Franklin Chamber awards $10,000 to mini golf course startup

A business proposal for a mini golf course in Franklin was the rising star this week in a pitch competition designed to help fund local startups.

Brandon Tungate won a $10,000 grant from the Greater Franklin Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday for his idea to create a mini golf course in downtown Franklin. The pitch competition, held in the Custer Theatre at Franklin College, was part of Launch Johnson County, a program that started this fall to support emerging and existing county entrepreneurs.

A total of 13 entrepreneurs submitted applications and five Johnson County startup ideas were presented to an audience and judges Tuesday. Presenters were Rhiannon Thunell with her glass art business EtheralAvesArt, Jennifer Parker with her dog treat business Cosmic Dog Bakery, Tungate with his mini-golf concept named Parkview Mini Golf, Julias Choga with his digital marketing agency concept Atlas Core and Whitney Habig with her market concept R+D Market.

The money comes from a Community Collaboration Fund grant from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. The Franklin Chamber of Commerce was awarded $35,000 and will be awarding $30,000 in total through grants to local businesses, said Rosie Chambers, Franklin Chamber’s president and CEO.

As part of the Launch Johnson County concept, the entrepreneurs received training from local volunteers who shared their expertise in law, marketing and entrepreneurship ahead of the pitch competition on Tuesday. Entrepreneurs will have another chance to pitch on March 4, 2025. Two startups will receive $10,000 following the second pitch.

Judges for the pitch contest are former journalist and current public relations professional Lauren Casey Bemis, financial advisor Bryan Epperson and local business owner Amy Richardson.

Parkview Mini Golf

For the first pitch event, Tungate took home the grand prize. He said he’d had the idea to open a mini golf course for a while, but he knew the course had to be in the right location. One night, he and his wife saw the perfect location at a property in Franklin at the half-acre space at 252 S. Main St. The lot is a vacant parcel next to Youngs Creek Park.

He has only been working on the business venture for the last five to six weeks, he said.

“This would be kind of a primary downtown attraction. It would get people in the community engaged, benefit other businesses and there’s also various uses for this, to rent out for team building for businesses, for education,” Tungate said. “I think about bringing kids over, not only for if they want to play mini golf but to teach them about plants (which will be along the course) and that kind of thing.”

Tungate also runs another small tree nursery at his house and wants native plants, trees and shrubs at the mini golf course.

Ken Kosky, executive director of Festival Country, wrote a letter of support for the project, which was shared with the judges.

Tungate believes the development would be beneficial to the Franklin community and businesses.

“Obviously it’s a business that I think would make money, but more importantly, I think this will help other businesses in Franklin,” he said. “I think this would draw people in.”

Tungate told the Daily Journal he was “very surprised” and “very fortunate” to win the competition and was planning on coming back in the spring for the next pitch competition. He said the grant will help fund the initial stages of creating his business, like with attorney’s fees and plans for acquiring the property.

1 of 9

EtheralAvesArt

Thunell, owner of Etheral Aves Art, creates glass art and wanted to use the grant money to build a hot shop, which would allow her to blow larger glass art pieces.

“That would allow me to make larger items, and especially more larger animals, which has always been my favorite thing and what I really want to do going forward,” she said.

She also mentioned creating a mobile setup to do work in front of customers at farmers markets. In the next three to five years, Thunell hopes to open a storefront and be able to offer glass blowing classes.

“What I would love to do, if I could find students to do it, is do weekly classes where you come in, you actually build your skills,” she said. “But that’s obviously going to be more for people who are looking to become artists but that’s how I got started. So I’d like to offer that to the community.”

Cosmic Dog Bakery

Parker, owner of Cosmic Dog Bakery, makes homemade, healthy dog treats and has a three-year business model where she’d use the grant for different business tasks including establishing a greater online presence and customer base, purchasing equipment, hiring part-time staff and opening a storefront.

Cosmic Dog Bakery treats include crunch treats with organic peanut butter like her Big Bang Biscuits, her Luna Biscuits with cheddar and her Andromeda Delights made with organic pumpkin and soft baked goods like Dwarf Star Donuts and Cosmic Cream Pie. Parker also sells branded tote bags, stickers and pet accessories.

What’s missing in Franklin, according to Parker, is a dog bakery.

“I love this quaint, picturesque, cozy town. It’s a stroll-friendly community filled with charming boutiques, coffee shops, delectable diners, a historic theater and green trails. But a notable absence in our vibrant downtown is a sweet spot for our furry friends, a dedicated dog bakery,” Parker said. “If I were awarded this grant, Cosmic Dog Bakery would be the missing piece in our charming community’s pet-friendly puzzle. By filling this gap, we would enhance our local business and create a vibrant destination for dog lovers.”

Atlas Core

Choga, a Franklin College software engineering student and owner of Atlas Core, intends to create a digital agency that can help with web development, graphic design, SEO, photography and promotional media. Choga said the grant would go a long way with buying software subscriptions, a domain and hosting for the business’s own website, paying staff, as well as legal costs.

Through talking with large and small businesses, Choga said many small businesses, especially in Johnson County, lack an online presence. His business would be a solution to fix this need to provide high-quality and affordable digital marketing.

Other positives with the business include the opportunity to hire not only county residents but also Franklin College students and keep money within Johnson County, which would be a benefit to local businesses, Choga said.

“Once you start going door to door and talking to the managers and owners of these businesses, you’d be really surprised, I was surprised that A Trophy Business has been operating for so long without a website, for example,” Choga said. “There are many more businesses in Johnson County that do not have a digital presence, and they’ll greatly benefit from that.”

R + D Market

Habig, owner of Rooted Designs + Company, wants to establish an extension of her current business by creating the R + D Market. The market will provide handmade and hand-grown goods all year round which will support local growers and producers, give back to the local economy, showcase local artisans and creatives, offer classes, provide a space for celebrations at an affordable rate and a commercial kitchen available for rent.

She wanted to use the grant to pay for web design marketing and make sure her “ducks are in a row” before getting a commercial building, which could include getting a liquor license, permits and sitting down with a financial consultant.

At the market, Habig said there will be market stalls available for rent, tickets available for events like farm-to-tables, dinners, special gatherings, wine tastings and more. There will be private rental space, a rentable commercial kitchen and she would love to have a future cafe, bakery or some sort of food option where the community can linger in the space longer.

She will also include services she already does with her current business Rooted Designs + Company including event styling and interior design. Habig said she would love to connect local growers, producers and businesses to high schoolers, maybe like an apprenticeship.