Dubuque County Business Competition Showcases Local Innovation and Big Ideas

The energy was high, and the room was full as more than 70 community members gathered to support local entrepreneurs at this year’s Dubuque County Business Competition, powered by Dupaco Credit Union. The event brought together founders, small business owners, community leaders, and supporters for an evening of pitches, connection, and celebration of innovation happening right here in Dubuque County.

This year’s competition featured 18 participating businesses, each sharing their vision for growth and impact:

Included in this photo, in no order: Burn Boot Camp Dubuque, Kait Tysver Consulting, BikeCushion.com LLC, Restoring Health and Wellness, Paradigm Coffee Co., Select Balance Supplements, Snap Manufacturing Inc., Bohn Engineering Services, GoodLife Integrative Veterinary Care, Bluffside Urgent Care and Wellness, Dubuque Glass Recycling, Organizing Innovations, Fluid Minds Consulting, Mere Pursuit, Kate & Co., Elevated Images Dubuque, Silver Shield, and Styld to Perfection.

People’s Choice Awards

Community members played an important role in the evening by voting for their favorite businesses to move forward to the live pitch round.

• People’s Choice Award Winner: GoodLife Integrative Veterinary Care

• Tied for Second & Third Place (People’s Choice): Fluid Minds Consulting and Styld to Perfection

Finalists Selected by Judges

A panel of judges also selected 5 businesses to advance to the live pitch event. The businesses that made it to the live pitch event were:

• Snap Manufacturing

• Dubuque Glass Recycling

• Fluid Minds Consulting

• Mere Pursuit

• Elevated Images Dubuque

• GoodLife Integrative Veterinary Care (People’s Choice Winner)

Prize Winners

After compelling live pitches, three businesses were awarded seed funding to help accelerate their growth:

🥇 First Place – $10,000: Dubuque Glass Recycling

Dubuque Glass Recycling plans to use the prize money to expand marketing efforts and invest in equipment to improve their processing capabilities—specifically, machinery like a sifter to create a more refined, consistent post-consumer glass sand product. This investment will allow them to move more glass through their system, take on more clients, and move closer to their mission of diverting 100% of glass waste from landfills.

🥈 Second Place – $5,000: Snap Manufacturing Snap Manufacturing will use the funding to accelerate its transition into metal additive manufacturing by supporting equipment acquisition, materials, shop readiness, and training. This investment helps unlock a new revenue stream, improves turnaround times, and keeps more manufacturing dollars in Iowa—helping local product developers and small manufacturers compete.

🥉 Third Place – $2,750: Elevated Images Dubuque

Elevated Images will expand its drone services and brand by investing in advanced drone and camera technology, offering hands-on drone education, participating in drone racing, building regional and national brand presence, and using drone content to “put Dubuque on the map” through high-visibility social media and digital storytelling.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Events like this wouldn’t be possible without strong community partners. A heartfelt thank you to our presenting sponsor, Dupaco Credit Union, and our generous sponsors: Dubuque County, 1-800 Tshirts, Lerdahl, InnoVenture Iowa, VentureNet Iowa, and Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Together, we are building an ecosystem where ideas can grow, businesses can thrive, and innovation can take root right here in Dubuque County. We’re already looking forward to seeing how these businesses grow—and to welcoming even more entrepreneurs to the stage next year.