MOORESVILLE – Lowe’s is partnering with “Shark Tank” star and investor Daymond John to offer entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities the opportunity to pitch their products to potentially be sold by the home improvement retailer.

Called “Making it…With Lowe’s,” the program will provide a platform for hundreds of diverse small business owners to pitch their products to the home improvement retail giant to be sold in stores and online.

Lowe’s is looking for retail products in both home improvement and non-traditional home improvement categories such as farm and ranch equipment, microbes or antimicrobial products, accessible home, touchless products, home gardening, home décor and more, according to the press release.

The program is accepting applications through Sept. 25.

To start, Lowe’s will select the initial 375 contenders. The company will narrow the group to 75 and ask them to submit a more in-depth video for the competition.

The search will conclude with a one-day virtual pitch challenge hosted by Daymond John, where five finalists will pitch their product to Lowe’s CEO and other top executives. John will prepare the finalists for their big pitch.

“Making It With Lowe’s is giving these minority-owned businesses a much-deserved chance to shine while uncovering unique, smart products that will make Lowe’s shelves even more appealing to customers. The pandemic has created a situation where business owners are constantly pivoting and deepening their creativity and problem-solving abilities, especially minority-owned businesses who have more at stake, more to lose. I can’t wait to get started,” John said in a release.

The “Making it…With Lowe’s” program builds on other diversity and inclusion initiatives. In July, Lowe’s boosted its small business grant program to $55 million, to help minority-women-owned and rural small businesses, especially in underserved communities, navigate the challenges of the pandemic.

“Offering our customers greater access to products being created by diverse small business owners allows Lowe’s digital and physical shelves nationwide to better reflect the diverse communities we serve and ensures our customers have access to the most innovative and valued home improvement products in the marketplace,” Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison said in the release.

The company will announce the results of the contest in early 2021 on its social media channels.

Lowe’s operates more than 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores in the U.S. and Canada and employs approximately 300,000 associates.

Shares of Lowe’s were last trading up 2.29 percent, or $3.79, near $168.98.

The release is available here.

This story is from the North Carolina Business News Wire, a service of UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Media and Journalism