Great Northern Development Announces Two VC Finalists for Minnow Tank Business Plan Competition

We are excited to announce the finalists of the Third Minnow Tank Business Plan Competition. The vision is to strengthen and support the existing and startup businesses that form the backbone of local communities. With the completion of our first phase, we would like to congratulate and announce the 2024 Minnow Tank Business Plan Competition finalists.

Start-Up Finalists

Wolf Point Mercantile (Roosevelt County)

Tootsie’s Fitness Salon & Spa Center (Valley County),

Circle Country Market (McCone County),

Sand Springs General Store and Cafe (Garfield County),

MBS Adventures North Post (Sheridan County)

Thrifty Business (Richland County)

Existing Finalists

Moonlight Laserworks, LLC (Daniels County),

Highway 2 Inn (Valley County),

Big Sky Renovisions (Roosevelt County)

The Rush Espresso on Wheels (Richland County)

Donors have made award prizes possible for the small businesses in the region, including Montana Department of Commerce, Nemont, Farmers Union Oil Co. Circle MT Daniels County Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture, Richland Federal Credit Union Grasslands Federal Credit Union Grasslands Federal Credit Union Opportunity Bank of Montana Beagle Properties Inc. Cottonwood Inn & Suites PRO Co-op Ag Center, Ag Partners LLC and Fox Ford, Inc.

Finalists will present their business plan ideas to a live audience at 6 p.m. on May 3, at the Great Northern Development Corporation Conference Room in Wolf Point.

After businesses pitch their plans of using the award to the live audience and a panel of judges, one start-up and one existing business will win $5,000 cash towards implementing their ideas. The Minnow Tank Finale live event is open to the public, and your vote counts as a percentage of each finalist’s score.