2011 Young Entrepreneur's Program Concludes
Monday, December 12, 2011
On Monday, December 12, "12+1 Bakery," the final business plan written by Marion High School students Corey Deaton, Miranda Fuchs, and Megan Swan, received first place in the Young Entrepreneur's Program final business plan competition. The vision for their business was to provide Marion with a high-quality bakery experience. Second place was awarded to "Flair," the business plan written by Kirby Kohlmorgen, Chynna Fry, and Chari Redwine. Their plan featured an alternative to YouTube, where users can rate videos and decide which videos are more prevalent on the site.
The awards ceremony was held at Meshingomesia Country Club and served as a culminating celebration of the students' hard work. Justin Powell, founder of Huntington Outdoor, a billboard company, served as the keynote speaker for the event. The actual competition took place on Wednesday, December 7, at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Administration Building. A panel of five judges, all professionals from the Grant County community, evaluated four final business plans based on a rubric provided by the Grant County Economic Growth Council (GCEGC).
Two additional student teams also presented final business plans. Tyler Humbles, Mariah Powell, and Audrey Walts' business plan, "The Galaxy," put forth the vision of a family fun center, where patrons could enjoy indoor mini-golf, laser tag, and arcade games, along with other attractions. Meredith Kuczora, Jessica Snyder, and Emon Jones created the "Suit Up Shop," a business plan to provide the community with a uniform store.
Each student on the first place team was awarded $500 cash, Dr. Dre Beats Studio headphones, an iPod Touch, and up to $3000 in college scholarships. Second place received Dr. Dre Beats ear-bud headphones, an iPod Shuffle, and $100 cash.
The Young Entrepreneur's Program is executed and designed by the Grant County Economic Growth Council with the support of members of the Innovative Network. Marion High School students attended hour-long sessions after school twice a week for ten weeks, starting in September. Tuesday sessions exposed the students to Grant County professionals who shared about various aspects of the world of business and entrepreneurship, and Thursday sessions provided the students with time to work in teams on their business plans, with the help of volunteer mentors from the Indiana Wesleyan University Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team.
The program was sponsored by the Community Foundation of Grant County, the Grant County Chamber of Commerce, Old National Bank Foundation, Crandall Engineering, VIA Credit Union, the Center for Life Calling and Leadership, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Taylor University.