Loma Linda Entrepreneur Takes Top Prize in Business Plan Competition

The Inland Empire Women’s Business Center at Cal State San Bernardino awarded Rhonda Spencer-Hwang, DrPH, MPH, of Loma Linda first place for her business plan as part of the “It’s Your Time: Entrepreneurial Training Series for Women” program.

The business plan competition was the culmination of the training program, which also included education, business counseling, and volunteer work.

Spencer-Hwang received top marks for her plan for Go Blue Sprouts, a Benefit Corporation (B-Corp) in the business of serving children and families by providing a unique place for art and play, based on the Loma Linda Blue Zone region essential principles. She received certificates for services valued at over $10,000 to help her start her business.

“Rhonda’s plan was very well thought out, and it was easy to visualize what she was planning and doing. She had studied her subject and articulated the benefits and viability of the business nicely. In addition, her business idea has the potential to help others outside of her current community,” said judge Janise Graham of Entrepreneur’s Insurance Services.

The IEWBC is actively seeking participants for the fall 2017 session of the “It’s Your Time” program. Applications are available at the IEWBC website at www.iewbc.org and will be accepted until Friday, August 4th at 5 p.m. The fall session will begin in mid-August and continue through November.

The Inland Empire Women’s Business Center, 3780 Market St. in Riverside, is a program of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino. Housed in the College of Business and Public Administration, IECE, which administers the program in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration, is inland Southern California’s leading organization dedicated to supporting and promoting entrepreneurship. The IEWBC provides business counseling, training and mentoring designed for women business owners.

The Inland Empire Women’s Business Center hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. For more information, visit the IEWBC website at www.iewbc.org or contact Michelle Skiljan at (909) 890-1242.

Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, CSUSB is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually. CSUSB is listed among the best colleges and universities in the western United States, according to The Princeton Review, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report and Money Magazine.

For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.