Lorri Wallace, a recent graduate of the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business joined Business Impact NW’s board two years ago through UW’s Board Fellows Program which enables MBA students to serve as non-voting board members at a nonprofits. “Through my entire UW experience, I unexpectedly got attracted to entrepreneurship,” Lorri recalled. “Business Impact NW gave me an opportunity to look at entrepreneurship from a slightly different angle, so it seemed like a really good fit.” Lorri is driven by community and finds joy in connecting people, fostering resiliency through entrepreneurship and believes that “all individuals regardless of gender, race, veteran status or sexual orientation should have the possibility of pursuing their dream of starting a business.”
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What IMPACT Pitch means to Harborstone Credit Union
Mark Minickiello, the VP of Community Development at Harborstone Credit Union, has a long history of advocating for small businesses. Through his role at Harborstone, the presenting partner of our upcoming IMPACT Pitch competition, he leads financial empowerment efforts and is dedicated to community development and small business education. Because of Harborstone’s support of the competition, we are able to award $30,000 in cash prizes to small businesses each year. Business Impact NW sat down with Mark to discover why Harborstone loves small businesses and what the IMPACT Pitch competition means to the credit union.
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Positive Spin: One Year after IMPACT Pitch Win
This time last year Positive Spin Pole Dance Fitness was operating out of a home studio and at capacity. On the hunt for a commercial space, founder Alyssa Taubin kept running into road blocks as many landlords were weary of renting to a pole dance business. Small business ownership comes with a unique set of challenges, but it’s proven to Alyssa what she’s capable of. Thanks to her persistence and the help of a trusted friend and commercial real estate agent for small businesses, Alyssa signed the lease on a studio space in Greenwood, four days before the live IMPACT Pitch competition she was set to compete in.
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IMPACT Pitch Mission Award Winners: One Year After Win
Hear from Boon Boona Coffee, CavnessHR and Positive Spin Pole Dance Fitness, one year after winning the IMPACT Pitch mission awards!
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Business Impact NW Partners with AEO and GoDaddy
Seattle, Wash. – August 7, 2019 – Business Impact NW, the nonprofit providing financial and technical support to underserved entrepreneurs throughout the Pacific Northwest, is excited to announce a new program, Empower by GoDaddy in partnership with AEO. Engaging a curriculum created by GoDaddy and the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), the social impact program offers entrepreneurs free training, tools and coaching in an effort to accelerate their small businesses in the digital sphere. Facilitated by the Washington Women’s Business Center housed at Business Impact NW, courses are offered both online and in-person and will explore website creation, e-commerce, social media and email marketing.
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