After competing with 131 teams from 31 elementary schools and 12 counties across Arkansas, 25 teams of teachers and kids in grades fifth through eighth were given the opportunity to present their ideas this past Friday at the Youth Entrepreneur Showcase (Y.E.S.) Expo Day at Park Plaza Mall in Little Rock sponsored by Simmons Bank.
Over 50 volunteers from several industries in Arkansas came to judge and score the projects. Each team was tasked with stating a problem and providing a viable and profitable idea for the solution. Their goal was to convince the judges through their business plans, explaining the results of potential customer research, how the products would be made, marketed and sold, how much money it would take to launch the business and revenue and expense projections for one month.
These ideas were presented in individual booths and allowed the entrepreneurs to show off their unique creations.
Y.E.S presented awards for four categories. Each category presented awards for those placing in the top four with cash prizes given to each placing team.
Y.E.S. Winners
Most Innovative:
First Place The Ball Wall, Pinnacle View Middle School, Little Rock
Second Place Animation Station, Pinnacle View Middle School, Little Rock
Third Place Stress-Less, Berryville Middle School, Berryville
Fourth Place Go Green Denim, Sheridan Intermediate School, Sheridan
Best Marketing Piece:
First Place Moore’s Bow Slings, Midland School District, Pleasant Plains
Second Place Bow-WOW!, Cutter Morning Star High School, Hot Springs
Third Place The Pecking Order, Comm Central (Homeschool), Little Rock
Fourth Place SmartCane, Henderson Middle School, Little Rock
Best Retail Booth:
First Place Bendy Bookmarks, Carlisle Elementary, Carlisle
Second Place Sticks and Stones, Pulaski Heights Middle School, Little Rock
Third Place Moore’s Bow Slings, Midland School District, Pleasant Plains
Fourth Place Click Sharps, Viola Elementary School
Best Business Plan:
First Place Bendy Bookmarks, Carlisle Elementary
Second Place Paw-Fect Treats, Southside Middle School, Searcy
Third Place X-Stinked, Omaha Schools, Omaha
Fourth Place Guardians of the Air, Seventh Street Elementary, North Little Rock
Y.E.S. has impacted more than 8,100 fifth through eighth grade students since 2006 with 2,654 business plans submitted and almost $87,000 given in cash prizes. Visit http://arcapital.com/yesforarkansas/for more information.
Y.E.S is managed through Arkansas Capital’s 501(c)(3) non profit Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF). Their mission is to “to be a catalyst in an environment focused on ideas and initiatives that nurture Arkansas’s future entrepreneurs, especially young Arkansans living in the state’s underserved communities.”
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