Carolina Panthers Announce the Return of Contest Benefiting Small Businesses in NC and SC

Press Release

Lenovo and the Carolina Panthers today announced the return of the Empowering the Carolinas contest to highlight and support small businesses across the Carolinas. The initiative is part of Lenovo’s Evolve Small campaign, which was launched in 2021 to celebrate and uplift small businesses – especially those that are women and minority-owned – across North America through grant and product donations, mentorship, and community engagement activities.

For the second straight year, the Carolina Panthers and Lenovo are partnering to give back to small businesses that are the pillars of our local communities, many of which are still recovering from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the general public can nominate their favorite small business by visiting www.panthers.com/lenovo.

10 winning businesses will be selected and will receive $5,000 worth of technology upgrades from Lenovo. The businesses will be able to choose one of three tech packages that best fits their company’s tech needs. All 10 winning business owners will also receive tickets to the Panthers preseason game versus the Buffalo Bills on August 26 and will be recognized on the field at the halftime. During that recognition ceremony, one of the 10 will be announced as the grand prize winner and will receive a $100,000 advertising package with the Panthers during the NFL season. In partnership with, Microsoft , Lenovo will also provide mentorship and community engagement that will help small businesses accelerate and achieve long-term success.

Nominations for qualifying businesses in the Carolinas are now open and will be accepted online through July 29.

“The last several years have been challenging for businesses across the Carolinas, and small businesses are among those who have been impacted the most. Through the Evolve Small campaign and the Empowering the Carolinas contest with the Panthers, Lenovo is supporting and fostering growth for businesses in communities here in our backyard,” said Gerald Youngblood, Chief Marketing Officer, Lenovo North America. “The Carolinas have been home to Lenovo for nearly two decades and partnering with the Panthers has helped us rally support for these businesses and the communities that both of our organizations call home.”

Last year’s grand prize winner of the Empowering the Carolinas contest was Dentist Salud, a dental clinic offering personalized and affordable care to the Hispanic population in the Mecklenburg area of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Details for nominations
Small businesses in North and South Carolina are eligible to be nominated for the Empowering the Carolinas Small Business Contest online through July 29 on the Carolina Panthers’ Empowering the Carolinas  website. Nominators should prepare a short essay of 200 words or fewer answering these two questions:

(a)    Why should the small business you are nominating win the new technology?

(b)    Why should the small business you are nominating win a marketing partnership with the Carolina Panthers?

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