By Staff
CASSOPOLIS – Nearly 300 high school students in Cass, Berrien and Van Buren counties will share their entrepreneurial aspirations at two Young Entrepreneurs Day events. The Edward Lowe Foundation sponsors both annual events, now in their fourth year.
On April 24 about 30 Cass County students will visit the foundation's headquarters at Big Rock Valley near Cassopolis to present business plans they have developed during entrepreneurship courses offered at their schools. Then on May 5 some 250 youths from Berrien and Van Buren counties will celebrate Young Entrepreneurs Day at the Napier Avenue campus of Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor. Participating students will share business plans, along with portfolios.
"The foundation is proud to support these activities that encourage free enterprise among our local youth," says Darlene Lowe, the foundation's co-founder and chairman. "We see it as a grass roots effort to spur interest in entrepreneurship in our own neighborhood."
"Especially with today's economic challenges, it's important to expose young people to entrepreneurship and the realization they can take control of their future," says Dan Wyant, the foundation's president and chief operating officer.
The entrepreneurship course gives students an opportunity to use organizational skills and create a business plan that could be implemented someday, explains Joan Forburger, career tech director for Lewis Cass Intermediate School District. "They're learning to take knowledge about personnel, finance, marketing, and put it together into a viable business plan that serves as a roadmap," she says.
At Young Entrepreneurs Day, students acquire valuable experience in speaking as they discuss business plans one-on-one with local entrepreneurs and business leaders, Forburger says. The community mentors evaluate the plans, providing feedback and encouragement, and students must be prepared to answer questions.
The fact that the foundation hosts the event at Big Rock Valley enhances the experience, Forburger adds. "Most students have no idea a place built by a successful entrepreneur exists so close to home," she explains. "The place itself is unique, and the day's activities include some hands-on learning with exercises that focus on leadership and teamwork."
Karen Vaickus, who teaches small business management at Dowagiac Union High School, agrees that community involvement plays a vital role. "We're privileged to have people in our community who take an interest in our students," Vaickus says. "Our students walk away with a true appreciation for entrepreneurship, the foundation and our community business owners who give so much."
Mike Armbruster, a teacher at Marcellus High School, says the event opens students' eyes to new possibilities. "Coming to the foundation lets them know what's in their community, and they see that Ed Lowe built a successful business," he points out.
Students also benefit from competing against other schools, Armbruster adds.
Casandra Pierucki, a senior at Edwardsburg High School, followed a primary rule for business success by choosing an industry she already knows about and has a passion for consignment retailing. "It's familiar territory," she explains, adding that second-hand stores are a place she finds "bundles of bargains."
"I liked the accounting part best because I'm good with numbers," Pierucki says. "Researching, doing the financials, and figuring out the details were challenging though. And the project was time-intensive, so I had to learn to manage my time better to meet the deadlines."
The business plan project helped Pierucki understand what it takes to run a business and has fueled an interest in entrepreneurship. A dual-enrollment student, she attends Southwestern Michigan College's Business Academy. After high school, Pierucki plans to continue at SMC and pursue a bachelor's degree in business administration.
Pierucki's teacher, Sarah Dye, has been an avid supporter of Young Entrepreneurs Day since its inception in 2006, and each year she chooses five or six of her most promising students to attend the event. "Young Entrepreneurs Day benefits students from the aspect of selecting a business and writing a plan for that business," Dye says. "It helps them realize with any long-term goal there are steps you must take to accomplish that goal."
About the foundation: Established in 1985, the Edward Lowe Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurship through research, recognition and educational programs, which are delivered through entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs). The foundation focuses on second-stage companies those that have moved beyond the startup phase and seek significant, steady growth. The foundation also encourages economic gardening, an entrepreneur-centered strategy providing balance to the traditional approach of business recruitment.