Cox Business and Inc. Magazine Announce Finalists of Get Started Hampton Roads Pitch Contest

Local small business pitch winner to earn $10,000 prize package at June 17 event

CHESAPEAKE, Va., June 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Business and Inc. magazine have announced the finalists of Get Started Hampton Roads (#GetStarted757) taking place on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Virginia Beach. Get Started Hampton Roads is one of the signature events of "Cox Business Entrepreneur Week" (June 14-20, 2015), recently proclaimed by Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms.   

Get Started Hampton Roads is in partnership with Inside Business and the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with networking and will include food and drinks.

Local businesses applied to present at Get Started Hampton Roads. The finalists selected to pitch at the live event are: 

• Crafty's - The ultimate growler filling station. A growler filling station with your favorite local, domestic and international beer – all in one location.
• Flavors of Hemingway - a line of sauces and seasonings under the Hemingway name. The flavors will be based on Hemingway's life and travels.
• Living Foods, LLC - a nutrition education service company who seek to bring nutrition, health, and wellness to everyone while saving American farms.
• Nasoni - The Nasoni Dual Purpose Faucet is a unique new faucet with a stop valve at the base of the downspout, which when closed, causes a fountain effect at the apex of the downspout that allows one to easily rinse or sip water.
• Tinole, LLC - Too busy to get the most out of your professional, technical, or scientific conference? Too much information to sort through? No time to get organized or follow up properly? Tinole tracks it all in one easy tool, so you can focus on learning as much as possible before, during, and after your conference.
  

A representative from each of these companies will pitch their idea in two minutes to a distinguished expert panel. One winner will be named to receive a prize package valued at more than $10,000 which includes $5,000 cash, a Cox Business technology package* and additional prizes from our local partners. In addition to the grand prize chosen from the panel, there will also be an audience choice vote. Audience members will have the opportunity to text in a vote for their favorite pitch and results will be reflected on a large monitor with real-time results. The winner of the audience choice award will receive a $250 American Express gift card.

Local businesses not competing are encouraged to attend this free event for networking and learning opportunities from accomplished leaders in marketing, funding and business growth strategy.

To register for the free event, visit www.coxblue.com/getstarted757.

Get Started is a national small business series provided by Cox Business and in partnership with Inc. magazine. Get Started Hampton Roads is the 13^th event in the series that has awarded to more $120,000 in cash and prizes to entrepreneurs in 9 markets.

*Location must be serviceable in the Hampton Roads market

About Cox Business 
Cox Business provides voice, data and video services for more than 330,000 small and regional businesses, including healthcare providers, K-12 and higher education, financial institutions and federal, state and local government organizations. The organization also serves most of the top tier wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers in the U.S. through its wholesale division. According to Vertical Systems Group, Cox Business is one of the largest providers of business Ethernet services in the U.S. based on customer ports and has been consistently recognized for its leadership among small/midsize business data service providers. Cox is currently the seventh largest voice service provider in the U.S. and supports one million phone lines. For more information about Cox Business, Click Here or call 1-800-396-1609.

About Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and home security and automation services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves approximately 6 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers, and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and digital media advertising. Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For eight years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunications; Cox has ranked among DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity 10 times, including the last nine years. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and www.coxmedia.com.

About Inc.
Inc., the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, delivers real solutions for today's innovative company builders. It provides hands-on resources and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. In addition, Inc. looks beyond work to address the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Inc. inspires and informs, with cutting-edge coverage that reflects its readers' energy, brashness, and imagination.

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SOURCE Cox Business

For further information: Emma Inman, APR, 757.222.8432, emma.inman@cox.com, Todd Smith,678.362.8346, todd.smith@cox.com