Mentors Meet with Young Entrepreneurs Academy



Dennis Coxwell gets down to business with Cortez Wentz and
Tobias Latimore.

 Local business leaders met for the first time as mentors to the students of Warren County High School's Young Entrepreneurs Academy class.  Members of the class are working this semester on developing a business plan with the hopes of bringing their business to life by the end of the class.  Business leaders who have partnered with Warren County High brought their years of experience to share and to review the student plans for the first time.

After a few nervous introductory moments, mentors and students spent the next hour discussing the student's business plans. The insight provided by Craig Hunter proved invaluable according to Ed'Ricus Williams.  "Mr. Hunter helped us with our S.W.O.T. analysis and helped us to better understand some of our strengths and weaknesses."

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) program seeks to expose students to the process of starting their own business.  Another aspect of the program that attracted teacher Scott Swann and Chamber president O.B. McCorkle is the community involvement that it fosters. Swann states, "I taught a similiar entrepreneurship class last year, but felt the participation of the local business leaders was the thing that I really wanted to improve on this year.  When the Chamber presented us with the opportunity for the YEA program, I jumped at the idea."

The mentors will be working with the students frequently over the next month to develop and refine their business plan.

Craig Hunter works with Tianca Evans and Ed'Ricus Williams.