Sowing a Path to Personal Freedom

Sherrie Edmonds launched her entrepreneurial journey in Peoria Illinois in August 2023. The Harvest Pot has provided a wide range of services and products to the US Army Corps of Engineers beginning with catering services, then moving into hotel lounging, waste management pickup, and now steel products for the reconstruction of the Illinois Waterway Project replacing barge gates. Their primary mission is to provide quality service to the US Government and continue to establish credibility in other government entities.

Prior to launching her own company, Edmonds worked for ten years in a corporate setting as a civilian contractor, providing the US Government with services in Afghanistan and Iraq. During this time, she realized that she didn’t enjoy the corporate world and wanted to work for herself. Tapping into her connections, she was able to secure a contract that launched her business into action.

Edmonds contacted the Illinois APEX Accelerator, at Bradley University and spoke with Director, Keli Krueger-Huhra, who has been there to help since the infancy of her launch and has served not only as her advisor, but mentor. “Keli’s been very inspirational in the hard decisions,” Edmonds stated. Whether helping her to leverage her contracts as collateral, navigating contract verbiage, or getting certifications as needed, Krueger-Huhra has been her go-to person. “She fills the role of whatever I need in that moment, if it’s mentor-she’s there; if it’s coaching me to keep going- she’s there, whatever it is, Keli has been in my corner since the day we connected,” she shared. Whenever things aren’t going as planned she remembers what Krueger-Huhra always tells her, “This is yours don’t let anyone try to take it away from you. Stand tall, be firm in your delivery and execute the next action,” and it helps her get back on track.

So far, The Harvest Pot has secured six contracts. Edmonds expressed great joy in her latest partnership with O’Brien Steel Works of Peoria. Upon launching this partnership, O’Brien granted a generous amount of credit to The Harvest Pot to assist in securing the contract with the US Army Corps on the Illinois Waterway Project. She continues to grow and learn each day in her experiences and apply the lessons as often as she can. “It’s all about sowing your seed and watching it grow,” Edmonds said. In the near future, she hopes to be the go-to company for the government’s products and services as she continues to strive to stand out against her competitors.