Drs. Joe and Carol Hillhouse of Panhandle have been chosen as one of 10 semi-finalists of the first-ever Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge.
The challenge provides an opportunity for individuals to showcase ideas and business innovations being developed in rural regions of the United States.
The Hillhouses have devoted their lives to improving the care for animals in their Panhandle area. Their business has been an on-going experiment in finding economically viable ways to raise the level of service provided to their clients. One result is the Mobile Rural Veterinary Clinic, which serves as a satellite clinic for local communities.
After a series of virtual team interviews, judges will choose four finalists to continue in the challenge. The four challenge finalists will each win $15,000. They will pitch their business ideas to a team of judges at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) 96th Annual Convention in January in hopes of winning the Rural Entrepreneur of the Year Award for an additional $15,000, and the Peoples’ Choice Award for $10,000 more, totaling prize money of up to $40,000 to implement their ideas. The Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge is a key component of the Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative.
The Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative is a joint program of the American Farm Bureau Federation and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business Global Social Enterprise Initiative and the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative’s StartupHoyas. The Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative is directly tied to AFBF’s mission of building strong and prosperous agricultural communities.
For more information about the mobile veterinary clinic contact: Joe Hillhouse, 806-537-3522 (phone) or 806-537-5351 (alt), or 806-537-5351 (cell).