PIKETON — Aspiring local business owners and entrepreneurs are invited to compete for seed money to bring their ideas to reality in the Fluor-B&W Portsmouth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

Through its Community Commitment Fund, Fluor-B&W Portsmouth has announced a business plan competition designed for start-ups and new business ventures based in one of the following counties: Jackson, Pike, Ross or Scioto. Fluor-B&W Portsmouth LLC is the contractor working for the Department of Energy on the cleanup of the former Gaseous Diffusion Plant at the DOE Portsmouth Site in Piketon.

Applications must include an executive summary, business plan (i.e.: background information, marketing plan, operational plan, financial plan), research and development used for preparation, articles of organization and incorporation (which must be filed before the end of the competition), and a live presentation using Power Point, graphics, posters, and videos.

Applicants must have an ownership stake in the venture. Fluor-B&W Portsmouth will consider all submitted applications as confidential and treat all team matters accordingly. The competition will take place in three phases: application (first round—executive summary), initial panel screening (second round—business plan), and live presentation (final round). Three prizes will be awarded during the final round. First prize will be $5,000; second prize will be $3,000 and third prize will be $2,000.

Executive summaries are being accepted by mail, fax, or email, since March 15. They should be sent to:

Fluor-B&W Portsmouth, c/o Elizabeth Scott, P.O. Box 548, Piketon, OH 45661, fax 740-897-2280 or email elizabeth.scott@fbports.com.

First-round winners will be announced Friday, May 11. Second-round winners will be announced Friday, June 1, and live presentations will be held Thursday, June 14, to decide the winners of the competition.

Applications will be evaluated on economic impact (direct/indirect jobs created), originality, and preparation and organization of documents, including completed research.

For an application or more information, please visit the Fluor-B&W Portsmouth website at www.fbports.com.