The word spread far and wide about the PA Wilds BIG IDEA Contest thanks to marketing and promotion from the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) of Clarion University, Gannon University, and Penn State. From social media to in-person information sessions, the organization helped to drive participation across each participating county.

Thompson Farms LLC is a century farm located in Potter County that is known for its dairy, meat, organic vegetables, and wool. Thompson Farms LLC is taking the opportunity to take a bioproduct and turn it into fertilizer and give something back to the soil.

Josh Zucal is developing his biochar solution within his Good Things Growing LLC company. He says that in order to have good produce, good soil comes first.

Building on the region’s legacy of innovation, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship supported the three-year PA Wilds BIG IDEA Contest series with a storytelling campaign aimed at connecting local entrepreneurs to the opportunity.

Growing up, Katie Caputo heard people complain that there was nothing to do in her beloved hometown of South Williamsport. In 2021, she started to turn her childhood dream of connecting people to the outdoor world she loved with a startup idea called Roambler

The largest seed investor in the region, Ben Franklin has been providing investment capital, business support services, and operational assistance to emerging tech startups and small manufacturers for nearly 40 years. Since the start of the BIG IDEA contests, more than $3 million in cash prizes have been awarded throughout the organization’s 32-county footprint in central and northern Pennsylvania.