Tanya Whye’s mattress recycling business is Great Dames’ pick in entrepreneur contest
A Wilmington woman’s mattress recycling business bested 40 other entrepreneurial proposals to win Great Dames, Inc.’s “Remarkable Ideas Competition.
”Tanya Whye, founder and president of Delaware Green Mattress Disassembling & Recycling, LLC, was winner in a competition that attracted contestants from women-owned enterprises in six mid-Atlantic states.
Delaware first lady Carla Markell was on hand to announce the winner on Nov. 10 at Pizza By Elizabeths in Greenville. She was joined by Great Dames President and Chief Executive Sharon Kelly Hake in presenting more than $35,000 in cash and services to the winner.
Whye’s proposal involves recycling mattresses and box springs while creating jobs for first-offenders. Whye, who said she was “humbled” by the award, was inspired to create her business model while earning an MBA degree in environmental stewardship at Wilmington University.
She and four other finalists competed Oct. 5 at Pizza By Elizabeths, giving five-minute pitches in a format based on the TV show “Shark Tank,” but with a positive spin. All finalists won business-mentor partnerships and membership in a new “Great Dames Community of Remarkable Entrepreneurs,” to start with a free workshop, Hake said.
Judging the pitches were Betsy Leroy of Pizza By Elizabeths; Mona Parikh of Start It Up Delaware; Anne Shehab of Golden Seeds, which funds women-led enterprises; and Susan Leath, president/publisher of The News Journal, a contest sponsor. Judges and guests all got to vote.
