Three start-ups get funding boost following annual Greenfield pitch competition
Richard Creque of H.B.D. Skate Shop at the Take the Floor pitch competition held at the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield in late June. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/FRANKLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Abigail Velazquez of Nailvana at the Take the Floor pitch competition held at the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield in late June. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/FRANKLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Dana Mengwasser of Same Page Family at the Take the Floor pitch competition held at the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield in late June. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/FRANKLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
From left, Take the Floor pitch competition winners Abigail Velazquez, Dana Mengwasser and Richard Creque. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/FRANKLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
| Published: 07-07-2025 12:35 PM |
GREENFIELD — Three local entrepreneurs recently took the floor at the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center, splitting $10,000 in the final installment of an annual pitch competition.
The “Take the Floor” pitch competition is part of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation’s UPstart Program, which has kick-started both Take the Floor and the CDC’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator program in an effort to stimulate the local economy.
Take the Floor allows early-stage entrepreneurs to step in front of the community, present their business ideas, receive feedback from judges and audience members, and compete for investments in their business.
The three winners this year were Richard Creque with H.B.D. Skate Shop, Dana Mengwasser with Same Page Family and Abigail Velazquez with Nailvana.
Creque, born and raised in Greenfield, is in the process of piloting his new combination business of H.B.D. Skate Shop. Creque said his father was a skateboarder when he was growing up and he picked the hobby up again during the pandemic.
“I’m doing this sort of absurd-sounding combination of an ice cream shop and a skate shop,” Creque said. “I picked up pretty quick that people in the park were looking for refreshments.”
Creque has been doing “pilot runs” over the last year, where he sets up shop outside the Greenfield Skate Park with a selection of drinks, ice cream and skateboarding equipment. Over the next year or so, he’s hoping to use his winnings from Take the Floor to invest in a truck to run his business out of.
“Last year, I got my permits and I went there and ran it just out of the trunk of my car,” Creque said. “I’ll look to do the full opening with the vehicle next summer.”
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In the meantime, Creque is looking to invest in a small freezer as a “stopgap.” He expects to be out serving ice cream and selling equipment to skaters in late July.
Mengwasser, a Greenfield resident, is in the process of taking Same Page Family, their family relationship-centered business, to the next level.
“What Same Page Family is, it’s conflict mediation for families,” Mengwasser said. “I started the business last year, registered as an LLC, and I’m still getting my feet under me and it’s really exciting.”
Same Page Family offers family and parent coaching programs, as well as family mediation services with the goal of nurturing relationships between children and their caregivers. An example of coaching, Mengwasser said, is changing “children’s behavior by changing adult behavior.”
While Same Page Family has already launched, Mengwasser is hoping to increase their number of clients and focus on getting their brand out into the community over the next six months.
“My plans for the future are to bring in five or six more client families between now and the end of December, and I’m also hoping to really grow my social media presence,” Mengwasser said, adding that their Take the Floor winnings will go toward “technology, marketing and advertising.”
Velazquez, who has grown up in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region, has launched Nailvana, her own bid to create an accessible and inclusive nail studio for all genders and abilities.
She became a licensed nail technician during the pandemic. Her mother has also been a nail technician for 18 years, giving her an inside look at the industry. Velazquez is now in the process of expanding Nailvana’s reach.
“I’ve been doing this for five years already and I have a pretty large clientele base and I’m looking to make a pivot,” Velazquez said. “My goal is to have anybody and everybody feel comfortable.”
With Nailvana, Velazquez is hoping to welcome a wide customer base with gender-neutral colors and tools, services for all people and the introduction of items like noise-canceling headphones and weighted blankets for people with disabilities. She plans to use the Take the Floor prize money to invest in more equipment.
While she currently rents a booth at the Orange Innovation Center, Velazquez is looking to invest in a van to make Nailvana a mobile service. She is also seeking new clients. For more information, she recommends checking out her Instagram page, @Nailvana01364.
“I’m leaning more toward mobile,” Velazquez said, “because it will eliminate the worry for making sure the space is super accessible.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.
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