South Carolina small business named as a finalist in the Wells Fargo Works Project Contest
August 25, 2014
Irmo-based Healthy Hands Cooking named one of 25 contest finalists in a national initiative designed to help more businesses succeed
COLUMBIA, SC – Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) today named Healthy Hands Cooking of Irmo, S.C. as one of 25 finalists in the Wells Fargo Works Project contest, which ran from May 1 – June 30. The company was one of more than 3,600 small businesses that entered the national contest, in which five grand prize winners will each win $25,000 along with mentorship and tailored solutions for their business, and a $5,000 charitable donation to a non-profit in their community.
Disheartened by the issues surrounding childhood obesity, and the lack of knowledge that many children have today regarding eating and nutrition, Jan Pinnington decided to take her passion for nutrition and turn it into a business. She founded Healthy Hands Cooking, which trains and certifies adults to start their own business teaching kids about nutrition and healthy cooking through classes, camps and birthday parties. As a contest finalist, Healthy Hands Cooking will receive $1,000 from Wells Fargo.
“Our mission is to fight obesity by empowering and educating our youth in the critical skill of nutrition and healthy cooking,” said Pinnington. “To reach these kids nationally, we need to expand our network of trained and certified instructors. As a grand prize winner in the Wells Fargo works Project contest, we would be able to lock Healthy Hands Cooking down as the market leader position and become a household brand.”
The Wells Fargo Works Project contest was launched on May 1 in conjunction with the roll out of Wells Fargo Works for Small BusinessSM, a broad initiative that delivers resources, guidance and services to help small businesses achieve financial success. Wells Fargo also announced a goal to extend $100 billion in new lending to small businesses by 2018.
“Wells Fargo Works for Small Business was establishedto demonstrate our commitment to help small businesses across America grow and succeed,” said Lisa Stevens, Wells Fargo’s head of Small Business. “We are proud to share the story of Healthy Hands Cooking as one of our 25 finalists for the Wells Fargo Works Project contest, and congratulate its owner, Jan Pinnington, for this achievement. Her drive and dedication to build a successful small business is inspirational.
Visit WellsFargoWorks.com to review all 25 finalist entries, and learn more about Wells Fargo Works for Small Business. The five grand prize winners will be announced on Sept.8.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.6 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune’s 2014 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives and stories are also available at blogs.wellsfargo.com and at stories.wellsfargobank.com.
