07/ 25/ 2006
Congratulations to the more than 400 winners of the 2006 NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards. Sponsored by the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation, the scholarship program is designed to set teen small-business owners on the path to entrepreneurship. The winners each receive $1,000 in tuition assistance to use at the university, college, community college or vocational/technical institution of their choice.
Since its debut in 2003, the scholarship program has grown each year thanks to support from NFIB members and national corporate sponsors, such as Visa USA. Ashley Gunn of Jackson, Miss., is this year's NFIB/Visa USA Youth Entrepreneur of the Year and will receive a $10,000 award. Four regional winners will get $5,000 awards. Read about the national winner and your region's winner here. To see a list of national winners and to learn more about the awards, go to www.NFIB.com/yef.
Building Dreams
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Ashley Gunn, Jackson, Miss.
By building homes for poor families in Jackson, Miss., Ashley Gunn has created a bright future for herself as well. The founder and chairman of Students Aiding Indigent Families, Gunn is the top winner of the 2006 NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award. She'll receive a one-time $10,000 scholarship, which she'll use when she starts the University of Pennsylvania this fall.
Welcome home
A few years ago, Gunn visited Africa on a mission trip. The overwhelming poverty struck the teenager, and after returning home, she suddenly saw more clearly the great needs in her hometown. Jackson has one of the highest crime, welfare and urban decay rates per capita in the country. After conducting research, Gunn discovered one reason why: Studies reveal that problems arise when 40 percent or more of a community's housing is rental property. Jackson's rental property rate is 42 percent. Gunn decided helping poor families become homeowners might fix some of the problems in her community.
Foundation of hope
In April 2005, Gunn, along with the help of her parents and younger brother, Brantley, founded SAIF. The nonprofit buys abandoned houses with money from banks and donors. More than 200 local student volunteers refurbish the houses. Contractors are hired for jobs that involve plumbing or electrical work. SAIF works with local banks and mortgage companies to secure below-market interest-rate loans for qualifying families. In many cases, a family's monthly mortgage is less than their previous rental payment. New homes aren't all the families receive. They also get financial counseling and smart tools to help them create a stable financial future for themselves.
If it sounds complex, it's not, Gunn says. "It's not a complicated process; it just takes a lot of time," says Gunn, who also held part-time jobs after school to save for college. "You have to be patient and have the drive to make it happen."
Scaling up
When Gunn leaves for college this fall, she'll take the lessons she's learned starting a nonprofit and apply them to the business courses she plans to take. She hopes to start a for-profit business one day, even though she'll never stray far from her community-service roots. "When we attend a closing on a new home for a family who used to live in a rat-infested house in a bad neighborhood, it's a good feeling," she says.
"This is what I'm here for. This keeps me going."
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award Winners—Southeast Region
Alabama
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Kimberly Jacquet
Kendra Key
Shaw-Ming Lin
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Laura Miller
NFIB/Phyllis Kennedy Young Entrepreneur Award
Aaron Gray
Florida NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Melisa Arroyo
Eric Bash
Rebekah Sarbone
Andrew Willson
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
David Barratt
Luke Beatty
Maxx Creve-Coeur
NFIB/Salesgenie.com Young Entrepreneur Award
Tracy Cheung
NFIB/Florida Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
James Campbell
NFIB/E C Concrete Young Entrepreneur Award
Tyson Gordon
Georgia
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Erin Fletcher
Justin Gorski
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Jaz Dixon
Zach Todd
Samantha Walsh
NFIB/Robert Stiles Young Entrepreneur Award
Jordan Brown
NFIB/Dave Merenda Young Entrepreneur Award
Corey Monroe
NFIB/Gerry Harkins Young Entrepreneur Award
Jena Sims
Mississippi
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Thomas Watts III
Blair Wohlgemuth
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Ashley Henley
Elliot Roberts
North Carolina
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Asha Hertel
Kathleen McReynolds
Amanda Todd
Michael Wilson
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
George Dawkins
Katie Facciola
South Carolina
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Chelsea Alexander
Brett Weathers
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Catherine Carrell
Caroline "Hogan" Paschal
NFIB/Donald A. Gardner Companies Young Entrepreneur Award
David Kumler
NFIB/June Lennon Young Entrepreneur Award
Natalie Lennon
Tennessee
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
John Carey
Lindsey Denton
Susan Harbison
Raymond Mattox
Courtney Short
NFIB/Tennessee Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Bryan Courtney
Jessie Miller
Virginia
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Joshua Abbott
Annette Clary
Deanna Dorsey
Andrew Farley
Michael Feuerstein
Holly Grant
Anita Kinney
Thomas Meuer
Michael Pennington
Jessica Staton
Lillian Ware Dunn
NFIB/Virginia Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Jacob "Jake" Floyd
NFIB/B.F. Dodson Family Young Entrepreneur Award
Melissa Precious
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award—Northeast Region Winner
Andrew Sohn, Teaneck, N.J.
Andrew Sohn enjoys working behind the scenes. Whether filming a video on an Israeli school or designing a Web site promoting his hometown of Teaneck, N.J., orchestrating productions through his media marketing company, Acend Solutions and Productions, gives him a thrill. "I love working with people and making things happen," says Sohn. "Before I had this business, I did it for fun. Now I get to make money doing what I love."
After spending his free time designing Web sites for friends, he knew he had the talent to take his hobby further. With $700 earned from odd jobs, he started a Web design company at 14. As it grew, Sohn invested money back in and expanded his offerings to include computer software, integrated desktop/Web solutions, content management and e-commerce systems for companies. At 16, he launched a second division of his business, a video and film production studio—all while balancing leadership roles at school.
Though most of his competitors are older and more established, Sohn believes his originality sets him apart. "I interject creativity into everything I do," he says.
Sohn recently flew overseas to film a documentary on an Israeli school that was shown at a fund-raiser at the Marriott Marquis in New York's Times Square. He also partnered with Teaneck's community leaders to develop a system for their Web site cataloguing local events and news—and he sees more opportunities ahead. "If you know what you want to accomplish and have the resources, you can do anything," Sohn says.
NFIB/Visa USA Award Winners—Northeast Region
Connecticut
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Allison Hurd
Brent Johnson
Paul Julius
Kristen Prachniak
Thomas Rachielles
Timothy Rachielles
Catherine Trieu
NFIB/Halloran & Sage Government Affairs Young Entrepreneur Award
Timothy Ferrone
Delaware
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Christopher Kohler
Massachusetts NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Brendan Shine
NFIB/Massachusetts Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Christopher Tourigny
Maryland NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Candice Delawder
Vincent Eisinger
Makenna Hardy
Michelle Lacey
Chris Maienshein
Christopher Rallo
Russell Schroeder
Ivan Stutzman
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Chante Goodwin
Nekoda Williams
NFIB/Salesgenie.com Young Entrepreneur Award
Brian Hendricks
NFIB/Maryland Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Kendall Coppage
NFIB/Larry and Rosemarie Helminiak Young Entrepreneur Award
Christopher Ruby
Maine
NFIB/MBNA America Young Entrepreneur Award
Brock Bradford
Andrew Crane
New Hampshire
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Scott Blair
New Jersey
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Brian Baum
Michael Beneduce
Nicole Dubé
Michelle Jay
Melanie Lescas
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Laura Allibone
Haley Douds
John Freitag
Hannah Poles
NFIB/New Jersey Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Daniel D'Antico
New York
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Kyle Allen
Daniel Criscitelli
Sohelia Forbes
Erin Mulvehill
Stephanie Nuccio
Wesley Parker
Melanie Pettus
Jenna Williams
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
George Beauzile
Collin Brown
Margaret Brown
Dennis Crokos
Stephanie Gamble
Nicholas Groat
Kimberly Lawrence
Daniel Levenstein
Cory MacDonald
Kaitlin McKellar
Laura Vollmer
NFIB/Kevin Clark Young Entrepreneur Award
Sophia Dawson
Geneva Johnson
Pennsylvania
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Natalie Capozzolo
Rachel Hikes
Michael Soriano
NFIB/Jim and Mim Herr Young Entrepreneur Award
Viktor Adalsteinsson
Michael Bilski
Molly Clauhs
Joshua Kresge
Peter Smith
NFIB/Thomas and Fay Sincavage Young Entrepreneur Award
Muneeb Dahir
NFIB/Stephen S. Stack Young Entrepreneur Award
John Shreve
NFIB/Pennsylvania Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Daniel Weimer
Vermont
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Ben MacArthur
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award—Central Region Winner
Leah Hansen, Letcher, S.D.
Like many of this year's Young Entrepreneur Award recipients, managing one business venture isn't enough for Leah Hansen. Hansen owns and operates James River Kennels, breeding and selling Labrador retriever puppies with her sister since 2001. And when she's not rearing litters of puppies, she's selling food at the concession and lunch counter in the Hansen Wheel and Wagon break room.
While working at Hansen Wheel and Wagon during the summers, she recognized the need for—as well as the business opportunity available in—the lunch counter.
"We usually had only pop and whatever the employees would bring from home," she says. "I figured that if I offered more snack foods at a low price, I could make quite a profit and also gain experience with a business situation."
Back at the kennel, Hansen raises and markets puppies at a profit of several thousand dollars per litter. She handles all aspects of the business, including selecting the sire, caring for and feeding the mother dog and puppies, cleaning the kennel, scheduling vaccinations, advertising and marketing. "This has been a very rewarding business venture," she says. "It has given me valuable insight into how businesses work and what you need to do to create and maintain a successful business. And I love working with the puppies."
Hansen hopes her business experience—coupled with a pre-veterinary degree from South Dakota State University—will put her on the right track to successfully manage her own vet clinic one day.
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award Winners—Central Region
Arkansas
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jennifer Barnes
Kaysie Clements
Jake Mutters
Nathaniel Thomas
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Caleb Lowery
Colorado
NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
Stacey Bartlett
Jason Bowey
Amanda Burk
Kyle Casper
Kevin Davis
Paul DiLoreto
Craton Edwards
Joanna Lester
Jamie Nations
Emma Watson
NFIB/Bill and Kathy Hybl Young Entrepreneur Award
Daniel Aki
NFIB/Joe and Gerry Hybl Young Entrepreneur Award
Kathleen Stjernholm
NFIB/Tim Jackson Young Entrepreneur Award
Cortney Hodgson
Kansas
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jonathan Cole
Chanda Couch
Melissa Crawford
Adrian Fletcher
John Handke
Mark Johnson
Divyesha Patel
Ashley Robinson
Jennifer Selenke
Justin Smith
Jerrin Thompson
"Joanne" Ying Zhou
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Curtis Wakeman
Simone Wright
NFIB/Don Cogman Young Entrepreneur Award
Riclyn Resco
NFIB/Midway Wholesale Young Entrepreneur Award
Leticia Allred
Louisiana
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Justin Bourgeois
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Adam McFarland
Missouri
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Ellie Braungardt
Sarah Hinkebein
Daniel McMillen
Karla Pappas
Patrick Smith
Mackenzie Sweeney
Callie Webster
Jordan Wood
Kristen Wright
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Joanna Bellis
Allison Mohler
NFIB/Debin Benish Young Entrepreneur Award
Ashley Kelsey
NFIB/Charlie Runser Young Entrepreneur Award
Angela Temmen
North Dakota
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jared Pederson
Trent Stromme
Megan Weisenberger
NFIB/North Dakota Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
James Baldwin
Nebraska
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Kathryn Asherin
Katey Kaiser
Jessica Kinsell
Kate Wheeldon
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Kaitlyn Filippini
Waco Phipps
Carson Vaughan
NFIB/Salesgenie.com Young Entrepreneur Award
Katelynd Applegarth
New Mexico
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Leah White
NFIB/New Mexico Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Ryan Lefevre
Oklahoma
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Paul Porché
Dana Sewell
Brittni Shull
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Tiffany Grant
Justin Walmer
South Dakota
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Blake Alberts
John Heiberger
Sarah Kingrey
Danielle Veurink
NFIB/South Dakota Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Elizabeth Spaans
Texas
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Ashtin Breidenbach
Lucas Butler
Anna Corley
Drew Davidson
Danny Dudgeon
Travis Felderhoff
Paul Ferris
Brandon Gumaer
Stephanie Herzog
Demetri Karagas
Garret LaBove
Zachary Morgan
Molly Moser
Tania O'Conor
David Reinhart
Robert Slagle
Alexandre Zografog
NFIB/Texas
Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Alan Wheeler
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award—Midwest Region Winner
Joseph Pascaretta, Rochester, Mich.
Joseph Pascaretta has been in business for himself for the past seven years—and he hasn't even started college yet. He admits his experience is different from that of most of his classmates, but it doesn't bother him one bit. The owner of Alps Technology Inter-national, an Internet technology firm he started in 1999 with a childhood friend, Pascaretta has been racking in the revenue (more than $100,000 in the first three years)—and gaining valuable life experience.
"I have talked to many leaders who have said that the experience I am learning now will go further than any collegiate textbook," he says.
Despite having to juggle homework, extracurricular activities and a thriving business, Pascaretta recently started a second business, Alps Lawn Company. Working by himself for the first year, he now has 11 employees and more than 60 clients at his lawn-services business. During the busy summer season, he spends about 50 hours each week with the company.
So what has driven this savvy high-school graduate to success? "It comes not only from within, but from those who have said I would not succeed," he says. "My response is, 'I will see you at the top.' The future holds no limits in the business field."
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award Winners—Midwest Region
Iowa
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jeshua Harbaugh-Williams
Brett Seelman
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Andrew Gregg
Philip Hawbaker
Illinois
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jared Abert
Andrew Catrinta
Jeff Deters
Vetalik Lord
Jeremy Patterson
Timothy Suhajda
Kaylan Wonser
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Maria Bufalino
Bret Greenberg
Joshua Keidan
NFIB/Salesgenie.com Young Entrepreneur Award
Parag Shah
NFIB/JK Creative Young Entrepreneur Award
Amanda Bakker
Tara Niemann
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Jay Miller
Rachael Suffrin
Laurel Wilson
NFIB/Lloyd E. Falconer Young Entrepreneur Award
Sean Hammer
Tyler Van Vleet
NFIB/Kathleen and Richard F. Duffy Young Entrepreneur Award
Travis Stirling
Indiana
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
David Brashear
Jackie Ehlerding
Austin Happel
Nicholas Laird
Jaron Newton
Jenna Ruch
Jeffrey Stilwell
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Nathan Conklin
Ankit Gupta
Tori Wallin
NFIB/Edward J. Bowman Young Entrepreneur Award
Jordan Winkler
Kentucky
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Christina Dages
Elizabeth Farley
Alex Herring
Benjamin Komplin
Kirby Mayer
Greg Meade
Kenneth Vereen
Michigan
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Michael Anglin
Margaret Bolen
Katelyn Carter
Alexandra Clark
Matthew Golick
Umar Henry
Andrew Hermatz
Katelyn Laux
Jeffrey Miars
Matthew Renner
Melinda Timm
David Van Egmond
Mara Wenzler
Sean White
Sherick White
Jazmin Williams
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Christine Donahue
Ayanna Gouch
Aaron Mamo
Tyler Nine
NFIB/Michigan Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Brendan Benson
Mark Czerwinski
Minnesota
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Lauren Buesgens
Blake Burton
Loren Devine-Volkommer
NFIB/Minnesota Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Jenna Borkenhagen
Brandon Gelling
Ohio
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Kristopher Bahnsen
Andrew Barhorst
Samantha Brabham
Tyler Bruns
William Call
Jeffrey Chandler
Emilie Coen
Reid Curry
David Cutri
Abigail Dannemiller
Lucas Day
Erica Meade
Jeff Sams
Josiah Stoller
Jason Taylor
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Emily Dannemiller
Jonathan Gigax
Carli Luca
Christopher Sladky
Darren Wendel
Addison Williams
NFIB/Daniel J. Mirto Young Entrepreneur Award
Christopher Corrado
Grant Phillips
NFIB/Mineral Ridge Young Entrepreneur Award
Brien Piersol
Wisconsin
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Jacki Eisenhauer
Bridget Fruhwirth
Matthew Hartenbach
Nathaniel Haworth
Sarah Holmes
Daniel Koch
Mark McFarland
Arek Schmocker
Tyler Smies
Morgan Strub
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Eric Schmit
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award—West Region Winner
Elliot Bradshaw, Bellingham, Wa.
Elliot Bradshaw thrives on doing the impossible. After paying a Web hosting company to service his Web site, Bradshaw wondered why he couldn't do it himself and for others. The teen started small, leasing as much space as he could from a larger provider—and his Bellingham, Wa.-based Web hosting business, Incognito Networks, was born.
Three years and 550 clients later, Bradshaw has his own servers for hosting sites and more business than he ever imagined possible. Whether discovering how to write Web code, protect servers from hackers, cater to customers or partner with other Web companies to market his business, he's faced plenty of learning curves, but wouldn't trade the insight he's gained, nor the head start it will give him in his business information technology studies at the University of Washington this fall.
"Figuring out how to make something successful is like a puzzle because there are so many aspects to it," he says. "I love the challenge."
Bradshaw has been passionate about entrepreneurism since buying and selling goods with play money in an elementary school simulation game and becoming the "richest" person in class. But it took starting his own company to appreciate the hard work and responsibility involved in running an enterprise. "The money is nice, but the rewarding part is the experiences that have come from this," Bradshaw says.
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award Winners—West Region
Alaska
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Dylan Bergman
Tad Rowinski
NFIB/Alaska Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Richard Stein
Arizona
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Erika Brush
Brianna Glendinning
Joseph Irvine
Mora Kelleher-Smith
Jessica Lopez
Eli Reisner
Laura Seli
Caroline Slane
Brandon Smith
Troy Sterner
Cory Wasson
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Daniel Serfilippi
Derek Tracy
Caitlin Williams
NFIB/Lafferty Development Young Entrepreneur Award
Shaylee Mazzone-Gonzales
NFIB/Michele Monti Young Entrepreneur Award
Elisa Davila
California
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Amanda Carrillo
Doug DeBoer
Justin Dyer
Carly Hewett
Melina Mathur
Tony Wu
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Evelyn Chiu
Chelsea Dauer
Andrew Flachner
Tiffany Fowler
Brian Gallagher
David Gershuni
Elena Hart
NFIB/Salesgenie.com Young Entrepreneur Award
Laura Ashbaugh
Hawaii
NFIB/Hawaii Leadership Council-Bette Tatum Young Entrepreneur Award
Michael Moses
Zachary Napier
Allan Yang
Idaho
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Lindsey Armstrong
Scott Barlow
Alesha Barnard
Rachel Esplin
NFIB/Idaho Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Ashley McDougall
Montana
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Melissa Hansen
Barbara Todd
Nevada
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Amber Johnson
Oregon
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Ruth Arcos
Noel Boorman
Alan Ho
Ty Huard
Jennifer "Jenny" Jensen
Sean Lowry
Caitlyn McCall
Dale McCauley
Corey Murphy
Nicholas Sanchez
Hollina Ung
NFIB/Oregon Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Kristopher Asleson
Utah
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Brayden Gardiner
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Grant Boren
Washington
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Evan Atwater
Brian Berg
Theodore Black
Jacob Dey
Robert Do
Lauren Goodman
Stephen Hardy
Evan Harris
Kalene Larson
Kristin Mitchell
Pamela Passmore
Jenna Petersen
Danielle Shulke
Lisa Stoll
Walter Walden
Barbara Young
NFIB/Visa USA Young Entrepreneur Award
Bradley "Brad" Peterson
NFIB/Washington State Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Kelly Cumiskey
Wyoming
NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award
Lori Sandberg
NFIB/Wyoming Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Andrew Nees
