August 4, 2025 (MUSCATINE, IA) — Five small businesses from Main Street Iowa districts were awarded a combined $80,0000 in state grants Monday evening after successfully pitching their expansion ideas in the final round of the 2025 Open 4 Business contest.
The live pitch event, held at the National Pearl Button Museum in downtown Muscatine, featured finalists from Ames, Elkader, Mount Pleasant, Waverly and West Branch. Each entrepreneur had five minutes to present their growth strategy to a panel of judges. Awards were presented by Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and Iowa Finance Authority.
“These incredible business plans remind us why our Main Street programs matter so much,” Durham said. “They’re the engine that helps small businesses grow and stick around — and they play a big role in making our communities the kind of places where people want to visit, live and truly belong.”
Grant recipients include:
- West Branch — The Honey Den, $25,000
- Waverly — Z’s Pizza & Diner, $20,000
- Elkader — DroneXperts, $15,000
- Ames — Torrent Brewing Company, $10,000
- Mount Pleasant — Preppin Mama, $10,000
Top honors went to The Honey Den, a boutique candy and gift shop opened in 2023 by Tiffany Frederick. Known for custom candy assortments with personalized labels, Frederick is expanding her wholesale and fundraising programs that support boutiques, nonprofits and schools nationwide. The grant will support professionally designed packaging, a commercial-grade label printer, expanded inventory, upgraded fundraising tools and targeted marketing.
“This grant is going to be life-changing — it will put my business in fast forward and allow us to shine on a national level while meeting growing demand,” she said. “Retail isn’t easy. But by diversifying and thinking boldly — by moving product out the back door and the front — we can create something that lasts.”
This year’s contest drew 22 applicants. Of those, 12 were invited to interview virtually with a panel of judges, who then selected five finalists.
On Monday, those finalists pitched live before Muscatine Mayor Brad Bark, who’s also president and CEO of the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Jacki Boldt, who leads the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program; Chris Deal, who serves on the Main Street Iowa board; and Karla Organist with the Institute for Decision Making at the University of Northern Iowa.
Open 4 Business supports the growth of existing small businesses in Iowa’s more than 50 Main Street communities. Now in its 11th year, the program has awarded dollars to more than 45 businesses.
The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs.
# # #
1963 Bell Avenue
Suite 200
Des Moines, IA 50315