"$1,000 was a great incentive for a start-up non-profit organization to enter the Youth Entrepreneur of the Year competition. Writing our business plan for the competition even helped us strengthen our organization, assemble our team, and put together a cohesive mission to give hope to cancer patients all over the country.
What we didn't realize was that our organization would be receiving something beyond the monetary reward: support. Ernst & Young helped us make connections with hundreds and hundreds of people who wanted to help us achieve our mission.
Since winning, we've made over 2,000 hats in a year, an increase of 400% from our first year. We've learned new ways to achieve financial stability, maintain structural organization, and enjoy efficient but fun hat-making sessions."
- Wendy Cai, 2010 Youth Entrepreneur of the Year
2011 - Brandon Deyo, The Mars Reel
Brandon Deyo, a senior at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD, was named the Youth Entrepreneur of the Year for Greater Washington by Ernst & Young and Junior Achievement of Greater Washington. Brandon, who is 19, was honored for founding The Mars Reel, an online sports entertainment and video production service.
As an avid high school basketball player, Brandon searched for a company that would film his games to increase his chances of being seen by college coaches. Upon finding none that would, Brandon founded The Mars Reel in February 2010 with partners Bradley Deyo and Greg Goldfarb to create videos for himself and his friends. He received such a positive response from colleges that other high school athletes began seeking out his services, quickly transforming The Mars Reel from a personal project into a full-fledged business.
Today, The Mars Reel films, edits, and publishes a wide variety of online videos, including game highlights, recruitment videos, mini-documentaries, short films, commercials, and promotional videos. The company publishes its videos for free via YouTube, and generates its profits from both online advertising and commissions from video production projects. In just over a year of operation, The Mars Reel has attracted over 4,200 subscribers on YouTube and its videos have been viewed more than 925,000 times. Brandon will enroll in Howard University next fall to major in Economics and minor in Entrepreneurship. To learn more about The Mars Reel, visit www.TheMarsReel.com.
2010 - Wendy Cai & Kristy Choi, Codi's Hats
Wendy Cai and Kristy Choi, juniors at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD, were named Youth Entrepreneurs of the Year for the Greater Washington Region by Ernst & Young and Junior Achievement of Greater Washington. Wendy and Kristy, who are 16 and 17, respectively, were honored for founding Codi's Hats, a non-profit organization that creates and provides hats to children staying at hospitals and treatment centers.
The two founded Codi's Hats in 2009 in loving memory of their friend Codi Alexander, who was just 16 when she was struck by a car while bicycling to work. During the five days she spent in the hospital before her death, Codi's friends came to understand the fear and sadness that come with having a youth hospitalized. Wendy and Kristy began Codi's Hats out of compassion for the suffering of others and the belief that the joy of charity could help them heal.
In the past year, the organization has mobilized over 200 volunteers to create kid-friendly, safe, creative, and quality head coverings for children fighting cancer and other serious life-threatening illnesses. They then donate the hats to hospitals and treatment centers across the US. For the volunteers of Codi's Hats, this small gesture signifies great hope and admiration for the young patients and their families. Codi's Hats is funded solely by donations, and volunteers are recruited via the organization's website, Facebook, and word-of-mouth. To learn more about Codi's Hats, visit www.codishats.org.
2009 - Timothy Hwang, Operation Fly Inc.
Timothy Hwang, a junior at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, MD, was named Youth Entrepreneur of the Year for the Greater Washington Region by Ernst & Young and Junior Achievement of Greater Washington. Timothy, who is 17, was honored for founding Operation Fly Inc., a non-profit organization that provides services to the homeless in Washington, DC and four other major cities.
Timothy founded Operation Fly Inc. in 2007 after witnessing extreme poverty while volunteering in Guatemala two years prior. In an effort to combat the problem locally, Timothy recruited several of his friends to help the homeless in Washington, DC, funding the organization's efforts by offering a low-cost tutoring program to area students. Since then, Operation Fly Inc. has expanded to involve hundreds of high school students at 20 chapters in Washington, DC, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, and Boston. More information about Operation Fly Inc. can be found at www.operationfly.org.
2008 - Jim Liu & Eric Knudson, Serve It Up Tennis, LLC
Eric Knudson and Jim Liu, seniors at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD, were named Youth Entrepreneurs of the Year for the Greater Washington Region by Ernst & Young and Junior Achievement of Greater Washington. Eric and Jim, who are both 17, were honored for co-founding Serve It Up Tennis, LLC, a company which provides tennis lessons at local public courts in Montgomery County, MD and the District of Columbia.
After teaching tennis at a local club that charged high rates for private lessons, Eric and Jim decided to teach independently and were so successful that they created their own company, Serve It Up Tennis, in 2005. Since then, they have hired 16 additional coaches, provided tennis lessons to more than 700 clients, and been featured in local print media and television broadcasts.
Next fall, Jim and Eric will enter their freshman years of college at Yale University and Stanford University, respectively.
2007 - Brittany Olin, Bee Jewelry
Brittany Nicole Olin is a sophomore Honor Student at Freedom High School in Woodbridge, VA and an active volunteer in her community. Brittany began Bee Jewelry in the summer of 2004 as she was going into eighth grade. Bee Jewelry provides handmade quality glass beaded jewelry at affordable prices. After taking a jewelry class at a local craft store, Brittany saw jewelry making as a fun way to express her artistic creativity. People began inquiring where they could purchase similar pieces and Brittany saw the potential to grow her hobby into a business. Brittany expanded her inventory and now boasts a huge glass bead collection and sells jewelry, watches, cell phone pockets, and much more.
Bee Jewelry's mission statement is "Covering beautiful people with quality jewelry," and Brittany recognizes that the key to her success is taking care of the customer. After she graduates from high school, Brittany plans to attend college and major in Business and Environmental Sciences.
2006 - Kailyn Cage, Kailen's Candy Catering
Kailyn Cage, a graduating senior at Largo Senior High School, turned her fascination with machines and engineering into Kailen's Candy Catering, a small vending machine business that serves the metropolitan Washington, DC area. Kailyn began her small business at age 14 with one three-headed vending machine which was purchased from money raised through candy sales. To date, Kailen's Candy Catering has a total of three vending machines in strategically placed locations: Friendly's Beauty Salon and a GIANT grocery store, both in Northwest Washington, DC, and the Cathedral of Christ Baptist Church in Chapel Oaks, MD. In summer 2006 Kailyn will purchase two additional vending machines bringing her total to five vending machines with a projected net profit of over $10,000. Next fall, Kailyn will be attending her freshman year of college at the University of Maryland, where she plans to study mechanical engineering.
2005 - Brian Hendricks, StartUpPC
Brian Hendricks, a junior at Winston Churchill High School, has always been intrigued with business and computers. What started as a hobby fixing computers for friends and family eventually grew into StartUpPC – a growing computer manufacturer and on-site service provider. Over the years, Brian has expanded his product scope, developed unique operating and marketing techniques, and used his web design skills to create an advanced company website.
In addition to demonstrating considerable entrepreneurial drive and talent, he has managed to effectively balance his school work and extracurricular activities. Brian's long-term goal is to study business at a four year college and establish StartUpPC franchises on college campuses.
2004 - Nick Simons, Lawn Wranglers Landscaping
Nick Simons, a senior at Fairfax High School, began mowing lawns as a summer job at age 11. What began as Nick's part-time job has grown into Lawn Wranglers Landscaping. Nick has expanded his services, invested in industrial equipment, and professionalized his marketing and clientele relations. Additionally, Nick has successfully balanced his business responsibilities with his school work and extracurricular activities. Nick's goal is to operate one of the largest landscaping businesses in Northern Virginia. In 2005, Nick will enter college where he plans to earn a degree to support his goal.
