Local Entrepreneurs Awarded $25,500 at Inaugural Seal the Deal Competition
PLYMOUTH, MA: Five local entrepreneurs received a combined $25,500 in funding at the inaugural Seal the Deal pitch competition, an evening that brought business ideas, community support, and entrepreneurial ambition to the stage at the Spire Center on September 23.
Presented by Plymouth America’s Hometown Magazine in partnership with the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce and The Plymouth Foundation, the event connected emerging businesses with local leaders willing to invest in their success.
Each entrepreneur had three minutes to present a business concept to a panel of five investors, followed by questions about strategy, market demand, and potential community impact. All five participants left with financial support to help advance their businesses.
Plymouth North High School DECA marketing students also participated, evaluating the presentations using a dedicated rubric and selecting the recipient of an additional $500 award funded by the investors. Their involvement gave students an opportunity to apply classroom lessons to real business proposals.
Local Leaders Step Forward
The panel brought together experience in finance, construction, marketing, and municipal leadership:
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Scott Stephenson, Senior Vice President and Regional Director at Eastern Bank.
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Kevin Hood, owner of Hood Custom Home Design and Hood Remodeling and a member of the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce’s executive board of directors.
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Susan Davis, founder and Chief Visionary of SHD Marketing, a woman-owned creative agency based in Norwell.
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Brendon Elliott, owner and founder of Cornerstone Financial Group.
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Derek Brindisi, Plymouth Town Manager.
Together, the panel awarded $25,000 to support the entrepreneurs’ next steps, with the student-selected DECA award bringing the evening’s total to $25,500.
Five Ideas Earn Support
Jonathan Liskov | Clutch Guard
Jonathan presented Clutch Guard, a breathable athletic wristband designed to help young athletes manage pressure and maintain focus. A clear window holds reminder cards, or “anchors,” that athletes can refer to during competition. He received $4,000 to support patent filings, inventory production, and market expansion.
Angela Oppel | Hear Plymouth
Angela’s Hear Plymouth initiative aims to make the community more accessible to people with hearing loss. Her proposal combines hearing accessibility training for local businesses with broadcast audio technology for public venues. She received $6,500 for equipment, educational workshops, and community outreach.
Jackie Studer | South Shore Event Solutions
Drawing on 15 years of corporate event planning experience, Jackie presented a service that helps South Shore businesses plan and manage corporate and community events. She received $3,500 to implement a customer relationship management platform, strengthen digital marketing, automate administrative tasks, and develop consulting workshops.
Emily Jenkins | Life Style by Emme
Emily’s private chef and meal preparation business, Life Style by Emme, offers customized, organic meals prepared in clients’ homes. Her presentation focused on serving people with individual dietary needs, including postpartum mothers and those navigating chronic illnesses. She received $6,500 from the panel and the $500 DECA Award, bringing her total to $7,000.
Michelle Riehn | The Money Mama App
Michelle introduced The Money Mama App, a personal finance platform designed to help working women approach money management with greater confidence. Its AI money coach, “Chip,” guides users through daily spending limits, debt management, and financial decisions. She received $4,500 to support software development, expanded AI features, and legal research.
Community Support Makes It Possible
The organizers extend their sincere thanks to the sponsors whose generosity made the inaugural competition possible: Rockland Trust, RE/MAX Real Estate–Michelle Koppang, Hood Remodeling and Hood Custom Home Design, The Arc of Greater Plymouth County, The Plymouth Foundation, Cornerstone Financial, Eastern Bank, One Stop Painting, KKatie’s, Vendesi Home Staging, Flexo Concepts, We Print Today, and Cape Cod 5.
A special thank you to Stephen Cole for serving as master of ceremonies, and to Adam Smith of Panther TV and the Spire Center team for providing technical support, sound, and video services throughout the event.
Beyond the funding awarded, Seal the Deal gave entrepreneurs an opportunity to introduce their ideas to the community, build connections, and gain encouragement for the work ahead.
Plymouth America’s Hometown Magazine, the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce, and The Plymouth Foundation thank the panelists, contestants, DECA students, sponsors, and everyone who attended for helping turn an inaugural event into a meaningful investment in local entrepreneurship.
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Our Community Is Coming Together for the Ghale Family
The Ghale family, the family behind Lobster Hut, The Himalaya Restaurant, and MOMO Hut, has always shown up for our community. Time and time again, they have supported local events, businesses, families, and causes, giving back to the community they are proud to call home.
Today, their family and friends in Nepal need our support.
Devastating floods have swept through communities in Rasuwa, Nepal, including Timure and Ghattekhola, places that are deeply personal to the Ghale family. These are the communities where their parents were born and raised and where generations of their family have lived.
The loss has been unimaginable. Members of the Ghale family have lost close relatives and loved ones, and countless others have lost their homes, livelihoods, and, tragically, their lives. Survivors are now facing the immediate need for food, water, medicine, clothing, shelter, and support as they begin the incredibly difficult process of rebuilding.
And now, this family that has given so much to our community is asking for help for their own.
💙 The Himalaya Restaurant will be donating 50% of ALL SALES to relief efforts for their family and communities in Nepal.
We hope our Plymouth community will rally around the Ghale family the way they have rallied around us so many times before.
If you are able, please consider stopping by The Himalaya Restaurant, enjoying a meal, and knowing that half of your purchase will go directly toward helping those affected by this devastating disaster.
You can also support the Ghale family's fundraiser on Go Fund Me, which will provide direct assistance to families and individuals affected by the flooding, particularly in Rasuwa. Funds will help provide food, water, medical supplies, clothing, temporary shelter, educational support for children who have lost family members, and emergency assistance to families who have lost their homes and livelihoods.
https://gofund.me/e74b09ca2
Please donate if you can. Please share if you can. Every contribution and every share can make a difference.
Most importantly, please keep the Ghale family, their loved ones, and everyone affected by this devastating disaster in Nepal in your thoughts and prayers.
Our community has always believed in showing up for one another.
Now is our chance to show up for the Ghale family. ❤️
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Brunch & Comedy at Alden Park
October 25, 2 PM
Doors Open @1 PM ,Be seated by 1:45 for show to start
Going beyond typical events and doing what Alden Park does best, we have brought back comedians to help everyone get a few laughs and enjoy the day! No Patriots football so why not!
Host Bob Giannini will be bringing us a great show of three comics - Mike Murray, Stephanie Griffith White and headlined by John Perrotta who has closed a show at the legendary Friars Club in NYC and opened for Bill Burr. Known for his rapid fire delivery of one-liners and for his ability to improv off any audience in a good-natured way! also opened for Gilbert Gottfried, Colin Quinn, Jim Breuer, Dane Cook, Lenny Clarke, and others
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On Friday, October 30th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, hundreds of local families will be heading to Kingston Collection for an evening of costumes, trick-or-treating, and Halloween fun - we’d love to have even more of our local business and community partners join us this year!
🎃 NEW THIS YEAR: TRUNK OR TREAT! 🚗
We’re adding a brand-new Trunk or Treat experience to Mall-O-Ween! Participating businesses and organizations will have the opportunity to decorate their vehicles, hand out candy and goodies, and get creative with their Halloween displays.
We’ll also be hosting a Decorated Trunk Contest with multiple categories and prizes, so this is your chance to really bring your Halloween creativity to life! 👻
Prefer to stay inside? No problem! Businesses and organizations can also participate inside Kingston Collection by setting up a table or station and handing out candy, treats, or giveaways to our trick-or-treaters.
Last year, more than 10,000 guests joined us for Mall-O-Ween, and we’re expecting another incredible turnout this year!
🍬 WANT TO JOIN US?
Participation is completely FREE, and we’d love to have your business or organization be part of the celebration!
Whether you're interested in setting up inside Kingston Collection or joining our new Trunk or Treat, simply fill out the registration form below and we'll follow up with additional event information.
👉 https://forms.gle/ngPrQELZgBX7gZFYA
Participating businesses and organizations are responsible for providing their own candy, treats, or giveaways. With thousands of trick-or-treaters expected, we recommend planning ahead and bringing plenty - our local stores have been known to run out of Halloween candy on Mall-O-Ween!
We hope you'll join us and help make Mall-O-Ween 2026 our biggest, spookiest, and most community-filled celebration yet!
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Brick Marketing has another free webinar coming up on December 9th at 3:00pm EST, called Webinar: 2027 Marketing Budget Planning in the AI Search Era. The session focuses on how to master your budget in 2027 across search engine optimization (SEO), AI Search (GEO & AEO), pay-per-click (PPC) and other digital marketing channels that can help attract higher-quality leads.
During the webinar, attendees will learn:
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Balance Modern Channels: How to allocate your 2027 spend across SEO, AI search (GEO/AEO), PPC, and content for higher-quality leads.
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Navigate the AI Buyer Journey: How prospective buyers use ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and traditional search engines differently.
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Eliminate Wasteful Spend: Frameworks to identify high-ROI initiatives and cut channels that drain budget without measurable returns.
More event details and registration link can be found here: https://www.brickmarketing.com/webinars
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Your Next Chapter. Presentation explores your next step – from Volunteering to Passion Project to a More Meaningful Job.
Seminar at Center for Active Living, Plymouth, set for Wednesday, October 7, 1:30
DATELINE: Plymouth, MA…
Many of seniors have worked so hard and made many sacrifices. Are there new thoughts about volunteering, hobbies, health, and personal goals? Segueing to volunteering, a passion project, or a more rewarding job?
A seminar titled “Your Next Chapter” will be held at the Center for Active Living, 44 Nook Road, Plymouth, MA 02360, on Wednesday, October 7, 1:30. For additional information, call 508-830-4230.
Mike Dwyer presents this unique program geared towards older adults considering their next chapter. MIKE will provide a fresh look at the landscape of volunteerism, growth networking, and professional opportunities. Whether you are considering a return to work or the benefits of volunteering, MIKE shares a helpful management perspective on how to harvest your past and explore the future to map out a meaningful path forward and shape your desired outcome.
After a long career in the private and public sectors, consulting stints with Ernst & Young and Deloitte Consulting and a Master's Degree in Management from Salve Regina University, Michael Dwyer and a select group of advisors developed Emplana, the career pathway.
Emplana Career, based at Cambridge Innovation Center, primarily helps seniors discover their next chapter and white-collar professionals, especially in tech, financial services and accounting, law, risk, and professional services. Emplana Career consultants have had high powered careers that involve leading advanced technology and business projects, which keeps the consulting advice current and relevant.
For more information about the presentation, contact the Center for Active Living, 508-830-4230
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 6, 2026
Bluestone Bank employees direct $30,000 in grants to local charitable organizations.
Bluestone Bank is empowering its employees to choose three local nonprofits to receive a combined total of $30,000 in grants as part of Employee Appreciation Week.
Raynham, MA — This summer, Bluestone Bank invited its employees to nominate nonprofits making a meaningful impact on their communities to be recognized with a $10,000 grant from the Bluestone Charitable Foundation. Once the nominations were received, employees voted to determine the recipients, and the following three organizations were selected: School on Wheels of Massachusetts, Boys & Girls Club of Metro South, and Mansfield Animal Shelter.
“Employee Appreciation Week is an opportunity to recognize the people who make Bluestone special,” shares Meg D. McIsaac, President & CEO of Bluestone Bank. “Giving our employees the opportunity to recognize organizations that are important to them makes that appreciation even more meaningful. These nonprofits are doing tremendous work in our communities, and we’re proud to support the difference they make every day.”
Barbara Fox of School on Wheels of Massachusetts expressed her appreciation for the grant, saying, “We are so grateful for Bluestone’s commitment to our community and to the children who need our support most. When we receive so many calls from families and organizations asking for help, it can feel overwhelming. Knowing that there is a caring community of supporters willing to step forward and help us connect those in need with those who can make a difference, is truly inspiring—and personally, it means so much to me.”
These grants are part of a larger charitable giving initiative of the Mutual Bancorp family of banks, which includes Bluestone Bank, Cape Cod 5, and Fidelity Cooperative Bank. Together, the banks awarded a total of $120,000 to nonprofit organizations serving their respective regions.
“Supporting our communities is at the heart of who we are,” McIsaac said. “We’re especially pleased that we can partner with our Mutual Bancorp family to extend our individual reaches and make an even greater impact on the organizations we champion.”
About Bluestone Bank
Bluestone Bank, with $1.6 billion in assets, is a full-service bank offering individual and business banking services and financial planning services through its Bluestone Wealth and Trust division. The Bank has 12 banking offices across southeastern Massachusetts, with locations in Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Lakeville, Mansfield, Norton, Pembroke, Plainville, Raynham, Taunton, and West Bridgewater. Visit Bluestone Bank for more information. Bluestone Bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and a member of the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF). Bluestone Bank is an Equal Housing Lender. Bank NMLS ID: 403265.
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For more information Contact:
Bonnie Templeman
508-747-0284 cell/text
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A Fresh Start for Your Home This Fall
Fall has a way of bringing a little more mess inside. Leaves by the door, more time at home, and busier weeks can make it harder to keep up with cleaning.
Regular cleaning can make that easier. With a weekly or biweekly routine, you don’t have to spend your weekends catching up on everything around the house.
It’s one less thing on your list and more time to enjoy the season.
Learn more or request an estimate at ShineBrightMaidService.com.
Shine Bright Cleaning Services — Trusted local care since 1995.
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Fall on the South Shore means sweater weather, warm drinks, and enjoying more cozy moments indoors. But it’s hard to truly relax when a long to-do list of housework is waiting for you!
Let Dusting Pro handle the dusting, refreshing, and deep cleaning so you can kick back, light your favorite candle, and enjoy a spotless, welcoming home all season long.
Experience care from Plymouth’s favorite award winning cleaning team!
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