Quad Cities Welcomes OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit

On September 19, Hy-Vee's OpportUNITY Inclusive company Summit landed in the Quad Cities providing essential assistance to women and minority company owners while also providing them with the opportunity to realize their ambitions through financial aid.

Fifteen devoted entrepreneurs competed for a portion of the $50,000 financing pool by presenting their creative projects to a panel of judges. Tammy Becker, the visionary behind Green Current Solutions, a firm that specializes in recycling recycled plastic into eco-friendly shipping pallets, was among these hopefuls. Becker's objective is to fight deforestation, noting that "43% of all hardwood trees are cut down for single-use pallets." We want to conserve forests by pushing businesses to replace wood with plastic."

Misty Dais, another outstanding participant, runs Quad Cities Music Therapy, which uses the power of music to help community people who are disabled. "It's giving students who don't necessarily need another therapy, the opportunity to participate in music in a way that's going to give them joy throughout their lives," Dais said.

While neither Dais nor Becker won the big prize of $30,000, it is clear that their commitment to make a good difference in their community is steadfast. "Music is for everyone," Dais argued, "so no one should be excluded." "Everyone should be included," Becker said, adding, "We're just always trying to do our best, to make things a little better for everybody."