Is your business ready to put down roots?
Six lucky entrepreneurs will win business startup assistance and a year of free rent in Baltimore City’s most up-and-coming neighborhood.
Contest Overview
Everyone has seen the “Welcome to Waverly” mural as they drive north on Greenmount Avenue.
Designed by internationally renowned Baltimore muralist Gaia, the mural wraps around the entirety of Waverly Gateway – a two-level commercial building that has been vacant for over a decade. The building, once a symbol of pervasive neglect, now newly painted serves as a symbol of the rebirth of the Waverly Business District – and is also the center of “The Root to Success” contest.
Waverly Main Street in partnership with Barrus, a Baltimore City centric social impact developer, has created “Growing Greenmount,” an initiative to reactivate a long disinvested commercial strip between the 29th and 34th blocks of Greenmount Avenue known as the Waverly Business District.
The initiative’s goals are twofold: to breathe new life into a neighborhood business district that has struggled for decades, and to provide opportunities for new and existing Baltimore-based micro businesses. Barrus, along with several partners, is in the process of creating small, multi-tenant and small business spaces in currently underutilized and vacant spaces all along the district.
Contest Details
Six inventive and skilled entrepreneurs will compete to win space in the Waverly Business District. Four retail-based business will receive 12 months of rent-free retail space Waverly Gateway building for their new retail start-up, plus a tenant improvement allowance to build out their space. Two additional office-based businesses will receive a rent-free, fully-furnished office suite, at the OfficeFlex Executive Center directly across the street.
In addition to free rent, each winner will receive training and support from partner organizations in all aspects of business management, including marketing, daily operations, business financials, and legal advice, as well as access to various financing options.
Eligibility and Criteria
The “Root to Success” contest is seeking local entrepreneurs who are committed to the Baltimore community and ready to grow in the Waverly Business District. Continue below to see if your business or business concept is eligible to apply.
All existing Baltimore micro businesses entrepreneurs, as well as those with a developing business concept, are eligible to apply, provided they meet the restrictions of a C-1 commercial district and those of the Waverly Business Area Urban Renewal Plan.
Applicants must adequately detail products or services they offer, how they meet a community need or desire that isn’t already met, and what will make their business or business concept unique to Waverly.
Retail applicants’ business plans must be for a retail establishment and must be open to the public during regular business hours, and office applicants may not be open to the public.
Business plans will be evaluated based on their financial and retail viability on Greenmount Avenue and may be asked to undergo a financial review prior to being considered as a finalist.
Grand Prizes
The street level of the Waverly Gateway building at 3011-3017 Greenmount Avenue (as seen above) will be renovated into four retail spaces, with windows looking over Greenmount Avenue. Each of those four spaces, as shown in the illustration below, will be awarded to one contest winner.
Conceptual design by the Neighborhood Design Center (Volunteers: Richard Reinhardt and Audrey Buck)
Two office-based contest winners will be awarded their own fully furnished, one- or two-person office suite at the OfficeFlex Executive Center, rent-free for an entire year. The brand new OfficeFlex Executive Center, located at 3030 Greenmount Avenue, features reservable flex conference room space, a café, and a full-service copy/ship center on site.
A Network of Supportive Partners
All local entrepreneurs will benefit from the Growing Greenmount community of partner organizations, all dedicated to the success of local entrepreneurs both on and off Greenmount. Once applications have closed, all applicants are invited to attend a week-long workshop series catered specifically to entrepreneurs looking to take their next steps in business development. The workshops will include presentations on building your brand, developing a formal business plan, financing opportunities, space design and more. This educational series is of great value to any entrepreneur interested in starting a new business or growing an existing one and are offered at no charge to all applicants.
Timeline
Kicking off in late March, the Root to Success contest will continue through October, 2023 when winners are announced and will begin to take their next steps in opening their business on Greenmount. Read below for a more detailed contest timeline.
The application will open on Wednesday, March 29th, until Friday, September 8th, 2023.
On Thursday, April 20th, a contest kick-off and Q&A session will be hosted virtually. All community members are invited to attend. Join our mailing list below to ensure you receive event updates and the access link.
The Small Business Workshop Series will occur between Monday, September 25th, and Thursday, September 28th. Workshops will be hosted in the evenings and may be attended either in person or online. Further event details will be posted here in the coming weeks.
A Review Panel will then choose eight retail-based and four office-based finalists from the pool of applicants. The 12 finalists will be announced on Monday, October 2nd.
The project will conclude with a pitch contest on Thursday, October 19th, for the 12 finalists to present their business ideas to a Selection Panel. Further event details will be posted here in the coming weeks.
The Selection Panel will review the 12 finalists’ applications and presentations and decide on the six contest winners. Winners will be announced on Friday, October 27th.
Online Application Opens
Virtual Kick-off and Community Q & A
Online Application Closes
Small Business Workshop Series
Week of September 25th-28th, 2023
Contest Finalists Announced
Week of October 9th
Finalist Pitch Contest
Thursday, October 26th, 2023
Contest Winners are Announced
Friday, October 27th, 2023
Selection Process
Three panels of judges will determine the contest winners. A pre-review panel will review all applications to ensure they meet contest criteria and have fully completed their applications.
Applications of those selected as semi-finalists will then be passed along to a Review Panel of prominent Baltimore businesspeople and representatives from partner organizations.
The Review Panel will evaluate applications based on their financial feasibility, business concept, and fit for the community and will recommend 12 finalists (eight retail and four non-retail) to move on to a business pitch contest.
The pitch contest will allow the 12 finalists to present their business concept to the Selection Panel of representatives of Waverly Main Street and surrounding neighborhood community associations.
Application
The first step of this process is to tell us about your existing business or business concept through our online application. We hope to gain a strong understanding of your motivation and desire to call the Waverly Business District your new home. All applications must be submitted by Friday, September 8th, 2023.
We are here to help along the way and encourage you to reach out with any questions regarding the application process via info@growinggreenmount.org.
Our Community Partners
Barrus Real Estate Group: A social impact-driven real estate developer in the process of reactivating long-vacant retail properties along Greenmount Avenue.
Maryland Small Business Development Center, Baltimore Region: will participate in the contest workshop series and provide business training and consulting services to contest winners.
Baltimore Community Lending: will participate in the contest workshop series, provide financial resources and work with contest winners who are looking for help financing their business development.
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Services: will participate in the contest workshop series and provide as-needed civil legal guidance to contest winners or other applicants.
Himmelrich PR: will participate in the workshop series, presenting on topics such as content development, business marketing, and community relations.
Neighborhood Design Center: will participate in the workshop series and provide technical, interior design, and facade design assistance to contest winners.
Baltimore Neighborhood Business Districts: will support contest winners throughout their expansion period with development needs such as grant research and writing, community relations, permitting guidance, etc.
OfficeFlex Executive Suites: A full-service business center for startups and micro businesses that will support contest winners with discounted services.
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