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WACO, Texas, April 9, 2019—Today, Extraco Banks launches applications for the Extrapreneur Award Program, which focuses on providing Central Texas entrepreneurs and small business owners with a $25,000 cash prize, along with mentorship and business consultations for an entire year. PALS Home Health was recognized as the program’s inaugural winner during a press conference held on April 9th. “Since 1902, we have listened to the needs of our community, and worked to develop and implement innovative, creative solutions to meet those needs” said Chris Kincaid, Corporate Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy. “We understand the unique characteristics of entrepreneurs and small business owners, which is why we created the Extrapreneur program. This program provides entrepreneurs and small business owners capital and business resources to further advance the impact on job growth and economic development in the Central Texas area.” To apply for the program, applicants must meet a host of requirements. The requirements include the business must be for-profit and not a franchise purchase, business must be a legal entity, applicants must be at least 20 years in age, annual revenue not to exceed $3 million, applicants must have at least 20 percent equity in the company, and the business must operate in one of the following counties: Bell, Brazos, Coryell, Hamilton, McLennan or Williamson. Applications for Extrapreneur open on April 9th and will close on August 13th. Senior executives at Extraco Banks will review applications and announce finalists on September 10th. Each finalist will be paired with a mentor from Extraco to help prepare for the “Shark Tank®” pitch event on September 24th. The winner will be announced at a banquet on September 26th. PALS Home Health is the program’s inaugural winner. PALS specializes in pediatric home health private duty nursing for children that are medically dependent. Tyler Martin and Natasha James, owners of PALS Home Health, said being awarded this program will positively impact the company’s growth for years to come. "We feel very blessed to be the first winner of Extraco's Extrapreneur program. As a small business owner, the financial resources, business consulting and mentorship that is given to the program’s winner are invaluable,” said Tyler Martin, Chief Financial Officer for PALS Home Health. “We plan to use the $10,000 cash prize to purchase a pediatric venalitation system so we are able to train our staff with the latest technology,” said Natasha James, Chief Operations Officer and Director of Nursing for PALS Home Health. “We are also very excited for the business consulting and mentorship. As a small business, it is hard to have on staff every area of expertise, such as marketing. Being paired with an Extraco marketing expert for the entire year will significantly make a positive impact on our company’s expected growth.” Extraco is committed to building people, businesses and communities in the Central Texas area. For more information about Extrapreneur and to apply, visit www.EBextrapreneur.com.