Richter Publishing

ST PETERSBURG — Eight local entrepreneurs have been selected to compete in the Pinellas County regional round of the national InnovateHER Challenge, sponsored by the Small Business Administration and presented by LocalShops1 and the Gulfport Area Chamber of Commerce. The event is sponsored by Three Birds Tavern, Out of the Weeds and Red Hot Tiki Spicy Gourmet Market.

The eight finalists are:

• Alisa Savoretti, My Hope Chest
• Carin Constantine, Law Office of Carin Constantine
• Cherry Hallback, Florry Creative Care Corp.
• Cindy Siriwong, TakeOut Button
• Priscilla Kidder, Be-Bops Swimwear
• Shannon Whitlock, Happy Healthy Spine
• Tara Richter, Richter Publishing
• Wendy Long, LaDeeDa Kids Spa 

The eight finalists will compete in front of a live audience and a distinguished panel of judges. The event takes place 5-8 pm Dec. 2, 2015, at the Catherine Hickman Theatre, 5501 27th Ave S, Gulfport. Admission is free and open to the public. To register go to LocalShops1.com/events or email ester@localshops1.com.

On the judges panel:

• Carla Bristol,  owner of Gallerie 909
• Diana M. Hechavarria, entrepreneurship professor at University South Florida
• Marie Tomassi, managing partner at Trenam Law
• Rita Lowman, COO, C1 Bank
• Robin King, co-owner of Three Birds Tavern & Out of the Weeds 

The event will be moderated by Barry Rubin, president of the Gulfport Area Chamber of Commerce & founder of Time Systems in St. Petersburg. Keynote speaker is Isabel Laessig, founder of Family Foodie. The event will also include representatives from the St Petersburg Greenhouse, the St Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce and SCORE.

For free event registration go to LocalShops1.com/events.

The InnovateHER Challenge is a national prize competition aimed at unearthing products and services that impact and empower the lives of women and families through local business competitions that culminate in a live pitch Final Round. The regional winners’ presentations will be submitted to the SBA National headquarters, where they will select the national finalists to compete March 16 and 17 in Washington, DC, for prizes totaling $70,000 provided by Microsoft.