Forty Fort enterprise hits the mark: The Hatchet Factory earns $10,000 award

Denise Ogurkis discovered inspiration to ascertain an ax-throwing enterprise whereas she was tens of hundreds of toes within the air.

Ogurkis, a serial entrepreneur, crafted the thought for the Hatchet Factory after seeing a booklet on a aircraft when touring to a small city in Idaho

“I always look for something to bring into town that isn’t here, something unique and different,” she mentioned. “I was on a flight to Twin Falls for my nonprofit, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, and I read an article about a gentleman in Canada who owned a bar and put a target on the wall. People loved that they could throw a hatchet at it. I thought, there’s a novel idea.”

Several months after coming back from the journey, Ogurkis discovered an area and opened the enterprise alongside Welles Street in Forty Fort in July 2019.

“We opened, and I got shut down a few months later because of COVID,” she mentioned. “We were ramping it up and ready to roll, and the place was packed every night, and then COVID came. We had to rebuild once we were allowed to open the doors and it evolved into a place where we do a lot of team building, corporate events, and private parties like wedding receptions and baby showers. We’ve become more of a community venue.”

Now, about seven years later, the Hatchet Factory obtained recognition from Citizens as one of many financial institution’s 20 recipients of its 2026 Small Business Community Champion Award from all through 9 states.

“It’s going to help us tremendously in a couple different areas,” Ogurkis mentioned. “The first thing we want to do is implement some things for our overall customer experience within the realm of visibility, making sure people know about the business. We’re going do some marketing and some upgrades with our signage. I was floored that we were chosen because there are so many great businesses and all of them need a little bit of help.”

Each honoree receives $10,000 and a 12 months {of professional} improvement assist by way of Luminary, which incorporates completely different instructional providers and extra enterprise helps, Citizens officers mentioned.

Citizens has awarded almost $2 million to small companies throughout the 9 years of this system, officers added.

Danielle Newnam, Citizens’ vice chairman and small-business market supervisor for Greater Philadelphia, lauded Ogurkis’ deliberate use of the cash.

“Some things that stood out around her submission were how she had intended to allocate the funds, and bring them back into the community,” Newnam mentioned. “She highlighted that she would use the award to strengthen and sustain her business by using the funds to support free and low-cost events for local nonprofits, youth groups and first responders. She also mentioned that she would use some of the funds to help long-term sustainability by upgrading equipment, enhancing safety features, and targeting marketing efforts to reach new audiences. We know small businesses play key roles in our local economy. As she grows the business, this will also provide more job opportunities.”

Ogurkis strives to proceed constructing on the ability’s popularity as a welcoming house and neighborhood hub for years to return.

“I think everybody needs to feel they have a safe place to go, where there is camaraderie,” she mentioned. “I think people are craving connection right now. We want to give people a place to unplug, laugh, have some conversation and make memories. This is my baby. My children work there, I work there, so it was super exciting to see that this little puppy I launched in the valley is now part of something bigger.”