Finale is October 8!
YOU GET A VOTE!
One finalist will receive the $5,000 People’s Choice Award, and the decision belongs to tonight’s audience.
Voting Code: 1B37963
Vote for the business that inspired you most.
IGNITE LIVE FINALS 2026
Four businesses. One stage. $95,000 on the line.
Thursday, October 8, 2026
The Crest Theater | Great Bend, Kansas
Welcome to the 2026 IGNITE Rural Business Competition Finals!
Tonight, five entrepreneurs will take the stage to share their businesses, their plans for growth, and their vision for the future of Barton County.
Each finalist will have 10 minutes to pitch their business, followed by a Q&A with our panel of judges. At the end of the evening, our judges will select the top three finalists — and you will help choose the People’s Choice winner.
Thanks to the generous support of INA Alert, admission to this year’s IGNITE Finals is FREE.
Schedule
Welcome
Introduction of our judges and finalists
Live Business Pitches
Each finalist receives 10 minutes to present their business, followed by questions from the judges.
People's Choice Voting
Audience members get a vote! Help select the business that will receive the $5,000 People’s Choice Award.
Awards
🥇 First Place — $50,000
🥈 Second Place — $30,000
🥉 Third Place — $10,000
⭐ People’s Choice — $5,000
MEET THE FINALISTS
Great Bend Play Place
Great Bend Play Place was created with one goal in mind: giving local families a fun, safe, year-round place to play, celebrate, and make memories together.
Designed as an all-in-one indoor family entertainment destination, the business plans to feature large play structures, an arcade, party rooms, and spaces where families can connect. The vision extends beyond entertainment — Great Bend Play Place hopes to create jobs, attract families from surrounding communities, and give Barton County another amenity that makes it an even better place to raise a family.
If awarded the grand prize, funding would help purchase the large indoor play structure that will become the heart of the facility.
Sugar Co
Sugar Co. is a women-owned boutique built around the belief that getting dressed should be fun, easy, and personal.
What began as an idea has grown into two brick-and-mortar locations, a growing e-commerce business, and a team serving customers both locally and across the country.
Through IGNITE, Sugar Co. has focused on what comes next: developing stronger systems, thinking strategically about growth, and expanding its online business. If awarded the grand prize, funding would be invested in digital marketing, inventory, and staffing to help turn a proven online sales channel into an even larger part of the company.
Sugar Co.’s vision is proof that a business built in Central Kansas can reach customers far beyond our region.
The Book Cellar
The Book Cellar began with an unsuccessful shopping trip.
After realizing they couldn’t find a dedicated bookstore in Barton County, the owners decided to create one themselves.
Located in Claflin, The Book Cellar brings together thoughtfully curated books, wines, and spirits in a space designed around discovery, personality, and connection.
Through IGNITE, the owners have strengthened their marketing and gained encouragement to lean into the personality that makes their business unique. Their long-term vision includes expanding into the neighboring space, increasing inventory, and creating an event venue where book clubs, private gatherings, and community events can take place.
Big dreams can grow in small communities — and The Book Cellar is building one chapter at a time.
The Zarah Coffee Shop
The Zarah Coffee Shop is about more than what’s in the cup. It’s about what happens around it.
Owner Kimberly Becker saw the potential to transform the former Perks Coffee Shop into a place where people could slow down, gather, connect, work, celebrate, and feel like they belong.
By reviving the historic Zarah name, the business honors a piece of Great Bend’s past while creating a gathering place designed for the community’s future.
Through IGNITE, Kimberly has strengthened her understanding of the financial and operational side of the business and gained new tools for strategic growth. Prize funding would help improve kitchen infrastructure, equipment, customer spaces, and operations while supporting continued job creation and partnerships with other local businesses.
The goal isn’t simply to grow a coffee shop.
It’s to grow a place that helps the community grow.
MEET THE JUDGES
Melissa Nelson
Melissa Nelson is an agricultural research professional with extensive experience managing and supporting field research programs that advance crop production and agricultural innovation. Her work combines rigorous scientific research with a strong understanding of business, leadership, and emerging agricultural opportunities.
Nick Strecker
Nick Strecker is CEO and co-founder of INA Alert, Inc., a technology integration company headquartered in Ellinwood, Kansas. With decades of experience in technology, communications, security, and business leadership, Nick brings an entrepreneur’s perspective to the judging panel.
Steven Nale
Steven Nale is a petroleum construction executive with more than 40 years of experience building and leading successful businesses. As founder of Great Dane Petroleum Contractors, he grew the company into a leading contractor serving the Southeast before its acquisition by OWL Services in 2022. Steven has invested in commercial real estate and is passionate about supporting economic development, entrepreneurship, and future investment in the community.
Thank you to our sponsors.
THANK YOU, INA ALERT
Making IGNITE accessible to everyone.
A special thank you to INA Alert for its generous sponsorship of the 2026 IGNITE Competition.
Because of their investment, this year’s finale is FREE to attend, giving the entire community an opportunity to experience the excitement, meet the entrepreneurs, and celebrate local innovation.
INA Alert’s support is helping put entrepreneurship center stage.
Thank you for believing in the future of Barton County.