NFIB and Visa, Inc. Announce 2009 "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" Award Winner

Date: May 12, 2009

Five additional students were named NFIB/Visa Inc. National Young Entrepreneur Award winners and will each receive a $5,000 educational scholarship.

Jay Shechtman of Weston, Florida has been named the 2009 “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” by the National Federation of Independent Business and Visa Inc. Mr. Shechtman was chosen for this top honor from more than 6,000 nationwide candidates. In recognition of his achievements, Mr. Shechtman has been awarded a $10,000 educational scholarship to help defray the cost of his tuition at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. 

Mr. Shechtman caught the entrepreneurial spirit in the fifth grade while watching his siblings tutor other children after school. This desire to help students succeed academically drove Mr. Shechtman to establish You Ask, We Tutor!, a student-run company which he started four years ago. Unlike other tutoring services, Mr. Shechtman employs only student tutors based on his belief that they can better connect with their peers.

Guy Philips, Visa, Inc., Eddie Kramer, Seth Pippin, Jay Shectman, Dan Danner, NFIB President and CEO, Ilan Regenbaum, Rachel Kenley, Jennifer Goebel and Dan McDermott, Visa, Inc.

Five additional students were named NFIB/Visa Inc. National Young Entrepreneur Award winners and will each receive a $5,000 educational scholarship. They are:

  • Jennifer Goebel from Plano, Texas
  • Rachel Kenley from Palmer, Alaska
  • Edward Kramer from Lakewood, Ohio
  • Seth Pippin from Lee’s Summit, Missouri
  • Ilan Regenbaum from Dunwoody, Georgia

2009 NFIB/Visa National Winners.

This year the NFIB YEF Awards program will be giving out over $600,000 in scholarships to young entrepreneurs nationwide thanks to the financial support from numerous small business leaders, corporate and foundation supporters. This year’s major corporate sponsors are Visa and The McKelvey Foundation.

The following students also received a scholarship from the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation:
 
Carlton Eide, Alaska LC/YEF Award
Albert Pahang, Alaska LC/YEF Award
 
Stevie Bailey, Phyllis Kennedy/YEF Award
Seth Denney, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Kendall Perchinski, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Jay Alexander, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Emily Boyd, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Kevin Lee, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Catey Maxey, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Alice Cash, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Timothy Chae, McKelvey/NFIB Award
Emily Hobson, California LC/YEF Award
Marjorie Lacombe, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
John Rahmon, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Garrett Weiss, California LC/YEF Award
 
Alfred Alvares, NFIB/Bill and Kathy Hybl Young Entrepreneur Award
Sarah Beckerle, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Justin Belanger, El Pomar/YEF Award
Anthony Cardinale, El Pomar/YEF Award
Karla Colonnieves, El Pomar/YEF Award
Sean Franklin, El Pomar/YEF Award
Kayla Gray, El Pomar/YEF Award
William Henry, El Pomar/YEF Award
Jessica Hooker, El Pomar/YEF Award
Rebekah Hoover, El Pomar/YEF Award
Jennifer Jessup, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jeremy Krieger, El Pomar/YEF Award
Jarrod Mason, El Pomar/YEF Award
Derek Mccole, El Pomar/YEF Award
Jordan Meer, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Austin Meier, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Matt Mulligan, El Pomar/YEF Award
Matt Mulligan, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Son Pham, El Pomar/YEF Award
Dillon Pierce, El Pomar/YEF Award
Dillon Pierce, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Tara Reilly, El Pomar/YEF Award
Tara Reilly, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Meral Sarper, El Pomar/YEF Award
Meral Sarper, NFIB/Joe and Gerry Hybl Young Entrepreneur Award
Michael Schuch, El Pomar/YEF Award
Sean Sheehan, El Pomar/YEF Award
Ryan Sutton, El Pomar/YEF Award
 
District of Columbia
Stephen Spigler, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Florida
Taylor Hardin, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jay Shechtman, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
David Wistocki, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Mohammed Khan, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Jessica Moose, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Travis Patton, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Brad Powers, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Nina Rayburn, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Rachel Schossow, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Julianne Wagoner, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Taylor Brown, Idaho LC/YEF Award
Jared Mumm, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Illinois
Adam Cross, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Lauren Garner, NFIB/JK Creative Young Entrepreneur Award
Brittany Monaghan, NFIB/JK Creative Young Entrepreneur Award
Tyler Rumbold, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Deanna Shafer, Lloyd E. Falconer/YEF Award
David Skrzypiec, NFIB/Richard F. Duffy Young Entrepreneur Award
Brandon Targett, NFIB Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Indiana
Anthony Reyes, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Kansas
Joseph Chadwell, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Laura Brown, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Benjamin Burchett, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Rachel Houchen, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Janson James, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Arooshi Kumar, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Ariel Waldeck, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Massachusetts
Brittany Bergquist, NFIB/Jon Fischer Young Entrepreneur Award
Patrick O’Loughlin, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jesse Os, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Baxter Smith, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Devon Smith, Massachusettes LC/YEF Award
 
Maryland
Catlin Carrico, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Matthew Erlandson, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Theodore Pugh, Maryland LC/YEF Award
 
Maine
Charles Clement, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Michigan
Andrew Charnesky, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Bei He, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Anna Johnson, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Antwine Johnson, Michigan AAC/YEF Award
Brian Mamassian, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Anthony Palomba, Michigan LC/YEF Award
Gregory Prusiewicz, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Ryan Johnson, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Evan Wellem NFIB/Tim and Debi Clayton Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Brandon Bernhardt, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Kate Crabill, Debin Benish/YEF Award
Carolyn Lacey, Charlie Runser/YEF Award
Seth Pippin, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Benjamin Seidel, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Adam Grace, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Tommy Kirkpatrick, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
 
John Stiles, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Stephen Burke, North Carolina LC/YEF Award
 
Nebraska
Ryan Grossnicklaus, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Benjamin Roberts, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
New Jersey
Christina Daquila, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Margaret Dudasik, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Tyler Mcintyre, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Eric Olivas, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
New York
Brett Bedevian, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Carmen Bovalino, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Chad Gangloff, McKelvey/NFIB Award
Jason Kowalski, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Tara Suri, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Grant West, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Ryan Aldinger, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Christopher Daprile, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Casey Glick, Joanie Kovach Memorial/YEF Award
Courtney Kiner, NFIB/Edward and Frances Patterson Young Entrepreneur Award
Edward Kramer, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Christopher Long, Daniel J. Mirto/YEF Award
Kristen Moninger, NFIB/Henry J. Kopcial Young Entrepreneur Award
Brandon Rolfes, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Amanda Johnson, NFIB/Harold Cogman Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Oscar Colores, Oregon LC/YEF Award
Daniel Cushing, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Pennsylvania
Michael Anderson, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Marjorie Berman, Pennsylvania LC/YEF Award
Tiffany Brodt, NFIB/Jim and Mim Herr Young Entrepreneur Award
Sean Dolan, NFIB/Jim and Mim Herr Young Entrepreneur Award
Rachel Free, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Keith Fuller, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Andrew Groy, NFIB/Jim and Mim Herr Young Entrepreneur Award
Anna Harvey, NFIB/Jim and Mim Herr Young Entrepreneur Award
Patrick Murawski, NFIB/Stephen S Stack Young Entrepreneur Award
Megan Van Buren, NFIB/Jim and Mim Herr Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Rhode Island
Nathan Mccoart, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Vanessa Woods, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Rowan Chakoumakos, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Joe Horvath, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Josh Horvath, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Texas
Mark Boutin, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Adam Case, Ed Boykin/YEF Award
Hudson Diederich, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jennifer Goebel, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
Marlo Adelle Greta, McKelvey/NFIB Award
Brett Gunn, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Zachary West, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Jacoby Marston, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jamie Wayment, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Nathan Workman, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Skyler Boardley, NFIB/Dan Danner Young Entrepreneur Award
Taylor Clark, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Brittany Deacon, NFIB/B.F. Dodson Family Young Entrepreneur Award
Kayla Hanson, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Clayton Kenerson, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Ashley Pruett, NFIB/Dan Danner Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Vermont
Isaac Goldberg, McKelvey/NFIB Award
Amy Malinowski, NFIB/Visa Young Entrepreneur Award
 
Eric Bartlett, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Masen Furer, Washington State LC/YEF Award
Maria Kidder, NFIB/Betty and Steve Neighbors Young Entrepreneur Award
Lauren Kuhn, Washington State LC/YEF Award
Jeffrey Singer, Washington State LC/YEF Award
Virginia Whalen, Washington State LC/YEF Award
 
Wisconsin
Kristina Allen, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Daniel Delong, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Justin Wiemer, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
 
John Bauman, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award

The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award program is administered by International Scholarship and Tuition Services Inc. This assures complete impartiality in the selection of recipients and maintains a high level of professionalism.

Applications for the 2010 NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards will be available October 2009. To receive more information, please contact the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation at [email protected].

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