Local Teen Entrepreneurs Compete in National College Scholarship Competition in DC
Palm Beach County, FL, – The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Palm Beach County. This past week, the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!), a national program that delivers its curriculum to middle and high school students through various Chambers of Commerce across the country, hosted the National Semi-Finals in Rochester, New York.
Ninety businesses representing thirty-three states competed for only six spots in the National Finals to be held this June during the America’s Small Business Summit in Washington DC. Snap’d In, a customizable cellphone case company represented by Ethan Shapiro (American Heritage School Boca Delray) and Ryan Shnider (Palm Beach Central High School), took first place in the Southeast Region. The students were selected to compete in the 6th Annual Saunders Scholars Competition.
Hundreds of business and education leaders, students and parents will gather to hear America’s top six young entrepreneurs aged 11-18 pitch their business plans. The students will compete to win college scholarships ranging from $25,000 – $50,000 during an all-expenses paid trip to America’s Small Business Summit in Washington, DC, and, the opportunity to be on ABC Television’s hit show Shark Tank!
The Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce runs the YEA! program locally though its non-profit arm, the Central Palm Beach County Community Foundation. As part of the YEA! program, students are introduced to all facets of the business world including, but not limited to, advertising, attorneys, graphic designers and web developers.
During the course of the nine-month program, more than 20 local businesses become involved with YEA! at various levels. Students work in close cooperation with local business leaders, community leaders and educators who use their personal experiences to demonstrate how to transform their ideas into tangible enterprises that create economic and social value for a better world. By the time the students graduate, they are CEOs of their own real business or social movement. Applications are now available for 2016-2017. For more information on how to get involved, please call 561.790.6200 or visit www.cpbchamberyea.org.
The Central Palm Beach County YEA! program would not be possible without the support and generosity of the co-presenting sponsors, Florida Power & Light and the School District of Palm Beach County, as well as all of the program sponsors, volunteers, and amazing students.
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!)
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a groundbreaking and exciting yearlong class that transforms middle and high school students into real, confident entrepreneurs. Throughout the class, students develop business ideas, write business plans, conduct market research, pitch their plans to a panel of investors, and actually launch and run their own real, legal, fully formed companies and social movements. Founded in 2004 at the University of Rochester with support from the Kauffman Foundation, the Young Entrepreneurs Academy today serves thousands of students in communities across America. For more information, please call 561.790.6200 or visit www.cpbchamberyea.org
About the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce
The geographic footprint of the Chamber extends from the sugar cane fields near Lake Okeechobee to the coral reefs of the Atlantic Ocean, encompassing 15 municipalities and serving a population of more than 490,000 residents, roughly 36% of the population of Palm Beach County. The communities located within the chamber’s footprint are: Acreage, Atlantis, Belle Glade, Greenacres, Lake Clarke Shores, Lake Worth, Lantana, Loxahatchee, Loxahatchee Groves, Manalapan, Palm Springs, Royal Palm Beach, South Palm Beach, Wellington and West Palm Beach. Visit www.cpbchamber.com.