with real entrepreneurial and pitch experience as well as one of the winners of the television show “Shark Tank,” Kiersten Hathcock, founder and CEO of Mod Mom Furniture. She will be teaching at the event and delivering a keynote address.

“I’ve always been impressed with Verde Valley entrepreneurs so I’m excited to see who comes out for the Pioneer Pitch event this year,” said Hathcock, who lives in Flagstaff. 

“To those of you who are thinking about presenting your idea or company, I applaud you. It takes a lot of courage to step on the stage, but I guarantee you won’t regret it. The pitch event offers an opportunity to not only compete for cash prizes, but to learn from mentors and connect with folks who can help you launch or scale your business.”

Hathcock said when she was first starting out, everyone told her she was crazy to think she could build a furniture company having had zero carpentry experience. She proved them wrong. “It was hard not to listen to the noise but I knew I had to trust my own gut and forge on,” she said. 

“I always tell entrepreneurs to do their homework and surround themselves with smart people, but ultimately trust their own intuition about their idea or business and push through the fear of failing.”
For more information on the event, contact Spangler at 203-5117 or mspangler@sedonaaz.gov or visit vvreo.com

http://www.redrocknews.com/news/88888896-city-news/94831-moon-shot-az-pioneer-pitch-gives-verde-valley-entrepreneurs-chance-to-sink-or-swim-in-shark-tank-type-setup
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For the second straight year, Moonshot at Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NACET) will host a competition for innovators with ideas in need of support and businesses wanting to expand an existing idea.

The Pioneer Pitch event, set for MAY 3-5, is similar to ABC's Shark Tank. Workshops will be held at NACET's campus on Gemini Drive with the final competition at Lowell Observatory on Mars Hill. Potential contestants must submit an online application and post a two minute video about their product or service on YouTube by Feb. 18. Entrants will be competing for more than $15,000 in cash, scholarships and Amazon Web Services credits, as well as the chance to become an affiliate of Moonshot at NACET for a year....