Winner of Lansing Community College’s OWN A BUSINESS, OWN YOUR FUTURE YOUTH BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION Named
On May 11, Lansing Community College (LCC) held its first Youth Business Plan Competition. Aneri Gonzalez from Everett High School won the $1000 cash award, funded by a generous grant made from the Coleman Foundation to LCC’s Own a Business, Own Your Future Youth Entrepreneur Fund.
Aneri graduates in June and already has an impressive resume. Not only is she the editor of her school newspaper and an LCC HOPE Scholar, she also has a good start on an exciting portfolio of work for her company, AG designs. During her business plan presentation, Aneri showed examples of invitations she designed for friends’ parties and a striking poster for LCC’s Cinco de Mayo event. The audience included Aneri’s mother; her accounting instructor, Greg Clugston; LCC faculty; and local business owners. All were wowed by her aesthetics, professionalism, and passion.
Deloise McIntosh, LCC business faculty; Bob McGowan, CEO of Converged Network Solutions; and Tom Donaldson, Regional Director of the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center judged the competition. They recommended Aneri receive the full $1000 and suggested some refinements for her business plan and next steps for her business.
During her remarks following the judges’ summary and announcement of her win, Aneri credited her accounting instructor, Greg Clugston, for motivating her to participate in the competition and supporting her along the way. She said that without his encouragement, she wouldn’t have been there.
Aneri will start attending LCC in the fall of 2010. She will be working at another job while she builds AG designs and takes classes full time. We have no doubt she will succeed at her goals.
To see the application and business plan submission guidelines for the May competition, go to http://www.lcc.edu/ed/wiredinitiative/oab_news/.
Another competition for students who graduated in June 2010 is planned for the fall. Planning for the Traveling Experts workshops and a competition for high school seniors graduating in 2011 are underway.
Toni Hughes Glasscoe
K-12 Relations
(517) 483-9909
MC 1000
Lansing Community College
PO Box 40010
Lansing, MI 48901-7210