Northern Nevadans among finalists in small business championships

RENO, Nev. — On March 27, SCORE announced the list of 102 state-level winners of the 2018 American Small Business Championship, two of which hail from Northern Nevada — Professional Dog Mom LLC and LYFE Recovery Services.

LYFE Recovery Services, owned by Stacey Payne, creates and operates “affordable supportive housing for the substance abuse/mental health populations in Northern Nevada, primarily in Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fallon and Elko.”

Meanwhile, Professional Dog Mom LLC, owned by Tonda Benge, is described as “a customized in-home dog nanny service.”

According to a press release from SCORE, the 2018 American Small Business Championship “rewards the best small businesses in their local communities with an all-expenses-paid trip to a training and networking event, mentoring from business experts at SCORE, and public recognition throughout the year.”

According to SCORE, the 102 winners (Benge and Payne included) will now compete for three grand prizes of $15,000 each, to be awarded at the SCORE Awards Gala on Sept. 13 outside of Washington, D.C.

Part of a national organization that began in 1964, SCORE of Northern Nevada’s mentors cover 13 counties in northwestern Nevada and eastern California in a territory of 6,900 square miles, according to previous reports. They mentor about 1,000 clients each year.

Visit www.score.org to learn about SCORE, or www.northernnevada.score.org to learn about the Northern Nevada chapter. Visit championship.score.org/winners to read the full list of the 102 American Small Business Championship state winners.