- 2011 MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series and Business Plan Competition Underway -

(BLACK PR WIRE)--CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MillerCoors salutes today’s urban entrepreneur and declares August 1 through 5, “National Urban Entrepreneurs Week.” The company has also launched a call-for-entries for the annual MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series (MUES) and Business Plan Competition. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, minority-owned businesses have increased nearly 50 percent since 2000, fully twice the rate of all U.S. businesses. More significantly, urban entrepreneurs, who now employ some 5.9 million workers, are leading the way in job creation and helping to rebuild the economy.

Now in its 12th year, the MUES program provides small business owners the unique opportunity to compete for a total of $150,000 in business grants. “At MillerCoors, we know that jobs are needed to build great communities. We want to do our part to empower small business development, which is helping to drive our economy by creating more employment opportunities,” said Larry Waters, vice president of multicultural relations for MillerCoors. “The MUES program is a viable resource for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. Through this competition, entrepreneurs compete for much-needed capital to fuel and grow their businesses.”

MillerCoors has awarded more than $1.7 million dollars to small businesses since the program’s creation in 1999. This year, during “National Urban Entrepreneurs Week,” the MUES competition will provide entrepreneurs with several tools and information on how to build theirs businesses:

•On Monday, August 1, MUES hosted a Twitter party, “Putting a Brilliant Idea to Paper: How to Create an Award-Winning Business Plan” with Black Enterprise senior vice president/editor-at-large, Alfred J. Edmonds, Jr. Tweeters will have the opportunity to register for the hour long party where, using the hashtag, “#MUES,” they can ask Edmonds questions via Twitter about their business plans and win prizes for their participation. 

•On Wednesday, August 3, the webinar, “How to Write a Business Plan,” was distributed to business bloggers as a resource for their visitors.
 
•Throughout the week, the competition will host a national radio media tour with 2011 MUES grand-prize winners, Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora of BTTR Ventures. Velez and Arora will inform listeners of their MUES experience and provide tips on developing and submitting a strong business plan. 

The owners of BTTR Ventures entered the business plan competition after first losing in 2009. They took the feedback they received from the judges, along with the resources on the MUES Web site, re-entered the competition in 2010 and walked away with the top prize of $50,000. “With this grant, we were able to move from a 1,200 sq. ft. warehouse to a 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse, and produce more product than we ever thought possible,” says co-owner, Arora.

This year’s top winner will be awarded a $50,000 grant, and four other top finalists will each receive $25,000 grants. Competitors also have the opportunity to become a potential qualified MillerCoors supplier. The MUES competition is open to participants who are age 21 and older. All entries must be submitted to www.MillerCoorsMUES.com by Monday, October 3, 2011 at noon (CST).

Several business organizations support the MUES program, including the Atlanta Business League, the Chicago Urban League, the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Dallas, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and additional local chambers and chapters of the Urban League.

For more information, helpful resources for developing a business plan as well as the official rules and requirements of the MUES Business Plan Competition, visit www.MillerCoorsMUES.com.  

About MillerCoors

MillerCoors brews, markets and sells the MillerCoors portfolio of brands in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Built on a foundation of great beer brands and nearly 300 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers. MillerCoors is the second-largest beer company in America, capturing nearly 30 percent of U.S. beer sales. Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of highly complementary brands across every major industry segment. Miller Lite is the great-tasting beer that established the American light beer category in 1975, and Coors Light is the brand that introduced consumers to Rocky Mountain cold refreshment. MillerCoors brews premium beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft, and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light. The company also offers innovative products such as MGD 64, Miller Chill and Sparks. Tenth and Blake Beer Company, MillerCoors new craft and import company, imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch and features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company. MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel’s craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and two microbreweries, the 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver. MillerCoors vision is to create the best beer company in America by driving profitable industry growth. MillerCoors insists on building its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and environmental and community impact. MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company.