The Clark County PubTalk scheduled for Wednesday evening offers guests an opportunity to learn about three very different product lines being launched by local businesses: soft-sided container gardening planters, medical devices for pets, and concrete-free foundations for towers.
It’s not the usual weekend shopping list, although GroEasy Inc. hopes its innovative planters will become the rage among home gardeners. But PubTalk isn’t about selling products, it’s about connecting entrepreneurs and investors who together can help build Clark County’s economy.
“The goal is to try to grow the home-grown companies,” said Maria Swanson, newly hired as organizer of the bimonthly series that was launched in December 2009.
PubTalk events typically attract some 100 guests, offering exposure to companies that pitch their ideas or products. Swanson’s challenge as the event’s organizer, she said, is to try to draw a crowd that’s balanced between people with ideas and those with the potential to fund those ideas.
This month’s event is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the offices of AHA!, 415 West Sixth St., Suite 605 in Vancouver. The cost, $20 for Oregon Entrepreneurs Network members and $25 for non-members, includes beverages and hors d’oeuvres. Free parking is available in the lot on Esther Street.
This month’s presenters are an unusual mix of Clark County-based companies with big ambitions. GroEasy, founded last year by Karl Wischnofske, designs and manufactures grow bags, which are soft-sided planters for use in small gardens or for hanging on poles and fences. The two-employee firm plans to sell its products through direct sales, wholesale and retail outlets, with a goal after three years of $1.6 million in revenues.
Bowserwear LLC, another two-person company, manufactures wound care and healing devices for the veterinary industry. The company uses the Healers brand name: Healers Medical Dog Booties, Healers Bandage, and others. Company founder Terri Entler hopes for $16 million in sales after three years.
Stark Foundations of Washougal manufactures and markets ground-anchoring devices that eliminate the need to use structural concrete foundations for towers and other structures. The company, formed in 2009, says its system can be installed in hours, with a savings of up to 75 percent in installation costs.
The Columbia River Economic Development Council, which had been a key backer of PubTalks, is stepping back and hopes that the events will be funded primarily by business sponsors and participant fees, Swanson said. The goal is to transition PubTalk to a membership organization, with priority on strong attendance by members, she said.
