OLYMPIA, Wash., April 21, 2015—Two Washington state high school seniors were among 100 winners nationally from a pool of more than 600 applicants competing this year for a Young Entrepreneur Foundation scholarship award from the National Federation of Independent Business, America’s largest and leading small-business association since 1943.
NFIB’s YEF scholarship program is designed to reward and encourage entrepreneurial talents among high school students. “America’s young people have caught the entrepreneurial bug, and we could not be more confident in our next generation of business owners,” said Molly Young, Director of the Young Entrepreneur Foundation. “We are impressed year after year with the quality of these hard-working, innovative high school students who are making their entrepreneurial dreams happen.”
The Washington state winners were:
- Paul Brandt of Spokane, who attends Lewis and Clark High School, and was awarded an NFIB/Kelly and Jeff Chambers Young Entrepreneur Award of $1,000. Brandt’s enterprise is Cyanide Computers.
- Eli Everson of Silverdale, who attends Klahowya Secondary, and was awarded a NFIB/Tsillan Cellars Young Entrepreneur Award of $1,000. Everson’s enterprise is The Lawn Ranger.
“We are inspired by these students who are willing to carry the torch of free enterprise for a new generation, and happy to help them further along in their education,” said Mark Peterson, leadership council chairman for the NFIB/Washington and owner of Yakima-based H&H Furniture. “I thank our members who contributed to this great cause and applaud Betty and Steve Neighbors and DeWils Industries for helping three students from out of state come to ours to study.”
Washington YEF scholarships were financed by the donations of NFIB members. In addition, Everett-based Terra Staffing Group has generously contributed two NFIB/Betty and Steve Neighbors Young Entrepreneur Awards to high school seniors in Alaska and Montana and Vancouver-based DeWils Industries has kindly donated an NFIB/DeWils Industries Young Entrepreneur Award to a student in Wyoming, so all three out-of-state winners can attend college in Washington state.
Since 2003, the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation has awarded more than 2,600 scholarships totaling $2.6 million. This year, NFIB’s Young Entrepreneur Foundation awarded $145,000 to deserving young entrepreneurs. Each award is between $1,000 and $15,000. At an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. on July 23, four finalists will receive a $5,000 scholarship and one the top prize of $15,000. The scholarships are used to help with tuition costs for the winners’ post-secondary education.
To qualify for an NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award, students must be seniors in high school who own and/or operate their own small business. They are required to write an essay describing their entrepreneurial endeavors and future goals. NFIB members around the country interview the applicants for the Young Entrepreneur Awards.
A full list of this year’s winners, as well as past winners, is available here.
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The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization promoting the importance of small business and free enterprise to the nation’s youth. More information is available at www.NFIB.com/YEF. The Foundation is associated with the National Federation of Independent Business; NFIB is the nation’s leading small business advocacy association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
NFIB/Washington
711 Capitol Way South, Suite 505
Olympia, WA 98501
Twitter: @NFIB_WA
