Owners of Easter House Bed and Breakfast, Ada, are winners of the Emerging Business Division of this year's Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs business plan competition, according to Brendon Matthews, BCE board president.

Owners Amy Eddings and Mark Hilan of Easter House, 508 N. Main St., Ada, will receive $4,000 over the next 18 months in business start-up assistance from BCE. 

Cash awards of $6,000 were awarded this year. Prize money and gifts-in-kind went to five competitors. Winners were announced at BCE’s business expo at The Centre, Bluffton, in late March.

Second place winner in the Emerging Business Division has an Ada connection. Paula Scott of Bluffton, owner of PS Editorial Services, is wife of Robert Scott, member of the ONU faculty.

Winners follow:
• Emerging Business Division –
• First place – Easter House Bed and Breakfast, Ada, $4,000
• Second place – PS Editorial Services, Bluffton, $1,000
• Winding Roads Antiques, Wapakoneta, $500

•Established Bluffton Business Division
• First place – The Dough Hook, $1,000
• Second place - CG Pro Bikes, $500 (gifts-in-kind)

This is the sixth year of BCE’s Ropp Triplett Business Plan Competition. Since its inception BCE has awarded $36,000 in prize money to 21 business winners. All of the prize money comes from local businesses that support BCE’s programming.

Competition businesses participated in an eight-week winter business plan competition course led by Kathy Keller of the Small Business Administration at Rhodes State College.

Competitors then made presentations of their completed business plans to a panel of judges. Scoring was based on several factors.  These included business plan concept, business opportunity, market, operations, financials and presentation of the plan.

Winners have 18 months to use prize money. For more information on the annual business plan competition contact [email protected].