ccbc business plan competition

CCBC Center for Business Innovation - Business Plan Competition

CCBC's Center for Business Innovation will award $62,500 in seed money to the top six winners of it's annual Business Plan Competition.

The competition begins in the fall and the final "shark tank" round is held in January. The event is designed to give participants the tools they need to turn any idea into a real business.

Dozens of start-ups have already received hundreds of thousands of dollars in seed money. Participants also receive coaching and mentoring, access to invitation-only workshops and tuition-free access to specialized courses to help the launch their ideas. The competition is open to all CCBC students and alumni.

The Business Plan Competition would not be possible without the generous support of signature sponsor, The Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation.

Learn more here .

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BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

BPC Competition Overview

This year’s 22 nd Annual tecBRIDGE Business Plan Competition begins in January 2024 with an opportunity for interested Competition teams to work Subject Matter Experts in a virtual Help Session to explore, develop and test business venture concepts. A second Help Session is also held in February. Competition deliverables are due in March and In-Person Presentation Finals take place in April. Our BPC22 activities culminate with the annual Awards Event on Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 5pm at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Student teams from the region’s colleges and universities compete in the Collegiate Division and early-stage entrepreneurs compete in the Non-Collegiate Division. Guests attending the May Awards Event can meet each of our finalists to learn more about their venture concepts and vote their “tecBUCKS” to select an additional crowd-sourced Wild Card Winner. Division Winners will receive $10,000 in cash prizes and share in over $100,000 of in-kind services to help launch their businesses. The Wild Card Winner, selected exclusively by event attendees, will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a share of the in-kind services. 

tecBRIDGE would like to extend a special thanks to all of our sponsors and volunteers – you are the reason this event is an annual showcase of entrepreneurial vision, passion, and innovation in our community. 

2024 Annual tecBRIDGE Business Plan Competition

Key milestone dates.

Virtual Help Session #1

Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 6 p.m. Registration Required * 

Virtual Help Session #2

Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 6 p.m. Registration Required * 

Team Submissions Due 

Friday, March 22, 2024

Finalists Notification Announcement 

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Live Presentation Finals 

Thursday, April 18, 2024

– Collegiate Division 3 p.m.

– Non-Collegiate Division 6 p.m.

 Awards Event

Thursday, May 2, 2024 , 5 p.m.

BPC 2023 Winners

Collegiate Division

L ackawanna College

Non-Collegiate Division

Berks County

Education Partner of the Year Award

Marie Ernst

Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences

McNally Mentor of the Year Award

Neal Deangelo III

Tri-Mountain Ventures

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Grace College Awards $5,000 To Visions Of Q Studio At 12th Annual Business Plan Competition

Grace College business administration major Quinisha Williams was awarded $5,000 for her business at the 12th annual Grace College Business Plan Competition on Wednesday, April 17. Photo provided.

News Release

WINONA LAKE — Grace College business administration major and Marine Corps veteran Quinisha Williams was awarded $5,000 at the 12th annual Grace College Business Plan Competition on Wednesday, April 17. Her apparel printing business, Visions of Q Studio, won the first-place prize. Williams plans to use the $5,000 to help open a custom printing retail shop at 25 Kings Hwy., Winona Lake.

Visions of Q Studio’s mission is to provide high-quality custom apparel printing with no minimums and unlimited colors — all without degrading the print quality.

“I was first told about this new direct-to-film printing method that was building momentum overseas in 2019,” said Williams. “It was a difficult process to learn in the beginning, but the potential proved to be worth the headache.”

In 2021, Williams bought her first commercial DTF printer, and in 2022, the printing method started to earn recognition in the U.S. market.

“After many attempts to launch my own business, I had given up hope that my business would make it past the front door of my home,” said Williams. “I decided to devote my free time to learning the printing method and discovering which consumables and settings achieved the best results.”

By the time the Grace College Business Plan Competition applications were due, Williams was ready to try relaunching her business.

“Although I had a lot going on in my life, I started to believe that maybe this was the time for a successful startup,” said Williams.

In preparation for the competition, Grace’s faculty supported Williams as she finalized details and made her business plan the best it could be. According to Williams, several of her mentors believed that the business had more potential than she did.

“When I won, I was speechless,” said Williams. “The biggest reward for me was when I arrived home and told my children I won — that is when reality set in. My daughters Allessa, Nateri, Alanna, Valerie and Xiomara are why I keep pressing on.”

As Williams reflects on her business journey, she is quick to express appreciation for the support she received at Grace.

“I want to thank Grace College for the opportunity, as well as the judges, the sponsors and everyone involved,” said Williams. “I’m grateful for Dr. Rick Koontz and Professor Melissa Chappell who helped me see the true potential in what I was doing, as well as Dr. Jeff Fawcett, who leads a wonderful School of Business.”

To learn more about Visions of Q Studio or inquire about custom printing services, email [email protected] .

The Grace College Business Plan Competition was sponsored by the William P. Gordon Institute for Enterprise Development, Beers Mallers Attorneys at Law, Strategic Venture Partners and Wildman Business Group. It is one of many opportunities Grace College provides its students to turn their dreams and goals into a reality. To learn more information about the School of Business, click here .

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More From Forbes

Ftc ban on noncompete agreements may undermine your estate plan.

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FTCs ban on non compete agreements may have an adverse impact on estate planning and business ... [+] succession planning.

Noncompete Agreements and Your Estate Plan

Huh? What do the FTC and its new restrictions on noncompete agreements have to do with estate planning? Maybe nothing, or maybe everything. If you have a closely held family business and you want to keep it in the family for the next generation, these new restrictions may derail those plans. That could be a huge problem for some family businesses. If your succession plan may be affected, you should immediately review and revise your business succession plan. As the new law is better understood, planning nuances become better understood. The inevitable legal challenges resolved, you should continue to monitor your succession plan in case it can be fine-tuned to protect your business continuation goals. More on this below, but first, a review of the new rules.

What is a Noncomplete Agreement

A non-compete agreement is a restriction on future employment or economic penalties for accepting other employment. It may, for example, be incorporated into an employment agreement that an employee signs in order to accept employment by an employer. The restrictions in these agreements limit or prohibit the employee from accepting new employment other than with the current employer or starting a competing business. These types of contracts can be limited or very broad. For example, an employee may be restricted from accepting employment with a competitor in the same industry within 50 miles of the business location of the current employer for one year after leaving the current employer for any reason. However, noncompete agreements can be much broader, restricting employment for longer durations and over broader geographic areas. Some restrictions are so overreaching that they effectively prevent the affected employee from securing employment elsewhere if they are terminated or quit their current employer. That effectively could handcuff an employee to a job that they are not happy with or face the inability to earn a livelihood. That is why the FTC views these arrangements as an unfair method of competition.

Noncompete agreements can take many forms, not just an obvious restriction in an employment agreement under the caption “Noncomplete.” For example, restrictions on an employee’s ability to disclose or use confidential information relating to their employment might be so broad and restrictive that they could make it difficult for such an employee to secure employment elsewhere. Thus, the banning of non-compete agreements is even broader than just non-compete provisions.

Are Many People Affected?

The FTC estimates that 18% of workers, or 30 million people, are presently restricted by non-compete agreements. That is a lot of people. Likely, however, it will only be a small percentage of high-level employees that could affect business succession planning. But for the family businesses affected, it could have a critical impact.

Anticipated Impact

The FTC anticipates a wide range of benefits from its new restrictions on noncompete agreements. It remains to be seen how realistic these are. The projected benefits include 17,000-29,000 additional patents per year, $400-$488 billion in increased employee compensation over ten years, 8,500 new businesses formed each year, and reduced health care costs of $74-194 billion. Surprisingly, the increase in average compensation for workers is a mere $524 per year. That seems rather limited for a law change that presumes to be eliminating such unfair restrictions on employment. Even if the FTC is correct that most noncompete agreements are unfair restrictions and eliminating them will foster better economic results, the changes, and forecasts do not seem to consider the negative implications to some.

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The New FTC Restrictions on Noncompete Agreements on Most Employees

FTC rule creates an all-encompassing ban on new noncompete agreements for all workers. Existing noncompete agreements with employees (not senior executives) will no longer be enforceable after the effective date. The new restrictions will be effective 120 days after the rules are published in the Federal Register. All noncompete agreements, regardless of whether signed decades ago, will no longer be valid for employees who are not senior executives. Consider the impact of this. What if the compensation package negotiated with the affected employee was increased in a bargained-for exchange to include the restrictions on competition? The employer may have intentionally paid more compensation or perquisites to protect itself from the employee learning key skills and then jumping to a competitor. What happens to those arrangements? Merely because the noncompete provision in an employment agreement is invalidated may not give the employer any right to adjust or renegotiate compensation for that change. What will happen? Will employees with vital skills to a business jump to a new employer absent such restrictions to earn higher compensation?

The New FTC Restrictions on Noncompete Agreements with Senior Executives

The FTC defines “senior executive” as employees earning more than $151,164 who are in a “policy-making position.” The FTC estimates that fewer than 1% of employees are in this category. For noncompete agreements that existed before the effective date of the new rules different restrictions will apply for senior executives than for other workers. Existing agreements covering senior executives can remain in force. That may provide family businesses the ability to maintain their succession plans. However, new agreements won’t be permitted. So, restrictions won't be permitted if there is a turn-over in senior executives, or new key employees are hired as part of an intended succession plan.

Example : A family manufacturing business begins planning its succession and estate planning in mid-2025. Anticipating the reduction in the estate tax exemption the founder of the business wants to make gifts of business interests to an irrevocable trust to avoid future estate taxes that could undermine her ability to bequeath the business to her children and grandchildren. As part of that estate tax planning process her estate planning attorney recommends she formulate a business succession plan. That is vital, as merely avoiding estate taxes if there is no management succession plan is unlikely to facilitate the business's survival. Two of the founder’s four children and one grandchild work in the business. The founder does not feel that her children are ready to run the business, and she believes two key employees can help transition the business to her children and serve the long-term needs of the business when she, as the founder, retires, dies or is incapacitated. The founder suggests that the key employees be offered more generous employment agreements, bonus arrangements, and profit sharing if they commit to remain with the business following the death, disability, or retirement of the founder. Specifically, she would like to entice and bind the key employees to remain with the company for at least five years after she has to cease involvement to help her two children in the business mature and gain business acumen. The Founder is more than willing to offer an above-market compensation package for the security of knowing she can secure the business transition. But if the key employees are going to assume this role, she needs to provide them with extra training and access to critical confidential information. So, she requests that her attorney include a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and non-compete provisions so that once that extra training and confidential information is provided neither of the two key employees can use that information to set up a competing business thereby undermining her company and hopes to transition it to the next generation. In the past, the key employees would have hired their own attorney to review and negotiate a bargained-for employment agreement. That would have been a good deal for everyone. However, her attorney informs here that noncomplete agreements, and possibly even the nondisclosure provisions, may not be enforceable because of the new FTC rule. So now the dilemma is how can the founder and employees, all of whom want to enter into a deal to benefit everyone, secure the arrangement for the founder and the business? It may not be possible. It is hard to fathom how highly compensated executives, with independent legal representation, being generously compensated for reasonable and seemingly necessary restrictions should not be allowed. But it appears that the freedom to contract, even in such circumstances, is no longer allowed. Business succession planning, perhaps the key component of an estate plan for many family businesses, will be more difficult to achieve. While it may be feasible to provide some equity to the key employees and leverage the restrictions based on their equity sale, it is unclear whether that exception (discussed below) will suffice. What else will a family business be able to do?

Sale of Business Exception

If an employee sells their business interests in a real or bona fide sale, the restrictions on noncomplete agreements will not apply. Perhaps the concept is that if you are receiving a fair or bona fide price for your business interests, restricting you from competing is part of the price you pay to get that buyout. This exception can also apply if there is a sale of all or substantially all of a business entity’s operating assets.

Initially, the proposed exception for certain non-competes between a business's seller and buyer applied only to a substantial owner with at least 25% ownership interest in the business entity being sold. Based on comments, the Commission adopts an exception for the bona fide sale of a business without requiring that the seller have at least a 25% ownership interest. Section 910.3(a): Exception for Persons Selling a Business Entity.

A bona fide sale is one made in good faith as opposed to, for example, a transaction whose sole purpose is to evade the final rule. In general, the Commission considers a bona fide sale to be made between two independent parties at arm’s length and in which the seller has a reasonable opportunity to negotiate the terms of the sale. So-called “springing” non-competes and non-competes arising out of repurchase rights or mandatory stock redemption programs are not entered into pursuant to a bona fide sale because, in each case, the worker has no goodwill that they are exchanging for the non-compete or knowledge of or ability to negotiate the terms or conditions of the sale at the time of contracting.

The above seems rather vague, and it may be difficult for a family business to use the above exception to bind a key employee as part of a succession plan. If the employee is given or allowed to purchase equity in the company, something many closely held family businesses will balk at, how can that equity be controlled and also bring in a non-compete without violating the FTCs new restrictions?

It is unclear why the FTC views a sale of a business differently than a bonus compensation arrangement negotiated in good faith with independent counsel, as described in the example above. Conceptually, in both instances the employee is receiving a substantial economic benefit.

The definition of a Non-Compete Agreement is Very Broad

The FTC’s new rules restricting or prohibiting noncompete agreements do not expressly prohibit employee non-solicitation arrangements, confidentiality or non-disclosure arrangements, or customer non-solicitation arrangements. But, the new rules state that other forms of restrictive covenants, such as the above, are prohibited if the functional effect is the same as a non-compete provision. A non-disclosure arrangement or non-solicitation agreement can function similarly to a non-compete if these ancillary arrangements encompass such a broad amount of data that they serve to restrict employees from other employment or starting a business after terminating their employment with the current employer. If they serve to prevent a worker from working for another employer in the same industry, they are analogous to a prohibited non-compete agreement and are, therefore, also restricted. So, recasting a non-compete agreement as other types of restrictions will not permit you to avoid the new rules.

Notice Requirement

The FTC was not content with largely banning noncompete agreements. It also enacted comprehensive informational requirements to ensure that affected employees were given notice by their employers of the new rules.

The employee who entered into a non-compete arrangement must be given “clear and conspicuous notice” that the non-compete arrangement will not be, and cannot be, enforced. The notice the employer must give must: (1) identify the employee who entered into the non-compete arrangement; (2) Be written and hand-delivered to the employee, or by mail at the employee’s last known personal street address, or by email to the employee’s current work email address or last known personal email address, or by text message at the employee’s cellular telephone number. The FTC provides an exception from the notice requirement if the employer has no information about the employee's physical address, email address, or cellular phone number. The FTC provided sample language employers should probably track in their notice to assure compliance.

Valuation Considerations

At the end of 2025, the estate, gift, and GST exemptions will be reduced by half. Many owners of closely held family businesses will have their business interests appraised as a prerequisite to planning those transfers. Consideration should be given to the potential impact of the loss of the ability to protect the business using non-compete, non-disclosure, and non-solicitation agreements. In some instances, the loss of these safeguards may reduce the value of the business, and that may at least have some positive impact on estate planning.

While the FTC’s restrictions or prohibition on the use of non-compete, non-disclosure, and non-solicitation agreements certainly will help many employees, the impact on many closely held and family businesses could be negative and dramatic. In particular, business owners must evaluate how these new rules may adversely affect succession planning.

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces $7 Billion Solar for All Grants to Deliver Residential Solar, Saving Low-Income Americans $350 Million Annually and Advancing Environmental Justice Across America

EPA announces 60 selectees under Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grant competition to deliver solar to more than 900,000 low-income and disadvantaged households nationwide through the President’s Investing in America agenda

April 22, 2024

Contact: EPA Press Office ( [email protected] )

Washington – Today, April 22, as the Biden-Harris Administration celebrates Earth Day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced 60 selectees that will receive $7 billion in grant awards through the Solar for All grant competition to deliver residential solar projects to over 900,000 households nationwide. The grant competition is funded by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda through the Inflation Reduction Act, which created EPA’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The 60 selections under the $7 billion Solar for All program will provide funds to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and nonprofits across the country to develop long-lasting solar programs that enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed residential solar, lowering energy costs for families, creating good-quality jobs in communities that have been left behind, advancing environmental justice and tackling climate change.

“Today we’re delivering on President Biden’s promise that no community is left behind by investing $7 billion in solar energy projects for over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The selectees will advance solar energy initiatives across the country, creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, saving $8 billion in energy costs for families, delivering cleaner air, and combating climate change.” 

“Solar is the cheapest form of electricity—and one of the best ways to lower energy costs for American families,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy. “Today’s announcement of EPA’s Solar for All awards will mean that low-income communities, and not just well-off communities, will feel the cost-saving benefits of solar thanks to this investment.”

“Residential solar electricity leads to reduced monthly utility bills, reduced levels of air pollution in neighborhoods, and ultimately healthier communities, but too often low-income and disadvantaged communities have been left out. Today’s announcement will invest billions to ensure that affordable housing across the U.S. can access solar and increase energy efficiency and climate resilience,” said U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “HUD is honored to have played a key role in today’s monumental announcement, which will provide meaningful household savings to households in low-income and disadvantaged communities, reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs, and deliver electricity during grid outages for low-income households.”

“Sunlight is powering millions of homes across the nation, and we're working hard to ensure Americans everywhere can benefit from this affordable clean energy resource,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “DOE is proud to work alongside our partners at EPA and across the Federal government to help communities access the limitless energy of the sun to light their homes and power their businesses.”

“The United States can and must lead the world in transforming our energy systems away from fossil fuels,” said U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (VT). “The Solar for All program – legislation that I successfully introduced – will not only combat the existential threat of climate change by making solar energy available to working class families, it will also substantially lower the electric bills of Americans and create thousands of good-paying jobs. This is a win for the environment, a win for consumers, and a win for the economy.”

EPA estimates that the 60 Solar for All recipients will enable over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed solar energy. This $7 billion investment will generate over $350 million in annual savings on electric bills for overburdened households. The program will reduce 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions cumulatively, from over four gigawatts of solar energy capacity unlocked for low-income communities over five years. Solar and distributed energy resources help improve electric grid reliability and climate resilience, which is especially important in disadvantaged communities that have long been underserved.

Solar for All will deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to creating high-quality jobs with the free and fair choice to join a union for workers across the United States. This $7 billion investment in clean energy will generate an estimated 200,000 jobs across the country. All selected applicants intend to invest in local, clean energy workforce development programs to expand equitable pathways into family-sustaining jobs for the communities they are designed to serve. At least 35% of selected applicants have already engaged local or national unions, demonstrating how these programs will contribute to the foundation of a clean energy economy built on strong labor standards and inclusive economic opportunity for all American communities.

The Solar for All program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative , which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. All of the funds awarded through the Solar for All program will be invested in low-income and disadvantaged communities. The program will also help meet the President’s goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.

Solar for All will expand existing low-income solar programs and launch new ones. The 60 selected applicants will serve households in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and territories, as well as increase access to solar for Tribes. EPA has selected 49 state-level awards totaling approximately $5.5 billion, six awards to serve Tribes totaling over $500 million, and five multistate awards totaling approximately $1 billion. Solar for All will deploy residential solar for households nationwide by not only providing grants and low-cost financing to overcome financial barriers to deployment but also by providing services to communities to overcome other barriers such as siting, permitting, and interconnection. A complete list of the selected applicants can be found on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Solar for All website.

The 60 selected applicants have committed to delivering on the three objectives of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: reducing climate and air pollution; delivering benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities; and mobilizing financing to spur additional deployment of affordable solar energy. Solar for All selected applicants are expanding existing low-income solar programs and launching new programs. In at least 25 states and territories nationwide, Solar for All is launching new programs where there has never been a substantial low-income solar program before. In these geographies, Solar for All selected applicants will open new markets for distributed solar by funding new programs that provide grants and low-cost financing for low-income, residential solar.

To date, many of the 60 selected Solar for All applicants have supported low-income and underserved communities in installing innovative residential solar projects. With this new funding, selectees can launch thousands more projects like these throughout every state and territory in the nation:

• The threat of storms is a major reason Athens, Georgia resident Delmira Jennings and her husband John used selected applicant Capital Good Fund's Georgia BRIGHT leasing program to install a 13-kilowatt solar and 10-kilowatt-hour battery system in February. “Last year, we spent two days without power after what seemed like a mini tornado,” Jennings said. After a recent outage, Jennings noted that she didn't even know she lost power. “The batteries kicked in and all the power items we were using were on battery backup.”
• Last year, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, whose successful pilot initiative served as the basis for selected applicant Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara (MHA) Nation’s Northern Plains Tribal Solar for All program, took major steps toward a clean energy future with the completion of the first phase of the White River Community Solar project. This project will deploy 15 solar systems at the homes of elders while piloting a groundbreaking approach to solar ownership and management that is intended to set an example for Tribes across the nation.
• Through its existing Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program — a model for equitably providing solar to low-income renters in disadvantaged communities — selected applicant GRID Alternatives’ team in San Diego installed a solar energy system at Trolley Trestle, home to youth transitioning out of the foster care system. Energy cost savings estimated at over $600k over ten years, will be reinvested to provide additional services to those who call Trolley Trestle home, including more job and life skills training.

Review and Selection Process Information

The 60 applicants selected for funding were chosen through a competition review process. This multi-stage process included review from hundreds of experts in climate, power markets, environmental justice, labor, and consumer protection from EPA, Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Treasury, Department of Agriculture, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Labor, Department of Defense, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Department of Energy’s National Labs – all screened through ethics and conflict of interest checks and trained on the program requirements and evaluation criteria. Applications were scored and selected through dozens of review panels and an interagency senior review team.

EPA anticipates that awards to the selected applicants will be finalized in the summer of 2024, and selected applicants will begin funding projects through existing programs and begin expansive community outreach programs to launch new programs in the fall and winter of this year. Selections are contingent on the resolution of all administrative disputes related to the competitions.

Informational Webinars

EPA will host informational webinars as part of the program’s commitment to public transparency. EPA has scheduled a public webinar for the Solar for All program, and registration details are included below. Information on other GGRF webinars can be found on EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Engagement Opportunities webpage .

• Solar for All webinar: Monday, April 29, 2024, 4:00pm – 4:30pm ET. Register for the April 29 meeting

Release updated to reflect minor changes.