MOHAVE COUNTY – Thrive Hualapai’s Inaugural Tall Pine Pitch Competition came to a head on Wednesday, May 1 as entrepreneurs took to the stage in Peach Springs to vie for thousands of dollars in start-up monies. Congratulations, Camille Nighthorse, who took home the top prize of $5,000 with her project Nighthorse Ranch Retreat, LLC.
Thrive Hualapai is a business incubator in Peach Springs created through a partnership with MCC and the Hualapai Tribe to help people turn their passion into profitable businesses. Thrive Hualapai frequently hosts informational sessions and learning opportunities for community members, touching on a wide variety of topics that include workforce training, food-handler training and much more.
As of 2024, those endeavors now include the Tall Pine Pitch Competition, a way for local entrepreneurs to secure money to help get their businesses up and running. A total of six entrepreneurs presented their business pitches, alongside business plans, slideshows, product examples and more, to the panel of six judges, which included MCC President Dr. Stacy Klippenstein.
“Mohave Community College is proud to partner with Thrive Hualapai. The Tall Pine Pitch Competition is a prime example of the outstanding efforts taking place in the community, with the event itself highlighting a talented group of entrepreneurs persevering to achieve their goals,” said Dr. Klippenstein. “It will be exciting to keep an eye out for these emerging businesses and we can’t wait to see what the competition has in store for 2025! Congratulations to all winners and participants!”
The first-place prize of $5,000 went to Camille Nighthorse with her pitch for Nighthorse Ranch Retreat, LLC. Nighthorse Ranch Retreat, LLC entails a small ranch complete with horseback riding, a sweat lodge and an art studio. The ranch would be designed to cater to those with a desire to retreat back to nature to find balance in their stressful lives.
Cody Majenty took home the second-place prize of $3,000 for his pitch of Discover Grand Canyon West (Native American Tour Guide). His sightseeing and adventure product includes a guided, narrated van tour of Grand Canyon West featuring Hualapai Tribal guides. Those guides will provide narration of Hualapai history and culture.
The third-place prize of $1,500 was awarded to Madelena Herrera, owner of Maddy’s Creations. Maddy’s Creations is a custom boutique specializing in personalized gifts from chocolate-covered strawberries to teddy bears, roses and balloons and much more. Maddy’s Creations prides itself on the attention to detail that sets it apart from the competition.
