“Shark Tank” East End?
I-Hamptons, a company that provides resources for East End entrepreneurs, is accepting submissions of innovative business ideas for a competition to be held this fall. Based on the television show “Shark Tank,” the competition, Riptide: Hamptons Sink or Swim, will give applicants a chance to win up to $50,000 to build a business focused on either health and wellness; food, drink, and hospitality; media and technology, or retail and consumer products. The owners of existing companies can apply, but their businesses must be less than two years old, have earned less than $50,000 in gross revenue, and have a main office in Suffolk County. The owners’ salaries must also be less than $50,000.
The deadline for submissions is Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. The competition will culminate with a live event on Nov. 9 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Southampton Arts Center. For more information and to apply visit the I-Hamptons website.
The East Hampton Chamber of Commerce and People’s United Bank will hold a mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the bank’s 99 Newtown Lane branch in East Hampton Village. Glenn O. Vickers of the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter, the Chamber of Commerce’s president, will update attendees on upcoming events including the village’s fall festival, which will be held on Oct. 19 in Herrick Park. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. Admission is $15 for nonmembers.
Fuelco Inc., a new fuel oil and diesel fuel company, is on the job this fall on the South Fork. Owned by Tom Strong and Wayne Gauger, who both grew up in East Hampton and are now police officers here, the company offers delivery of #2 fuel oil for commercial and residential applications.
It can also handle the diesel fuel needs of trucking companies, excavation companies, farms, marinas, and commercial and residential diesel-powered generators. It is affiliated with Grant Heating and Cooling, which can take on “any service work,” Mr. Gauger said by email.
The company was founded in