Union County entrepreneurs receive start-up grant funds

 Union County entre-preneurs James R. Earles of Alto Pass and Jeff Wallin of Cobden have won seed capital start-up grants from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Delta Regional Authority.

Earles is owner and operator of Pharaoh Motorsports, a business that converts gas vehicles to electric.

Wallin is an artist/blacksmith.

Earles and Wallin com-pleted and graduated from Operation Bootstrap, an intensive 10-week course designed by the Marion-Kaufman School of Business to help budding entrepreneurs take their business ideas from concept to launch.

Upon completion of the course, entrepreneurs had to present their ideas for a five-member panel of successful business owners from across Southern Illinois in order to compete for the start-up grants.

Earles and Wallin were two of 38 competitors for the seed capital.

The award ceremony took place at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center in Carbondale Thursday, Dec. 10.