(LARGO, FL - August 13, 2013) — Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. And now, more than ever, they need support to grow to the next level. Valpak, which has helped small businesses for more than 45 years, announces the return of its successful Dough to Grow Award for 2013, a contest that awards big bucks to small businesses striving to expand.
“At Valpak, we recognize that our local economies depend on small businesses to stay healthy and thrive,” says Michael Vivio, president of Cox Target Media, providers of Valpak. “We pride ourselves on helping businesses grow beyond their wildest dreams through our services. This contest is an extension of that pride. So we encourage owners to enter the contest and persuade everyone they know to vote for them.”
Local Valpak franchise owners and sales professionals often hear the challenges of small business owners who want to expand but don’t have the capital. Valpak, with franchises in more than 170 cities in 45 states and four Canadian provinces, created the Dough to Grow Award as fuel so small businesses could rocket to the next level.
“Last year’s contest saw a great response from small businesses and their social media fan bases. We were able to award $10,000 to a dynamic entrepreneur who started his CrossFit business with one client in the park and now has a brand new facility with a full roster of staff members,” Vivio says. “We hope to repeat this success again and for many years to come.”
To enter Valpak’s 2nd Annual Dough to Grow Award, business owners go to the Dough to Grow site and write an essay describing how they plan to grow. Being a Valpak customer is not necessary. The contest runs from September 1st — October 31st. Once nominated, a business needs to receive at least 100 votes in order to qualify. Businesses are encouraged to share their entry with friends, family, loyal customers and local supporters to build up their votes. The businesses with the most votes become finalists and eligible to win the grand prize of $7,500 or the runner-up prizes of $1,500 and $1,000.
Chuck Markos, the owner of Arizona-based Firebird CrossFit and recipient of the 2012 Dough to Grow Award, has put the funds from the award to good use — moving into a bigger facility and hiring staff. Markos started a CrossFit instructor training program and established a scholarship to help aspiring instructors achieve their certification goals. He’s also working to get his community involved by creating a regional CrossFit competition.
How To Get The Dough
To win, small businesses should enter their essay at Dough to Grow Award and then share their nomination on site and across social media networks to encourage customers, friends, family and fans to vote for them. Voters will visit the Dough to Grow Award site and search nominations by business category or business name. They can also browse all of the nominations OR use a “Face Off” feature to compare entrants. Voting is limited to one vote per day per Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and email account. The contest is open to small businesses in the U.S. and Canada, with the exception of Quebec.
The winners are chosen by Valpak after the careful consideration of a number of factors, including number of votes, creativity and energy in business growth strategy, demonstration of solid leadership and management, and positive impact on the community. Valpak will notify qualified nominees November 4 and will determine top 10 finalists November 11. Winners will be announced around Thanksgiving (US).
About Valpak®
Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America, is owned and operated by Cox Target Media, along with Savings.com. With nearly 170 franchises across the United States and Canada, the signature Blue Envelope® delivers savings and value to nearly 40 million households each month. Annually, Valpak will distribute some 20 billion offers inserted in more than 500 million envelopes. Valpak also offers digital solutions with Valpak.com, an online site for free coupons, e-commerce and coupon codes, which has nearly 70 million offer views each month, as well as mobile coupon app for smartphone platforms. For more information about advertising with Valpak, please contact 1-800-676-6878.
About Cox Media Group
Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America’s leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company’s operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 57 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 30 million TV viewers, more than 4 million print and online newspaper readers, and 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.
Contact
Marsha Strickhouser
Valpak
8605 Largo Lakes Drive
Largo, FL 33773
(727) 399-3175
marsha_strickhouser@valpak.com
