Another local business is among the winners in a regional marketing challenge.
Torch and Teal, owned by Kori Hart, was named as the second place recipient in the Community Futures East Parkland (CFEP) second annual marketing plan challenge.
Hart’s entry focused on moving her business more into the online sales sector and will use the $2,500 prize to push the effort forward.
“I was surprised with the award,” Hart stated during the presentation at the store Dec. 13.
“My plan was focused on branding ourselves online and building a website in addition to targeting ads on Facebook and looking at the possibility of creating and adding new product lines. The money will help go to getting all of that started and look at a few other different marketing methods.”
With 2018 being the second year for the challenge by CFEP — a regional non-profit economic business development organization — the project saw an increase in the number of participants. There were 40 businesses that registered as opposed to 34 in the challenge’s first year.
The challenge this time around started Sept. 1 with the award winners named Dec. 12. It was open to small and medium sized businesses within the CFEP region — which covers much of central Alberta.
Each of the registered businesses could attend a free marketing training day with presentations from BusinessLink and BP Media Works, followed by generating a marketing plan for a panel of judges to pour over to decide the award winners.
The other prize winners were: first place ($5,000) to Emily Wheller of Wildflower Rustix in Castor and third ($1,000) Jeana Pruneau’s Rustic Rabbit Photography in Delburne.