ProFed Federal Credit Union has agreed to donate $15,000 to provide additional support to Ivy Tech Community College Northeast’s New Venture Competition. The contribution will be split into three increments of $5,000 over three years.

“ProFed is proud to be associated with Ivy Tech Northeast’s New Venture Competition,” says Greg Troutner, ProFed’s President and CEO. “Small businesses are a primary source of new jobs in our region, and we find it particularly rewarding to be present at the birth these new enterprises.”

Interim Resource Development Director Oliver Barie, Business and Public Services Dean Elaine Novak, Chancellor Jerrilee K. Mosier, ProFed Assistant Vice President Karen Potter, and ProFed Vice President of Lending Steve Piekarski

The New Venture Competition kicked off in 2011 and each year has awarded $20,000 in start-up capital to a winning Ivy Tech Northeast student or alumnus for his or her business plan. The competition is funded in part by grant dollars and by community donations like this. Organizations like ProFed see the value in encouraging entrepreneurship in northeast Indiana, and the support allows the competition to grow and attract more students, said Oliver Barie, interim executive director of resource development.

“ProFed’s commitment is not only a testament to the widespread community support this competition has received, but it is also a statement to the quality and potential for success of these young entrepreneurs,” says Ivy Tech Northeast Chancellor Jerrilee K. Mosier, Ed.D. “ProFed Credit Union will serve as a tremendous resource for our students, and we look forward to this new relationship.”

For more information about Ivy Tech Northeast’s New Venture Competition, visit IvyTech.edu/northeast/newventure.  To learn about opportunities to support competition, contact the Ivy Tech Foundation office in Fort Wayne at 260-481-2243.