ROCKLAND — A significant victory came Thursday night for chocolate bar entrepreneur Kate McAleer, founder of Bixby & Co., as well as for the Midcoast. McAleer had been competing in Gorham Savings Bank’s annual LaunchPad contest, which helps fund the launch of a business idea that may not otherwise take flight. Out of 130 Maine entrepreneurs, her business ideas impressed a panel of judges the most and she walked away with a $30,000 check.

She was the only female-run business, the only Midcoast contestant and quite possibly the youngest entrepreneur to win the challenge.

We spoke with her about the competition and what’s next for Bixby & Co., which recently re-located its production space to the working waterfront district of Rockland.

Q: How did the competition work and what did you have to do?

A: There were a couple of stages. First, you had to submit an application, so that’s where the 130 applicants came from. Then, a panel of judges selected the top 12 applicants to be semi-finalists. Then, the semi-finalists had to get votes, which is where I was going around to all these places in the community trying to encourage people to vote online. There were more than 8,000 votes for the semi-finalists. Then, last night, the top five voted companies had to pitch [the business idea] to three judges and answer questions. Out of those five, the top pitcher won $30,000.

Q: What was it like to stand in front of the three judges last night to pitch them your business ideas?

A: It was scary and fun. There was was so much opportunity in front of me. I just worked extremely hard to prepare for it and wanted to give it my best—give it my all. We’re really preparing for a national launch and that was the crux of my pitch. I thought, this is a perfect moment for this potential growth we’re forecasting for the first quarter and I needed to tell these judges what the opportunity was in front of them with my company.

Q: What was your reaction and the reaction of the people around you last night when they announced the winner?

A: Some people screamed. I was a little in disbelief myself. On the PowerPoint presentation, they flashed my logo before they announced the winner and I thought, “Uh oh, is that a technical glitch?” I was just so thrilled when they announced I was the winner and handed me this huge check. All the hard work and challenges of the past two years building up to this moment, to tell my story and prepare for this tremendous growth is all amazing timing at a critical moment.

Q: From the LaunchPad contest statement, it looks as though you and your parents have been hand-packing these chocolate bars for so long. What does this award now mean for you?

A: With this money from Gorham Saving Bank, we’re going to invest in more capital equipment to expand our chocolate production capacity.

Bixby & Co is located at 1 Sea Street Place, in the historic working harbor district of Rockland, where they moved their production facility last month. The LaunchPad award will allow Bixby & Co. to purchase equipment for more efficient refrigeration and more efficient bar making methods as well as purchase melting tanks to ensure continuous flow of chocolate.

This is not only a boon to Bixby & Co., but also to the creative economy of Rockland, which continues to soar. In the future, look for a an expanded Bixby & Co., complete with tours and a tasting room. For more information visit: bixbyco.com

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com