12 new companies operating in SPC’s BEGIN New Venture Center – St. Louis Charity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2011

12 new small businesses are incubating in St. Patrick Center’s BEGIN New Venture Center

St. Patrick Center announced today that 12 new small businesses are incubating in its BEGIN New Venture Center (BNVC), creating dynamic opportunities for St. Patrick Center clients and the St. Louis economy. The BEGIN New Venture Center, which opened in October 2008, is the nation’s first small business incubator with mission sensitivity to the homeless population, meaning that in exchange for business resources, BNVC companies agree to train and/or hire St. Patrick Center clients.

“The success of the BEGIN New Venture Center and its companies is a testament to the level of engagement of our community partners who have embraced our mission to create positive, personal and community outcomes through small business creation,” said BNVC Director and long-time incubator expert Jan DeYoung. “These companies maintain the same dedication and have received national exposure for their ability to positively impact the lives of those in need through job creation and skills training.”

The 12 new companies feature a variety of products and services:

Accurate Security Accurate Security provides security service to both public and private entities. Services include dispatched mobile foot and bike patrols, criminal and civil investigations, employment background checks, and executive and corporate escort service.

Adventures In Spice Adventures In Spice is dedicated to providing top quality herbs, spices, gourmet blends and special dietary dry mix products to enhance your life. Additionally, we offer some special food related gift items and a few seasonal items.

AdzZoo A website may get your business online, but not where your customer can easily find it. AdzZoo gets clients a web presence and local online traffic.

del Carmen Simple. Healthy. Delicious. Authentic Cuban-style, ready-to-eat, black bean products. Made with love.

Kreative Concepts Kreative Concepts core business consists of culture creation, conceptual design, infrastructure design and enhancement, marketing, corporate/community funding, partnership, sponsorship and media/public relations.

Lifetime Learners Tutoring It is the goal of Lifetime Learners Tutoring to motivate students to become positive and self-determined learners, preparing them to face the challenges of this modern world. Lifetime Learners Tutoring is committed to providing high quality tutoring services to students.

Papa Tom’s Gateway Dog House Located at the corner of 10th & Walnut, Papa Tom’s Gateway Dog House provides fast and convenient breakfast and lunch for workers in downtown St. Louis. We serve freshly cooked, high quality hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches.

Queen’s Cuisine Queen’s Cuisine produces quality baked goods made from natural ingredients following traditional British recipes. Using no trans fats, artificial flavorings or manufactured fat-free/low-fat ingredients. Queens’s Cuisine also makes baked items for those on restricted diets (gluten free, lactose free or sugar free).

Safety International Safety International offers small and mid-sized construction companies a reliable, high-quality alternative to costly in-house resources for employee safety, training and OSHA compliance issues.

South St. Louis Pizza South St. Louis Pizza provides high quality, fresh, specialty pizzas utilizing local products.

Small Bites Any Style, Any Occasion. Small Bites is a specialty catering company offering custom catering services for any occasion including weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, business events, parties, sports events or other functions.

White Caps, Green Collars White Caps, Green Collars coats flat roofs white to cool homes and businesses, save energy, lower electric bills, reduce pollution and help the environment.

A total of 24 companies are now incubating in the BEGIN New Venture Center. They include the following:

Asil’s Catering
Collective Catering
Cookie & Brownie
Craig & Tony Quality Products
CREATE, Inc.
Hollyberry Baking Company
Pairings Catering Company
Premier Graphics & Screen Printing
Rider’s Choice Transportation
Shell’s Coastal Cuisine
Replenishing the Earth
WorkNet, Inc.

Two new small businesses “graduated” in 2010 from their BNVC incubator experience, moving onward and upward as their businesses expand: A.U. Innovative Land Management and Mike Martin Media.

In addition to the benefits of a professional business location and access to a willing and able workforce of St. Patrick Center clients, companies in the BEGIN New Venture Center receive ongoing business assistance, mentorship, individualized assessment, networking opportunities with other entrepreneurs and links to professional service providers.

According to President Barack Obama, small businesses that grow into medium-size and large businesses are the key to America’s future. “When our small businesses do well, America does well,” he said in a February address to the Winning the Future Forum on Small Business in Ohio. “We’d like to see more efforts at the federal level that would give small businesses more fairness, more freedom and more certainty.”

The BEGIN New Venture Center is currently accepting applications for entrance into the small business incubator for motivated start-up businesses that would like to locate their company in the incubator and/or the Culinary Suite. For more information, please review our information packet and culinary flyer at www.beginstl.org then contact us for an initial interview at 314-802-0711 or BEGINinfo@stpatrickcenter.org.

Name:
Email:
Zip Code:
Organization:
Mailing Lists:	Volunteering SPC News SPC Events Success Stories

Make a Donation

Connect With Us

Email Sign Up