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April 7, 2010 - Clean Air Lawn Care 'Opportunity 2010' Contest Announces Winners: James Turner of WIlmington, NC and Paul Hresko of Denver, CO
FORT COLLINS, CO – Clean Air Lawn Care has officially announced James Turner, of Wilmington, NC and Paul Hresko, of Denver, CO as both the winners of ‘Opportunity 2010’, a contest created to give a once in a lifetime opportunity to a hard working individual who wanted to start their own business, but lacked the means.
Clean Air Lawn Care founder and CEO, Kelly Giard, was recently named Entrepreneur Magazine’s Emerging Entrepreneur 2009. With this honor, Giard was motivated to create the Opportunity 2010 contest as one way he could ‘pay it forward’ to another entrepreneur, by ‘gifting’ them a new business.
“Our country is emerging from a very economically difficult 2009” said Giard, “There are many hard-working Americans who are currently recovering from unexpected events. We just wanted to do our part by giving a second chance to someone who has the skills, passion and determination to be successful, but who may not have the means.”
The contest was launched on January 14, 2010, with hundreds of applications submitted for consideration. After Clean Air Lawn Care narrowed it down to the top 15 contestants, they were then asked to submit a short video of themselves explaining why they deserved to win Opportunity 2010. There were then five finalists chosen from this group, and their videos were broadcast live for the public to vote on them for six weeks.
After six weeks of a neck and neck race to the finish, the two top candidates, Turner and Hresko, both finished the contest within a handful of votes of one another, and definitely within the margin of error.
“The contest was just too close to call” said Giard, “I never thought upon launching Op 2010 that we would have had the response to the contest the way we did, it wasn’t the plan to award this to two separate people, but I feel it is the right thing to do”
Both winners will receive the following:
- Clean Air Lawn Care franchise, along with ongoing support, valued at $35,000.
- Lawn equipment donated by our partner, Black & Decker, valued at $3,000.
- Marketing and a Virtual Grand Opening from GenGreenLife.com, valued at $3,000.
James Turner, a North Carolina native, has been a business owner before. In 2005 he and his wife at the time purchased Fantasy Lake Water Park in Fayetteville, NC. They spent years restoring the water park back to its gleaming condition reminiscent of its glory days, where they entertained thousands of patrons every week until the day that tragedy struck. In the middle of the night on December 18th, 2008, Fantasy Lake pavilion caught fire, and the park burned to the ground. It was a total loss, and the couple did not have insurance to protect them from fire.
Paul Hresko lives in Denver with his wife and two children. Both he and his wife have suffered significant hardships over the last year both working independently in the real estate and interior decorating industries. According to Paul, “Clean Air Lawn Care represents all the things that we strive to be in our daily lives. The idea of having fun, making a difference, building new relationships, creating our own schedule and being outdoors, all while making money, is a dream come true.” Paul is looking forward to being part of a team that is contributing to a sustainable world.
About Clean Air Lawn Care, Inc.
The company is the nation’s leading environmentally friendly lawn care service. It uses electric mowing equipment powered by wind energy overnight and solar energy on the go with its truck mounted solar system. It also offers organic treatment – fertilization and weed control. A typical client has an annual contract where Clean Air mows weekly and treats every 6 weeks to deliver a beautifully manicured, lush lawn with the highest regard for personal health and the environment. Currently there are 27 territories across the US from Seattle to San Francisco to Raleigh to Chicago.
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