In 2014, the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation awarded 100 Young Entrepreneur Award Scholarships to students across the country. Each award is between $1,000 and $15,000. Students who received the Young Entrepreneur Award are seniors in high school who own and/or operate their own small business. The scholarships are used to help with tuition costs for the winners’ post-secondary education. NFIB’s Young Entrepreneur Foundation awarded $145,000 to deserving young entrepreneurs in 2014.
NFIB Announces:
- 2014 National Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalists (Press Release)
- NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation Announces Winner of the NFIB/Craft Media Entrepreneurship Video Award (Press Release and Video)
The 2014 Top 5 National Finalists:
- Anna Erkalova of Chalfont, PA – Crane Books, LLC
- Cody Gradert of Ireton, IA – Gradert and Sons
- LeiLei Secor of Hagaman, NY – Designed By Lei [Background video | Reaction video]
- Vivek Tedla of Newtown, CT – VRT Studios
- Zach Haney of Topeka, KS – Kansas Carnival Supply, LLC [Background video | Reaction video]
Thank you to all who applied for a 2014 scholarship. The full list of winners is below.
Alabama
- Kamren Kennedy (Birmingham): NFIB/Alabama Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
- Levi Worley (Opp): NFIB/Bob Riley Young Entrepreneur Award
- Daniel Whitworth (Orange Beach): NFIB/Governor Robert Bentley Young Entrepreneur Award
- Mary Connell (Birmingham): NFIB/Phyllis Kennedy Young Entrepreneur Award
Arizona
- Jake Deichmann (Scottsdale): NFIB/Insearch Charitable Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Ross Snyder (Phoenix): NFIB/Insearch Charitable Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Hayden Taylor (Mesa): NFIB/Lafarge Arizona Aggregates Young Entrepreneur Award
- Adam Husser (Phoenix): NFIB/Vulcan Materials Company Young Entrepreneur Award
Arkansas
- William Bland (Fort Smith): NFIB/McKee Foods Young Entrepreneur Award
- Nathan Dunn (Little Rock): NFIB/McKee Foods Young Entrepreneur Award
California
- Dafeng Ou (Castro Valley): NFIB/California Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
- Andrew Erickson (San Diego): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
- Matthew Southwick (Cottonwood): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
- Gary-Xi Su (Oakland): NFIB/Wells Fargo Young Entrepreneur Award
- Gianna Walker (North Hollywood): NFIB/Wells Fargo Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jacinta Lu (Diamond Bar): NFIB/Wells Fargo Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jacob Staitman (Woodland Hills): NFIB/Wells Fargo Young Entrepreneur Award
Colorado
- Kayley Brown (Castle Rock): NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Devyn Doctor (Pagosa Springs): NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Devon Fox (Wheat Ridge): NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Ty Cary (Montrose): NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jacob Wheat (Montrose): NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Morgan Smith (Colorado Springs): NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Milo Abrams-Hickman (Colorado Springs): NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Sydney Buckley (Franktown): NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Taylor Buckley (Franktown): NFIB/El Pomar Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
- Ryan Lupberger (Boulder): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
- Alan Chen (Highlands Ranch): NFIB/Colorado Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Connecticut
- Vivek Tedla (Newtown): NFIB Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist
- Jacqueline LeGree (Waterbury): NFIB/Connecticut Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
- Michael Zarlenga (Fairfield): NFIB/Horizon Services Young Entrepreneur Award
Florida
- Bryan Weissman (Parkland): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
Georgia
- Courtney Peplin (Buford): NFIB/American General Life and Accident Young Entrepreneur Award
- Addie Thomason (Martin): NFIB/McKee Foods Young Entrepreneur Award
- Chosen Blakey (Smyrna): NFIB/Wells Fargo Young Entrepreneur Award
- Olivia Kasper (Alpharetta): NFIB/Wells Fargo Young Entrepreneur Award
Idaho
- Jacob Robertson (Coeur D’Alene): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
Illinois
- Brooke Reynolds (South Elgin): NFIB/JLBG Health Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jessica Fox (Palos Hills): NFIB/Kathy and Richard Duffy Young Entrepreneur Award
- Adam Rogutich (Union): NFIB/Lloyd E. Falconer Young Entrepreneur Award
Indiana
- Benjamin Ratts (Salem): NFIB/Stella Eckerly Young Entrepreneur Award
Iowa
- Cody Gradert (Ireton): NFIB Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist
Kansas
- Zach Haney (Topeka): NFIB Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist
Kurt Summers, NFIB board member; Dan Danner, NFIB president & CEO; and Zach Haney (left to right)
Louisiana
- Meredith Bechac (Hammond): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
Maryland
- Zac Moholt (Gaithersburg): NFIB/DDC Advocacy Young Entrepreneur Award
Massachusetts
- Christian Fuda (Hull): NFIB/Massachusetts Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jesse Scheinbart (Westborough): NFIB/OPR Systems Inc. Young Entrepreneur Award
Michigan
- David Kallgren (Trenton): NFIB/Bartram D. and Jane I. Lewis Young Entrepreneur Award
- Alexander Parker (Rockford): NFIB/Michigan Leadership Council & Area Action Council Young Entrepreneur Award
- Timothy Miller (Standish): NFIB/Michigan Leadership Council & Area Action Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Minnesota
- Brit Loftus (Minneapolis): NFIB/Wells Fargo Young Entrepreneur Award
Missouri
- Aliyah Wilson (Florissant): NFIB/BizUnite Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jesse Hollenbeck (Troy): NFIB/BizUnite Young Entrepreneur Award
- Morgan Mechelke (Kirkwood): NFIB/BizUnite Young Entrepreneur Award
- Colton Saunders (Savannah): NFIB/DECA Young Entrepreneur Award
- McKenna Nelson (Macon): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
- Hannah Tyler (Sikeston): NFIB/Runser/Benish Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Montana
- Cody Campbell (Bozeman): NFIB/Pacific Source Health Plans Young Entrepreneur Award
Nebraska
- Tayler Sundermann (Omaha): NFIB/First National Bank of Omaha Young Entrepreneur Award
New Hampshire
- Anjithaa Radakrishnan (Nashua): NFIB/Alan D. Greenberg Young Entrepreneur Award
New York
- LeiLei Secor (Hagaman): NFIB Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist
Kurt Summers, NFIB board member; LeiLei Secor; and NFIB president & CEO Dan Danner. (left to right)
- Kasien Sandy (Brooklyn): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
- Bradley Kreppel (Clarence): NFIB/J. Andrew Lange Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jesse Urban (North Salem): NFIB/J. Andrew Lange Young Entrepreneur Award
North Carolina
- Molly Fox (Raleigh): NFIB/North Carolina Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
- Austin Williams (Harrisburg): NFIB/Wells Fargo Young Entrepreneur Award
Ohio
- Ryan Kemper (Fort Jennings): NFIB/AHIP Young Entrepreneur Award
- Brandon Glassmeyer (Cincinnati): NFIB/Daniel J. Mirto Young Entrepreneur Award
- Nicholas Paterniti (Chesterland): NFIB/Daniel J. Mirto Young Entrepreneur Award
- Connor Rouan (Cincinnati): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
- Megan Ward (New Carlisle): NFIB/McKee Foods Young Entrepreneur Award
Oklahoma
- Blake Langston (Ponca City): NFIB/Harold Cogman Young Entrepreneur Award
- Gabrielle Ramnarine (Tulsa): NFIB/Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation Young Entrepreneur Award
Oregon
- Selena Gregory (Eugene): NFIB/Oregon Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
- Victoria Pence (Beaverton): NFIB/Mr. Rooter Plumbing Young Entrepreneur Award
Pennsylvania
- Anna Erkalova (Chalfont): NFIB Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist
- Nicholas Rose (Havertown): NFIB/FBLA Young Entrepreneur Award
- Drew Harding (Dallas): NFIB/Kathleen V. Shivers Young Entrepreneur Award
- Brianna Boyer (Shrewsbury): NFIB/Reinhardt Young Entrepreneur Award
- Oscar Winters (Lewisberry): NFIB/Reinhardt Young Entrepreneur Award
South Carolina
- Kristina Friend (Goose Creek): NFIB/Intuit Young Entrepreneur Award
- Alex Vibber (Blythewood): NFIB/June Lennon Young Entrepreneur Award
Tennessee
- Jackson Schmid (Knoxville): NFIB/Southern Champion Tray Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jamie Pratt (Knoxville): NFIB/SunTrust Banks Young Entrepreneur Award
- Mitchell Stooksbury (Powell): NFIB/SunTrust Banks Young Entrepreneur Award
- McKenzie Babb (Franklin): NFIB/Tennessee Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Texas
- Grace Cirelli (Houston): NFIB/Donald F Summers Young Entrepreneur Award
- Joseph Hartshorn (Frisco): NFIB/Eddie Boykin Young Entrepreneur Award
Utah
- Courtney Christensen (Payson): NFIB/Utah Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
Vermont
- Austin Lafayette (Bristol): NFIB/Alan D. Greenberg Young Entrepreneur Award
Virginia
- Nicole Nicholson (Lynchburg): NFIB/BF Dodson Family Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jack Ross (Alexandria): NFIB/CPS Professional Services Young Entrepreneur Award
- Alyssa Alpino (Williamsburg): NFIB/McKee Foods Young Entrepreneur Award
- Akila Prayaga (Vienna): NFIB/Virgina Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
- Nicole Bain (Fairfax): NFIB/Wiley Rein Young Entrepreneur Award
Washington
- Carolyn van der Meulen (Mukilteo): NFIB/Betty & Steve Neighbors Young Entrepreneur Award
- Emily George (Moxee): NFIB/Tsillan Cellars Young Entrepreneur Award
- Madison Laycock (Issaquah): NFIB/Washington State Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award
- Jordan Jessen (Tacoma): NFIB/DeWils Industries Young Entrepreneur Award
Wyoming
- Alexandra Kooper (Sheridan): NFIB/Captel Teleservices Young Entrepreneur Award
