CVCC named finalist in 2020 NACCE Pitch for the Trades competition
Catawba Valley Community College has been named one of seven finalists for the 2020 Pitch for the Trades competition through the National Association of Community Colleges for Entrepreneurship (NACCE).
09/21/2020
Catawba Valley Community College has been named one of seven finalists for the 2020 Pitch for the Trades competition through the National Association of Community Colleges for Entrepreneurship (NACCE).
The finalists for the competition, which is sponsored by the Philip E. & Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation, were officially announced on Wednesday by NACCE.
CVCC’s project was entitled “One-of-a-Kind Collaboration between Catawba Farms and CVCC” and featured its new unique Red Hawk Red Blend wine partnership.
Gary Muller, Dean for CVCC’s School of Workforce Development and the Arts, was the lead for CVCC’s project, and he is excited that CVCC was chosen as a finalist for the second annual competition.
"We are very proud of our selection as a finalist for the 2020 National Association of Community Colleges for Entrepreneurship (NACCE) Pitch for the Trades competition because we know we were competing against the best community colleges in the country,” Muller said. “Our college is truly committed to our Skilled-Trades academic programs because we know how important they are to our local economy. We are very fortunate to have strong dedicated program directors leading these programs and creating innovative solutions to meet today's challenges."
All seven finalists are competing for $125,000 in cash prizes that will be divided amongst the winners. Those monies will go towards their respective community college’s skilled traded initiatives, while also creating a buzz about the skilled trades and the impactful work community colleges across the country are doing in expanding economic opportunities for both their students and communities.
“The eleven semi-finalists who pitched this week demonstrated creativity and great passion for opening up new doors of opportunity for women, people of color, veterans, immigrants and other would-be entrepreneurs who can start their own business in a skilled trade through programming and support from their local community college,” said Rebecca Corbin, president and CEO of NACCE. “We are delighted to congratulate the seven teams advancing to the finals in October at the annual NACCE conference.”
NACCE represents 300-plus community and technical colleges and 2,000 faculty, staff, administrators and presidents who serve more than 3.3 million students across the United States.
Finalists will now submit a three-minute recorded pitch by October 5. That pitch will be judged on the merits of the project, public speaking ability, poise and ability to engage the judges in the projects story. A final round Question and Answer will take place on Thursday, October 8 at 3:00 PM.
The finale of the 2020 Pitch for the Trades competition takes place on Tuesday, October 13 at 6:00 PM during the NACCEE 2020 conference where the winners will be announced.
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