Stark County Business News: Stark County Minority Business Association Celebrates Graduation of Youth Entrepreneurs

 Stark County Minority Business Association Celebrates Graduation of Youth Entrepreneurs 

Stark County, OH – The Stark County Minority Business Association (SCMBA) is thrilled to announce the upcoming graduation of its 8th-grade students from the Youth Entrepreneur Program (YEP) on Wednesday, May 8. 

The graduation ceremony will take the form of a pitch challenge, where all the teams will present their businesses and ideas to a panel of five judges who are prominent community leaders. Judges include:

•  Will Dent, President/CEO of ABCD, INC.
•  Sherice Freeman, Community Development Director for City of Canton
• Lucien Tolbert, Human Resources Manager for Marathon Petroleum
• Jeff Dafler, CEO of Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Carrilyn Long, President/CEO of CEL Education Consultants. 

The YEP program, a free entrepreneurship initiative for middle schoolers in under-resourced communities, aims to cultivate promising young students, helping them turn their ideas into businesses. Initially launched at Crenshaw Middle School, the program has expanded to three Canton City Middle Schools: Crenshaw, Hartford, and Lehman. 

Throughout the 10-week program, students attended weekly sessions, receiving entrepreneurship training from influential business leaders. These sessions included instruction, facilitator-led discussions, Innovation Stations, and insights from visiting entrepreneurs who served as speakers and coaches. 

The program will conclude with a field trip (a walking tour of minority-owned businesses in downtown Canton) the following week (Wednesday, May 15). This year, 36 students in total, 12 from each middle school, formed nine teams, each comprising of four students. 

These teams have been working diligently towards the Pitch Challenge, which will take place on Wednesday, May 8, from 4-7 p.m. at Timken Commons (521 Tuscarawas St W, Canton, OH 44702). 

The program ensures that each team is well-rounded, comprising students from each participating school, offering diverse experiences and the chance to connect with peers from across the city. Each team's business pitch will include a mission statement, vision statement, the problem the business solves, the market size of the opportunity, target market, product and unique selling proposition, competitive analysis, traction and revenue, marketing and financial analysis.

"We're immensely proud of our students and the hard work they've put into their businesses over the past eight weeks," said Lydia Lee, SCMBA Program Director. "The Pitch Challenge is an exciting culmination of their efforts, and we can't wait to see their innovative ideas in action." For more information about the Youth Entrepreneur Program and the upcoming Pitch Challenge, please contact Lee at lydial@starkminoritybusiness.org.