Mitchell County, Kansas – Solomon Valley Economic Development, in association with Network Kansas E-Community Partnership, virtually hosted the first annual Mitchell County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on March 9th, 2021. Fourteen entrepreneurs from Beloit, Tipton and St. John’s presented the business concepts with a written business plan, a 4-minute presentation to judges and a marketing display.
The winning concepts were:
• 1st Prize $750: Alexa Boudreaux, Alexis Drake, Riles Hess and Tatem Tietjens from Beloit High School with the business Trojan Threads.
• 2nd Prize $500: Luke Germann from Tipton Catholic School with the business Tiny Home Rentals.
• 3rd Prize $250: Caleb Burks, Cooper Adams and Ryan Rinaldo from Beloit High School with the business Trojan Grounds.
• Best Non Profit $100: Avery Johnson from Beloit High School with her nonprofit Art with Avery.
• Best Product Partnership $100: Erin Schmitt, St. John’s and Carlie Brummer, Tipton with their partnership Pen to Pan.
Winning students received over $1,700 in prize money courtesy of the Solomon Valley Community Foundation.
“This competition was a great way for students to learn all about entrepreneurship. We were pleased with their business ideas. We had everything from auto repair to art to a bakery, a tiny house rental and a coffee shop. The students were very creative and we are excited for the future of this competition,” said Heather Hartman, SVED Director.
In addition to prizes and recognition, the first-place finisher has the opportunity to compete in the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge at Kansas State University in Manhattan. This event will include the top young entrepreneurs from schools across the state.
The goal of the competition is to expose Kansas middle school and high school students to entrepreneurship and give them a hands-on experience. The students’ work was judged by local community members. This is the 1sttime Mitchell County has brought this competition to our community.
For more information, contact Heather Hartman, Solomon Valley Economic Development at 785.738.3000 or hhartman@beloitks.org
For more information about NetWork Kansas or the E-Community Partnership, visit www.networkkansas.com