05/31/2007
Contacts:
For NFIB YEF: Melissa Sharp, 202-314-2068
For Visa USA: Steve Burke, 703-683-5004, ext. 108
WASHINGTON, D.C.--The National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation and Visa USA today announced the five semifinalists of the fifth annual NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards, a scholarship program designed to promote and award entrepreneurship. NFIB YEF and Visa USA will be awarding four $5,000 scholarships to this year's semifinalists and one $10,000 scholarship to the student selected from this group as the "2007 Young Entrepreneur of the Year" at a dinner held in Washington, D.C. on June 5.
In addition to the national winners, NFIB YEF awarded 422 $1,000 scholarships to students nationwide. The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award program, which encourages students to consider a career in small business, made its debut in 2003 when it awarded a total of 110 scholarships nationwide.
"We are overjoyed by the tremendous amount of interest in our scholarship program. This year more than 3,000 students applied to receive a YEF award, demonstrating that the entrepreneurship spirit continues to thrive in America," said Don V. Cogman, chair, NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation Board of Directors. "NFIB congratulates this year's winners for their tremendous accomplishments and hopes the scholarships will assist these young entrepreneurs as they continue on their paths towards successful futures."
To earn a scholarship, students were required to write an essay describing their entrepreneurial endeavors and future goals. Standardized test scores, GPA, and class rank were also considered. NFIB members around the country nominated applicants for the Young Entrepreneur Awards.
"Visa salutes this talented group of young individuals who are already making positive social and economic contributions to their local community and beyond," said Rhonda Bentz, vice president, Visa USA. "It certainly is a privilege to, once again, have the opportunity to work with NFIB and their Young Entrepreneur Foundation in recognizing the entrepreneurial achievements and spirit of so many outstanding students from across the country."
NFIB/Visa USA 2007 National Young Entrepreneur of the Year Semi Finalists
- Carl Harper of Daphne, Ala. – Co-owner of Harper Technologies, a business that builds and repairs PCs, offers networking services, printer repair, Web design and more. At first, most of their business was from residential clients. Today, they work for large corporations including Wells Fargo, Omni Fitness and Learning Tree.
- Daniel Lage of Coral Gables, Fla. – Owner of Book Express, which sells used textbooks to benefit disadvantaged children in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Daniel is also president of Health Interested Students of America, an organization at Gulliver Preparatory School that promotes health awareness. Last year, he helped raised more than $20,000 to fight diabetes, breast cancer and other diseases.
- Henry Schwartz of Menomonie, Wis. – Owner of Board to Death Skate Shop. Henry got hooked on skateboarding when he was 11 years old. He started hanging out at the local skateboarding shop to learn what it would take to run a business, interacting with customers and learning marketing strategies. A few years later, Henry heard that the store was for sale and at the age of 15 he found a way to become the owner of Board to Death Skate Shop.
- Trevor Shephard of Boise, ID – Owner of Super Shavers Sno Shack. Trevor's enterprise emerged from a business plan for a fictional business--shaved ice. When Trevor found the shaved ice facilities he wanted, he didn't have enough money to buy them. His father declined to back him because he was not convinced Trevor had a solid plan. Trevor later won first place at the state competition and in the National DECA Entrepreneur Participation category. As a result of these awards, his father finally loaned him the money to start the business.
- Ian Stuart-Hoff of Mount Pleasant, Mich. – Owner of Star Stix Juggling Company. At 13, he designed and produced juggling sticks and sold them to friends and family. Early success in sales convinced Ian that there was a bigger market. He established the Star Stix Juggling Company and began selling the sticks at area fairs, including the Wheatland Music Festival in Remus, Michigan. He not only sold a lot of sticks, he also began to establish contacts and expand the business. Every year he volunteers to lead workshops to teach fair-goers how to use the sticks.
NFIB YEF and Visa USA congratulate all five outstanding young entrepreneurs. To arrange an interview with one of the students please contact Steve Burke at 703-683-5004, ext. 108, or Melissa Sharp at 202-314-2068.
About NFIB YEF
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, the nation's leading small-business advocacy association, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small- and independent-business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB's powerful network of grassroots activists send their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America's free enterprise system.
About Visa USA
Visa USA is a leading payments brand and the nation's largest payments system, enabling banks to provide their consumer and business customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives tailored to meet their evolving needs. Visa USA is committed to increasing the choice, convenience, acceptance and security of Visa payments for all stakeholders--financial institutions, cardholders and merchants. In the United States, more than 521 million Visa-branded cards have been issued by our 13,320 financial institution customers. Visa products generated nearly $1.8 trillion in total volume in the United States through March 2007 and enjoy unsurpassed acceptance around the globe. For more information, visit www.visa.com.
