The second round of the S.H.E Pitch Competition was just getting started when Helen Propheter, director of Frederick County’s Office of Economic Development, dropped to the polished wooden stage of Hood College’s Hodson Auditorium and tried for a push-up.
With no more gift bags to give away, Propheter was stalling for time before Allison Jachowski — co-owner of Frederick’s ODIN CrossFit — was ready to start her presentation. Though Propheter gave a noble effort, high-heeled shoes and all, she soon found herself lying flat on her belly as the audience whooped and cheered. Jachowski watched nearby, laughing.
“I can help you with that,” she said with a grin.
Jachowski went head-to-head with six other female business leaders on Thursday in a “Shark Tank”-style fight hosted on the second-to-last night of S.H.E. Week, an annual event developed by the county’s chamber of commerce to celebrate women in business.
In all, $10,000 was up for grabs. Three new businesses duked it out for the $4,500 “Idea Stage” prize, while three expanding businesses, including Jachowski’s gym, competed for the $5,000 “Growth Stage” prize. Audience members selected an additional winner of the “People’s Choice Award” and $500, while a panel of four judges — which included Hood College President Andrea Chapdelaine, Frederick County Chamber of Commerce President Rick Weldon and two local business owners — chose who would walk away with the first two prizes.
The competitors had to speak fast: They only had two minutes to set up their presentations, five minutes to pitch their businesses and three minutes to answer questions from the judges. Hodson Auditorium echoed with the sound of clicking high heels as the women paced around the stage, flicking through sleek slideshows.
One thing was for certain, Propheter said — she did not envy the judges for the decision they had to make. The businesses competing ranged from a newly created construction group to a company striving to make the delivery of medicine via needles safer and cheaper.
Each one did an “outstanding job,” Propheter said.
“You’ve represented Frederick County better than any of us could have,” she remarked. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have your entrepreneurial spirit here in our county.”
Ultimately, ODIN CrossFit came out on top in the Growth Stage competition and received the People’s Choice Award. The gym’s members had turned out in droves to support Jachowski — a small crowd exploded to their feet, shouting and applauding, when she was announced the winner. Her 6-year-old son scampered to the stage and hugged his mom around her legs.
During her presentation, Jachowski told the judges that she had run ODIN CrossFit with her husband for about six years. She had entered the competition with the hope of using the prize money to help with the gym’s upcoming move to a new 10,000-square-foot space on North Market Street — a significant upgrade from the company’s current 5,600-square-foot space.
The new location will allow the business to run more classes at once and give its members easy access to the shops and restaurants downtown Frederick has to offer, Jachowski said, but it is also in need of a “serious facelift.” On top of purchasing new gym equipment, Jachowski and her staff will be installing new plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems inside the facility. In the end, though, she said it will all be worth it to provide her gym family with an upgrade.
Sandy Dubay, one of the judges and the owner of Platinum PR, hit Jachowski with a tough final question: How long did she think it would take Propheter to be able to do a full push-up?
“If she comes to ODIN, I’d give her a couple weeks,” Jachowski replied to laughter and applause.
The judges chose Kara Kelley, co-owner of the budding cottage bakery, Ifey & Blue’s, as winner of the Idea Stage section of the competition. Kelley and her partner were looking for funds to purchase new kitchen equipment, which would allow them to generate more revenue, while saving up for a food truck and giving their “poor KitchenAid its absolute needed break.”
Though Ifey & Blue’s started by only pushing hot cocoa bombs when Kelley and her partner created the business last November, it has since expanded to selling custom cake and cupcakes, including cereal-inspired macarons. The duo may one day pursue opening a brick-and-mortar shop, Kelley said, but wanted to start with a food truck so they could build up their reputation and clientele in the community, while also maintaining flexibility to “rock our jobs as mom and dad.”
After Kelley finished her presentation, Dubey fired a series of questions at her, then followed up with a final zinger:
“And are the samples coming later?”
Follow Angela Roberts on Twitter: @24_angier
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So which is it? Are we still struggling with a pandemic or Misandry events are exempt from reasonable health practices?
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