PennTAP is putting the vast resources of Penn State to work for the PA Wilds
BIG IDEA Spotlight: PennTAP
Editor’s Note: Designed to shine a spotlight on the services available to entrepreneurs, this article is part of a series that features the core partner organizations that supported and implemented the 2022-2024 PA Wilds Big Big Idea Contests.
By Jodie Dello Stritto
Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) is bringing the resources of Penn State to rural PA and the PA Wilds in the PA Wilds BIG IDEA Contest.
The PA Wilds BIG IDEA Contest, in partnership with Ben Franklin Technology Partners with funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission, is a three-year initiative with one contest per year for rural entrepreneurs to win up to $50,000, with each year focusing on a different geographic location within the 13-county PA Wilds region. In 2024, the final year of the three-year grant-funded project, the contest offers entrepreneurs and innovators in Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, and Tioga Counties the opportunity to compete for major prize money and the training, experience and connections that can propel their business concept forward.
According to Heidi Shadeck PennTAP Technical Advisor, it’s a win-win partnership, “The projects offer an opportunity for a company to investigate a back-burner idea for minimal investment while also providing valuable hands-on learning experiences for students.”
In addition to the vouchers, PennTAP offered free technical assistance and consultation to businesses in the region in the areas of energy efficiency, waste reduction, and process improvements, aimed at maximizing their competitiveness. As a grant-funded organization, PennTAP can offer these valuable services and resources to rural business partners at no cost.
“Seeing the sheer abundance and diversity of ingenuity, innovation and entrepreneurship in these deep, rural pockets of the state was exciting,” she said about the contest. “The best part is knowing that these innovators are inspiring and uplifting their neighbors – creating a ripple effect that will keep growing across the region.”
In her time with PennTAP, Shadeck has worked with many inspiring business owners whom she describes as “smart, tenacious, curious and passionate.” Two stand-outs include Clarion-based PA Mushroom Company, a provider of specialty mushrooms and mushroom-based products (like tinctures, powders, capsules and grow kits), and Hoffman Appalachian Farms, a certified naturally grown farm in St. Mary’s that specializes in growing hops, barley and small grains.
“They are natural collaborators and life-long learners who’ve allowed their enterprises to develop steadily and organically while taking full advantage of PA’s incredible innovation support ecosystem,” she said.
As individual entities within the region’s business ecosystem continue to find ways to collaborate, they are getting a clearer picture of the impact they can make. “Working alongside our partners at The PA Wilds, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and the SBDCs has provided the opportunity for us to more deeply understand how each of our organizations fits into the statewide innovation ecosystem so we can be better collaborators in the future. This work will pay dividends to PA’s rural businesses for years to come,” she said.
For aspiring entrepreneurs or individuals in the PA Wilds wondering if their idea is worthwhile, Shadeck has this advice: “Take that first step. You have nothing to lose. You will be pleasantly surprised at the number of organizations, professionals, and fellow entrepreneurs that are eager to help you every step of the way.”
As part of the contest over the three years, PennTAP provided vouchers so that participants could sponsor Senior Engineering Capstone Design projects at the Penn State Learning Factory at no cost. These semester-long projects mobilize a team of senior undergraduate engineering students, working under faculty mentorship, to design a product, process, software, or service on behalf of the sponsor.
This story was created in partnership with The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship.
About the PA Wilds BIG IDEA Contest Series: The PA Wilds BIG IDEA Contests were part of a three-year initiative funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Made possible by a collaboration between Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA, PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program and Small Business Development Centers that serve the Pennsylvania Wilds, the contest took place annually, with each contest focusing on a different portion of the rural 13-county region and offering a chance to win up to $50,000. The 2022 contest included counties in the I-80 Frontier landscape, the 2023 contest included counties in the Allegheny National Forest & Surrounds and Elk Country landscapes, and the 2024 contest focused on counties in the Dark Skies and the Pine Creek Valley & PA Grand Canyon landscapes. After the three-year series concluded, more than $150,000 was invested in rural entrepreneurs, while participants who did not win cash prizes received invaluable technical assistance and business support. Additional details can be found at CNP.BenFranklin.org/BigIdea.
About Ben Franklin Technology Partners: The largest seed investor in our region, Ben Franklin Technology Partners (an initiative of the PA Department of Community & Economic Development and funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority) 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 Ben Franklin’s 32-county footprint in central and northern Pennsylvania. The contest offers start-ups and entrepreneurs some much-needed seed funding, as well as business training, pitch experience, and industry contacts – often more valuable than the prize money itself. Learn more at www.CNP.BenFranklin.org. For more information, contact Karly Scala at karlyscala@cnp.benfranklin.org.
About the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship: The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that inspires the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 13-county region that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre. The PA Wilds Center promotes the region and its 2+ million acres of public lands as a premier outdoor recreation destination as a way to diversify local economies, inspire stewardship, attract investment, retain population and improve quality of life. The PA Wilds Center’s core programs seek to help businesses leverage the PA Wilds brand and connect with new market opportunities, including: the Wilds Cooperative of PA, a network of more than 575 place-based businesses and organizations, and the PA Wilds Conservation Shop, a retail outlet primarily featuring products sourced from the WCO. For more information on the PA Wilds Center, visit www.PAWildsCenter.org. To learn more about the WCO, visit www.WildsCoPA.org. Explore the PA Wilds at www.PAWilds.com. Find regionally made products at www.ShopThePAWilds.com.
