By Karen Barbier Youth Business News Bureau
KidsWay, Inc. and Kennesaw State University (KSU) of Atlanta, GA recently announced the winners of the 1999 Young Entrepreneur Business Plan Competition. A California high school senior and two home-schooled teens in Florida won the competition, which was open to middle and high school students across the country.
"We want to support our youth and let them know that we believe in what they're doing," said Steve Morris, CEO of KidsWay, Inc., about this year's winners. "The competition encourages young people to consider careers in business and helps prepare them to be valuable future employees and business leaders."
Winner of the high school category was Joseph Mellin. The senior from Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, CA said he was excited to learn about the win. His plan supported Joe's Original Garlic Dill Pickles, a business he started four years ago with the help of his grandmother's recipe.
"I've always been interested in entrepreneurship," said Mellin, who owned his first business in the third grade and has written a book titled Starting Young: Getting a Jump on Getting Ahead in Business.
Mellin's company makes pickles from home-grown cucumbers, garlic and dill to sell at farmers markets, street fairs, at school and on the Internet. Last year, Mellin sold 400 jars of pickles. He hopes to match that this year, although he doesn't have this year's tallies yet.
Daniel and Jonathan Estry, the middle school winners, were just as thrilled as Mellin to learn their plan for an import/export business called Pipa Shippa International had been selected. As home-schooled students who live most of the time in Venezuela, both Estry boys said they learned about the contest by reading Young Entrepreneur magazine, published bimonthly by KidsWay.
"We weren't even sure what a business plan was," said 12-year-old Jonathan. But the boys' mother/teacher, whose teaching efforts are affiliated with Bethel Christian Academy-Centro de Formacion Misionera, made sure they found out.
According to the boys, they investigated different business plans and then began planning what type of business they could start. The Estrys decided on importing Pipa toads from Venezuela, rare aquatic toads that live only in the water. Upon investigation, Daniel and Jonathan found that only three places in North America sell them.
Winners of the Young Entrepreneur Business Plan competition were announced in May at the Third Annual Entrepreneurship Educator's Conference in Orlando,FL. The winning person in each category received a trophy and a check for $2,500. The sponsoring teachers also received $2,500, while the schools received a trophy. Finalists were also named in both categories. The finalist and their teachers received $500 each. All winners and finalists received scholarships to attend a KidsWay Young Entrepreneur Training Camp this summer.
Two business plans were selected in the finalist category for middle school: Practically Perfect Pretzels, submitted by Cissy Bates, a seventh grader at First Presbyterian Day School in Macon, GA and Stitch 'En Stuff, submitted by Amanda Dudley and Leanne Hehre, eighth graders at Jordan Road School in Somers Point, NJ.
In the high school category, the finalists included: Clean Office Technologies, submitted by Jason M. Baum, a senior from Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, AZ; Meissen Entomology Company, submitted by Randy J. Meissen, a senior at Salisbury High School in Salisbury, MO; and Barney's Bake Shop, submitted by Bryce L. Wilson, a senior at Slaton High School in Slaton, TX.
According to Morris, the plans were judged on the whole business concept and the student's ability to implement the business.
"We looked for students who were able to take their vision of entrepreneurship and turn it into a step-by-step plan," said Morris. "There were a lot of really good entries and the judges had to make some real decisions based on the student's ability to put their dream into words."
Judges included Morris and KidsWay Vice President Bart Shull, as well as Dorothy Brawley, Gary Roberts, Richard Teters, Robert Bever, Karen Ervin, Bridget Sullivan and James Herbert, head of the Urban Enterprise Initiative at KSU, who also served as executive director of the competition.
Sponsors for the event included KidsWay, Inc., Michael J. Coles College of Business at KSU and BP Amoco. Entry forms for the Young Entrepreneur Business Plan Competition for the year 2000 will be available at all Office Depot stores beginning October 1.
Interested students can look for information on the 2000 competition in upcoming issues of Young Entrepreneur magazine. The rules are also posted online at www.kidsway.com
For additional information about KidsWay programs or Young Entrepreneur magazine, call 888-543-7929.
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