United Bank Announces Homegrown Startup Pitchfest Finalists

Alabama & Florida Businesses to Compete in Business Pitch Competition, Sponsored by Discover, for $40,000

ATMORE, AL / ACCESSWIRE / March 19, 2019 / Ten finalists for United Bank's Homegrown Startup Pitchfest contest are sharpening their presentations and preparing to wow the judges. The finalists, which include promising startups and entrepreneurs from Alabama and Florida, were chosen from more than 50 applicants for showcasing the most grit and ingenuity in their business plans and applications. They will face off later this month in a competition in hopes of winning a share of the $40,000 in prizes sponsored by Discover Financial Services.

The ten Homegrown Startup Pitchfest finalists include five women and five men:

• Russell Bennett - Duckling, LLC - Gulf Breeze, FL
• Scott Blair - 2U Tire of Alabama, LLC - Daphne, AL
• Adam Chronister - Pelident - Daphne, AL
• Bailey Duos - Port City Pups - Mobile, AL
• Rosie Harris - Med-ART in Motion, LLC - Montgomery, AL
• Kimberly Jordan - Delta Rehab Service, LLC - Montgomery, AL
• Lucy Matier - Reveille Express - Silverhill, AL
• Jenny Resmondo - South Alabama Physiotherapy, LLC - Summerdale, AL
• Jared Sluss - Link & Lease - Birmingham, AL
• Max Westendorf - Westendorf Oyster Hatchery - Gulf Shores, AL

Each finalist, as part of the program, will receive personal coaching to help refine and hone their ideas before presenting their business plan live to a panel of judges.

"United Bank recently developed an incubator community development program for local businesses," said Bob Jones, President & CEO at United Bank. "This Homegrown Startup Pitchfest initiative is one way we can show local businesses that we are the hometown advantage and are committed to helping their local small businesses succeed."

During the Homegrown Startup Pitchfest event, each finalist will have two minutes to present their pitch to a panel of judges, followed by three minutes of questions and answers. The judges will then select a $25,000 grand prize winner, as well as a first-place winner who will receive $10,000 and a $5,000 second-place winner. The panel of judges includes:

• Quint Studer - Owner, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
• Mike Urquizu - Discover Vice President, Debit Sales and Account Management
• Bob Jones - President & CEO, United Bank
• Abe Harper - Entrepreneur and President of Harper Technologies

"Discover is honored to partner with United Bank to produce this contest and event," said Mike Urquizu, Discover Vice President of Debit Sales and Account Management. "Small businesses and startups are a vital part of the U.S. economy, and programs like this enable Discover to support our clients in the communities they serve. We're committed to helping United Bank and other community financial institutions provide brighter financial futures for local businesses, and we're excited to see the visions of these entrepreneurs come to life."

The Homegrown Startup Pitchfest will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, 2019, at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Ala. The event will be free to the public, but a limited number of tickets is expected to go fast. To register, please visit https://homegrownstartup.eventbrite.com. For more information about United Bank and its small business lending services, www.UnitedBank.com.

Download the Hometown Startup logos at https://www.dpkpr.com/files/717/download/ and https://www.dpkpr.com/files/718/download/.

About United Bank

United Bank is a $650,000,000 financial institution that has enjoyed 115 years of service. United Bank has offices in Atmore, Brewton, Flomaton, Monroeville, Frisco City, Greensboro, Bay Minette, Foley, Lillian, Loxley, Magnolia Springs, Silverhill, Spanish Fort and Summerdale in Alabama. United Bank serves Santa Rosa County, Florida in Jay, Milton and Pace. For more information about United Bank please visit our website at www.unitedbank.com. Member FDIC.

CONTACT:

Tonya Lambert
VP, Marketing & Public Relations
251-446-6004
tonya.lambert@unitedbank.com

SOURCE: United Bank