News: Tulsa World: Web developer wins awardBy TREVOR DAVIS World Staff Writer Spirit honoree Grocio Inc. compares prices at groceries. Grocio Inc. won the second annual Mayor’s Tulsa Entrepreneurial Spirit Award at a ceremony Tuesday night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Founder Gerald Buckley will take home $30,000 from SpiritBank, a sponsor of the contest. Grocio also won $30,000 from i2e, a state nonprofit that helps technology-based start-ups. Buckley is developing a Web site that will compare prices at grocery stores and offer coupons. Lidy Mac LLC, owned by Beth Alaback, came away with second place, winning $5,000, while Lundeby’s Eco Baby, owned by Tiffsany and Jeremy Bjorlie, placed third and received $2,500. Lidy Mac designs crib bumper guards. Eco Baby is a retail business marketing ecologically friendly and socially responsible goods for children. Tuesday’s ceremony marked months of work by participants, who pitched their businesses to judges, received coaching and revised their business plans. The aim of the contest, which started with about 100 submissions, is to feature Tulsa’s entrepreneurial efforts, organizers say. Grocio’s Buckley said the process accelerated the launch of his Web site by as much as a year. He now expects “You realize you’ve got some heat right behind you,” he said. “You want to rise to the challenge and do your best.” Organizers said during the ceremony that the start-ups could help strengthen Tulsa’s economy. “Entrepreneurship, I think, is the reason why we’re not seeing the signs of our economy slowing down yet,” Mayor Kathy Taylor said. The competition is changing Tulsa’s business culture, Spirit Award chairman Sean Griffin said before the ceremony. The awards send a message to entrepreneurs that Tulsa celebrates and embraces them, he said. “What happened was we turned the tide,” Griffin said. “We got these entrepreneurs excited, motivated and energized about starting their business — that this is the place to do that.” All seven finalists could have won the top prize, he said. “Ultimately, we had to look at them from the standpoint of who was the best team, who had the strongest vision, who was passionate, who had the ability to grow beyond Tulsa,” Griffin said. Those who did not win a prize can apply the experience to future ventures, he said. “Entrepreneurship is about the journey, and it’s not always necessarily about the outcome,” Griffin said. National economic woes have the potential to spur more start-ups, he said. “Now is the time to be entrepreneurial,” Griffin said. “The more the economy is hit, the more people there will be who identify new niche markets.” Griffin said he hopes Tulsa continues to promote entrepreneurs. “We all need to show respect and support the best we can to those who are taking risks, who are stepping out into the unknown,” he said. Grocio will receive office space at no charge for a year at the Collaboratorium, a downtown resource center for entrepreneurs that will open sometime next year. Kanbar Properties, which owns the building, donated the roughly 8,000 square feet of office space on the 10th floor at 111 W. Fifth St. Tulsa Entrepreneurial Spirit Award winners First place: Grocio, $30,000 from SpiritBank; $30,000 from i2e Second place: Lidy Mac LLC, $5,000 Third place: Lundeby’s Eco Baby, $2,500 Finalists: RehabVideo.tv, Cellular Crayons, Hollywood Fitness Repair, Oovation.com Trevor Davis 581-8387 |
