Posted in: Comics | Tagged: binc, diamond, texas

BINC Pays to Send Comic Store Employees to Diamond Summit in Texas

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC) announced they will be offering two $750 scholarships to attend the Diamond Summit in Dallas, Texas.

Published Thu, 11 May 2023 08:57:10 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC) announced they will be offering two $750 scholarships to comic book store owners and their employees to attend the Diamond Summit in Dallas, Texas, on June 7th and 9th. The funds may be used for travel, replacement wages, lodging, and meals.

On the scholarship, Kathy Govier, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Diamond, said, "We are thrilled that Binc sees such value in our programming and the summit's networking opportunities that they are supporting retailers who could otherwise not attend. Their continued support of the comic industry and our retail partners is unmatched." Binc's Executive Director, Pam French, said, "We are proud to offer this professional development scholarship to comic retailers and the for a second year. Through this scholarship, even more retailers will have the opportunity to attend the Summit gaining valuable learning and networking opportunities." Binc's program manager, Judey Kalchik, says she is excited to be attending the Summit in June and encourages everyone to stop by Binc's table to say hello, ask questions about emergency assistance and scholarships, and offer Binc suggestions and feedback. Binc is always looking to hear from comic shop owners and employees.

To apply for a scholarship to the Summit, applicants must meet the following criteria:

The applicant's store must be in the U.S. and either a retail bricks-and-mortar store owned by an entity a substantial portion of whose revenue is derived from the bricks-and-mortar sale of books/comics, -or- a mobile or pop-up store with an ongoing overhead investment that is open to the general public and maintains an annual average of 30 hours per week with an employee present.
The applicant must be a regular part-time or full-time employee or owner of a comic shop.
Applicants must be currently employed and have 90 days of continuous employment with the comic shop.
Comic store owners and their employees can apply for a scholarship here.

Applications are now open. The deadline to apply is May 22nd, 2023 by 5:00 pm ET.

BINC came to prominence within the comic book industry during the pandemic and has helped many comic book stores deal with unexpected bills and keep the lights on during struggling times. This is just one example of how they help comic book stores find new opportunities in the industry and learn how to thrive.