Ben Campbell won the 2025 Hayden Business Pitch Competition with Monarch Electrical Services. When Startup Colorado profiled the competition in September, he told future applicants they had "really got nothing to lose." His first-place grant was $9,000. He spent it on a wire-pulling tool that let him take on more electrical work, plus some marketing.
That purchase is typical of the competition. Most of its money has gone to equipment and capacity for businesses that work out of a truck, a kitchen, a client's living room or a riding arena. Very little of it has gone to new storefronts on Jefferson Avenue. Much of Hayden's newer business activity is easy to miss on a drive through town. On Saturday, November 7, the town puts it on a stage at Hayden Center.
Two Events, One Building, One Saturday
The 6th annual Hayden Business Pitch Competition starts at 1:30 p.m. on November 7 in the Hayden Center Auditorium. West Routt Forward and the Hayden Economic Development Commission host it. Entrants pitch ideas for new or existing businesses and compete for cash prizes and funding. The town's October 9 announcement invites the public to "come hear from local entrepreneurs" and "see which pitches take home this year's awards." The announcement doesn't mention admission terms or name any 2026 finalists.
The Hayden Holiday Craft Fair takes over the same building earlier that day. Here is how the Saturday lines up:
- 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: The Holiday Craft Fair at Hayden Center has booths from local makers, artists, crafters and small businesses.
- 1:30 p.m.: The pitch competition begins in the Hayden Center Auditorium.
- Before then: Craft fair vendor registration closes October 19 at 5:00 p.m., and the town says applicants will hear back by October 23. Booths cost $50 for regular and $75 for premium, with $20 load-in help available.
The two events overlap for 90 minutes. Someone could buy holiday gifts from local makers in the morning and then listen to the next round of local business plans in the afternoon, all without leaving the building.
Who Can Pitch, and Who Has
Pitch applications were open September 1 through 23. Eligible businesses have to be located within the Hayden RE-1 School District boundary. The town's September newsletter says extra funding is available for female- and minority-led businesses. The competition started in 2021 with support from the Hayden Economic Development Commission, the Town of Hayden, West Routt Forward and other community partners.
According to the Steamboat Pilot & Today, the first contest was won by Nick LaGorga with Yampa Valley Entertainment. The same 2022 article said many 2021 applicants later opened businesses in the area, but it didn't name them. Reporting on the next few years has more detail.
| Year | Business | Owner | Placement | Award | What it was for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nice Ice | Justin Martin | 1st | $12,000 | Clear "ghost ice" for restaurants and bars, made with valley water |
| 2023 | Sassquatch Party Rentals | Caleb Cagle | 2nd | $8,000 | Adding indoor attractions |
| 2023 | Hayden Hidden Treasures | Emily Gabriel | 3rd | $5,000 | Improving the antiques shop and renting the neighboring space |
| 2023 | West Yampa Wellness | Erica Lucas | Judges' favorite and women-owned award | $5,000 | Mobile, in-home physical therapy |
| 2024 | Little Bee Juice and Provisions | n/a | 1st | Not reported | Food and agriculture |
| 2024 | Sangria de Las Montañas | n/a | 2nd | Not reported | Food and agriculture |
| 2025 | Monarch Electrical Services | Ben Campbell | 1st | $9,000 | Wire-pulling tool and marketing |
| 2025 | Hannah the Birth Coach | Hannah Erhart | Women's Business Award | $5,000 | Professional development and technology |
| 2025 | 3 Bar H Horsemanship | Tami Foth | 3rd | $1,500 | Children's Ranch Days, shade, safety gear, a seasonal horse lease |
The Yampa Valley Bugle's 2023 recap says 11 people pitched that year. The Pilot's 2024 coverage counted 11 businesses again. Four of them were food or agriculture ventures: Little Bee Juice and Provisions, Franciosi Brothers, The Nomadic Table and Sangria de Las Montañas.
Where the Winners Work
Only one past awardee in the table had a Jefferson Avenue address in the coverage. In 2023, the Bugle placed Hayden Hidden Treasures at 175 W. Jefferson Avenue. Most of the others operate in a different way.
Monarch Electrical Services does residential, commercial and industrial electrical work in Hayden, Steamboat Springs and nearby communities. Its website gives a Hayden P.O. box, not a shop address.
3 Bar H Horsemanship gives riding lessons. Tami Foth used her $1,500 to add Ranch Days for children, along with shade, safety equipment and a seasonal horse lease. She told Startup Colorado she "definitely learned a lot" about speaking publicly about her business and growing it.
Hannah the Birth Coach works through a local partnership. Startup Colorado reports that Hannah Erhart provides three hours of postpartum care to clients of a midwife partner in Hayden.
The Nomadic Table is a farm-to-table dining business. It was featured in the town's January 2026 business spotlight for its local ingredients and wood-fired cooking. Its own site offers customized meals at clients' homes or outdoor locations, not at a public restaurant.
Sangria de Las Montañas makes small-batch alcoholic beverages with local ingredients. Its website says the drinks are prepared and bottled in Hayden with Alpine Glow.
Little Bee Juice and Provisions, the 2024 winner, is between seasons. Its website says it has finished a season of juicing, the online shop is temporarily closed, and it plans to return November 16.
Sassquatch Party Rentals has grown and moved. In March 2025, the Pilot reported that Caleb Cagle had moved the business from Hayden to Craig and opened an inflatable playland at 538 Pershing St. with games and birthday-party space. Equipment rentals continued.
That leaves an electrician, a riding program, a birth coach, a private chef, a bottler, a seasonal juicer and a party-rental company. Most work without a public storefront, and you would rarely see them all in one room. Our sources didn't confirm current operations for every earlier entrant, including Hayden Hidden Treasures, Nice Ice and West Yampa Wellness. The 2023 and 2024 lists above record who pitched and won, not who is open today.
Why the Award Amounts Matter
The prizes are modest, and they have varied. Before the 2022 contest, the Pilot reported a planned structure of $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second and $3,000 for third, plus another $5,000 for a woman- or minority-owned business. The 2023 winner got $12,000. The 2025 winner got $9,000 and third place got $1,500.
Amounts that size cover the next piece of equipment, like a specialized tool, a stretch of shade over a riding area, or a season's lease on a horse. Each winner's purchase shows the next thing that business needed to grow.
The same season brings a much bigger set of plans at the Yampa Valley Regional Airport, just outside town. In its September 4 newsletter, the airport reported that Routt County approved $11.5 million in FAA grants for the West Terminal Expansion in August. The county also approved a 35-acre Aviation Business Park agreement that requires more than $70 million in capital over nine years and seven planned phases. Airport Director Tinneal Gerber described these deals as the "business" side of running an airport. Those numbers belong to a county-run facility with outside developers. The pitch competition is where Hayden's own residents ask for a few thousand dollars at a time.
The Rest of the Calendar Before the Flights Return
The pitch competition falls in the middle of a busy stretch of about eight weeks between mid-October and the first winter flights. In date order:
- October and November: The airport newsletter scheduled winter canopy installation and the demolition of Hangar 1 for these two months. The new terminal area and gates are targeted for June 2028.
- October 19, 5:00 p.m.: Craft fair vendor registration closes.
- Week of October 19: Hayden Boys & Girls Youth Basketball practices begin for grades 3 through 6. Games start the week of November 2 and are played in Hayden and Craig.
- October 31, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.: Hike or Treat at Yampa River State Park, 6185 US-40, includes costumed trick-or-treating along the park's 1.25-mile trail, then cookies and hot drinks at the group picnic pavilion.
- November 7: The Holiday Craft Fair runs from 9:00 a.m. and the pitch competition starts at 1:30 p.m., both at Hayden Center.
- December 10: Nonstop winter service begins out of Yampa Valley Regional Airport. Steamboat Radio reported six airlines and 18 nonstop destinations into April 2027, including new Portland service on Alaska and expanded Austin and Houston flights.
Basketball players will find a refreshed floor at the Hayden Center gym. Architectural Hardwood Floors LLC resurfaced it with new pickleball lines and an updated logo. The town asks visitors to stay on the runners when crossing the gym and to wear clean gym shoes on the court.
If the pitch day has you weighing a Hayden property with room for a workshop, a home office, or a few acres for lessons, The Boyd & Berend Group knows the town's mix of older homes, smaller acreage parcels and newer subdivisions. Schedule a consultation and we'll go through the properties that fit how you work.
