Barker Chocolate Box needs 250 votes to be entered in the program to get considered for a $250,000 grant for this Niagara County small business before June 30.
That is because Barker Chocolate Box is one of the small businesses all over the country hoping to be chosen for Chase and LivingSocial “Mission: Small BusinessSM,” grant program offering up to $3 million to small business owners. Chase and LivingSocial also obtained the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help announce the program and drive small business engagement and participation.
The program, which will award up to 12 individual grants of $250,000, was developed to provide small businesses with capital and innovative marketing resources needed to make a positive impact on their business.
Barker Chocolate Box was required to answer questions about why their business is unique, to outline a proposed plan for utilizing the grant to grow their business and describe how the business is involved with its community.
And now, Cindy Jex, owner of Barker Chocolate Box, is offering a $50 gift certificate for any chocolate candies from her business to anyone who votes online. “I am opening my brick and mortar shop this fall, and I want to grow my business, hire more local folks and bring people to this area. I would like to tie in the wonderful traffic on the Niagara Wine Trail and my products at my shop and this grant would be used to make that happen,” says Jex, a who was born and raised in Lockport and has resided in Barker for many years.
“Small businesses are invaluable to the growth of our economy, and the ‘Mission: Small Business’ grant program is designed to provide small businesses with the solutions they need to grow and thrive,” said Richard Quigley, president, Business Card, Chase. “The program aims to find innovative small business owners and provide them with the capital to help execute a business plan for growth.
Everyone can get involved by clicking the “Support” button at missionsmallbusiness.com and voting for Barker Chocolate Box. The voting period is open through June 30, 2012. Grant recipients will be selected by a panel of small business experts, but to be considered, each business needs 250 votes.
Cindy loves to see her fans and friends vote for her local small business online at www.missionsmallbusiness.com. To vote, go the bottom right of the page, sign in, enter Barker Chocolate Box in the box on the bottom of the page, and cast your vote. Voters can email Cindy Jex to say that they have voted at cindyjex@gmail.com with their vote number, and they will be registered to win $50 worth of delicious homemade chocolates of their choice.
