Sensiil Studios & Young G’s Barbecue Sauce Won Pitch Competition at Iowa Veterans Entrepreneur Conference
Racing this weekend in the SRO TC America Series at the Brickyard will be special for Colin Garrett in two ways. He is topping off the season after clinching the TCX class championship in his No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup) at Sebring in September, and also promoting two winners of his inaugural 11/11 Veteran Project Pitch Competition.
The Pitch Competition took place at the Iowa Veterans Entrepreneurship Conference at Iowa State University in June. Two winners will be at the race with him to promote their companies, expand their network, and celebrate the championship.
Sensiil Studios is the first Black owned comic studio in Iowa and was founded by Aniekanabasi (Basi) White, a member of the Iowa Army National Guard. His next graphic novel, Regicide: Havoc, features Garrett as one of the characters and will be released this Fall. He and 11/11 Veteran Project are launching a crowdfunder soon to cover printing costs and raise funds to promote more veteran owned companies through Garrett’s racing next year.
Young G’s Barbecue Sauce, founded by Army veteran Gerald Young, is an all natural sauce developed from Young’s secret family recipe. His father gave him the recipe when he returned from active duty in Afghanistan, with permission to take it to the world. The sauce is gluten-free, diabetic friendly, and made with all natural ingredients. It’s now sold throughout the Midwest and online at Walmart, and is expanding into China.
Promoting veteran owned small businesses through his racing furthers the mission of Garrett’s 11/11 Veteran Project to promote access to resources that help improve the lives of veterans, military families, and the disabled.
The mission is personal for him because both of his brothers are in the military. He said, “Sharing this special weekend with Basi and Gerald is going to be amazing. To have the first Pitch Competition winners at my first TC America TCX championship is a reminder that this is what it’s all about: partnering with companies, philanthropists, and fans to help veterans and military families live the life they deserve.”
Past veteran owned small businesses have been able to leverage a spot on his car to reach enviable goals. Retired Army Command Sergeant Major Donnell Johns, founder of Veterans Growing America, says “Colin Garrett’s 11/11 project is a great way to elevate your organization’s message and status. Veterans Growing America went from doing one day events to a storefront in a premium shopping center.” Their new location in Northern Virginia is adjacent to Apple and Starbucks.
Garrett is able to promote nonprofits and small businesses due to a unique business model for Colin Garrett Racing. Rather than focusing on traditional motorsports sponsors, he and 11/11 Veteran Project help corporations solve critical problems like recruiting and retaining skilled employees, positioning in the marketplace, and connecting with military families or veteran owned small businesses. Those corporations become part of working towards a higher purpose while solving real business problems.
The profits from that work are then used to fund racing to promote the causes and small businesses that Garrett and 11/11 support.
The Indy race weekend will consist of practice on Thursday and Friday, October 5-6, qualifying on Friday, and racing on Saturday and Sunday.