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Sunmark Federal Credit Union announces new business grant for Greater Capital Region new business/entrepreneurs
Candidates for Sunmark Business Grant are invited to an Advisement Session with the experts on November 14; grant applications due November 22.
LATHAM, NY (November 01, 2013) — Sunmark Federal Credit Union, in partnership with the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce, is proud to announce the Sunmark Business Grant, a contest for new businesses and entrepreneurs.
New businesses that have been open for less than one year and entrepreneurs who have a plan and are ready to take action are invited to submit an entry to win a seat in the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Entrepreneur Boot Camp (beginning January 2014) and $1,000 in a Sunmark business savings account.
“This is part of a larger initiative to reach out to aspiring business owners. By creating a learning opportunity along with a financial incentive, businesses can learn from the expertise available through Sunmark and local business stakeholders,” said Sue Siegel, Sunmark’s senior vice president. “We are hoping to nurture a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.”
Interested candidates are encouraged to attend an Advisement Session on Thursday, November 14 from 12 noon to 2 pm at Sunmark’s corporate headquarters at 1187 Troy Schenectady Road in Latham. Candidates will be able to review their information with local business experts in various subjects including business plan (Janet Tanguay, Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce), financials (Tom Evans, SCORE), legal (Sarah Gold, Gold Law Firm), marketing (David Weinstein, Sunmark Federal Credit Union), and social media (Nick Vaugh, Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce).
Applicants are asked to submit a written plan (two to five pages) that summarizes the primary business contact and contact information, the business vision or concept, the market need (how it currently is or isn’t being met), the current competitive field in the area, the estimated cost to start the business and cash flow needs, an operations and management plan and the business owner’s/entrepreneur’s resume.
After the written plans are reviewed by a panel of local stakeholders in the business community, finalists will be contacted for the next phase of judging in early December. The winner will be announced during the week of December 16.
Applications are due by Friday, November 22 and should be emailed to business(at)sunmarkfcu(dot)org or uploaded to https://www.Sunmarkfcu.org/grant.
Applicants must be headquartered or do business within Sunmark’s six-county footprint (Albany, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie).
About Sunmark Federal Credit Union:
Since 1937, Sunmark Federal Credit Union ($400.3 million in assets; 47,000+ members) has been helping members in the greater Capital Region community improve their financial position by offering a full range of mortgages, insurance products, retirement accounts and of course, savings and checking.
Sunmark is committed to the financial health and well-being of each member by offering tools that educate and inform and products and services that make it easier to reach financial goals such as planning a budget, saving for a home, repairing credit or getting out of debt.
For more information, call 518-382-0605 or visit http://www.sunmarkfcu.org.