Tucker Advances To National Competition
WARSAW — Kara Tucker, a member of the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneurs Academy Chapter At Tippecanoe Valley High School, has advised to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy Saunders Scholars National College Scholarship Competition. Tucker will compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars in college scholarships, a fast-track application pass to apply to be on ABC’s Shark Tank and an all-expenses paid trip to attend America’s Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C., courtesy of the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Tucker’s business “Golden Meat” received $680 for her business plan and it was selected for an additional prize.
TVHS chapter members, 10 seniors, took to the stage to present their business plans before a panel of local leaders of industry and a public audience Tuesday, March 22. Each student had five minutes to pitch their business plans to prominent local members of the business community, during the program’s annual YEA Investor Panel event.
Based on the appeal and merit of the students’ plans and presentations, representatives from companies like Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Paragon Medical, Elevate Ventures, Grace College & Seminary and Maple Leaf Farms determined the amount of funds to allocate to each business or social movement. Other participating businesses receiving funds were: Emily Shepherd and Monica Hatfield with I Am received $450; Kaitlyn Ott, Andrew Harlan, Kim Jurado and Katlyn Engholm with Savage Tees received $220; and Brynda Krueger with Novel Necklaces received $150.
The Investor Panel comprised of prominent local business people, including: Monica Kendrick, Zimmer Biomet Vice President of Corporate Communications; Jeff Dryer, Paragon Medical Process Improvement Engineer; Jeff Hodgson, Elevate Ventures; Dr. Jeff Fawcett, Grace College & Seminary Dean of Business School; Niki Miller, Louis Dreyfus Commodities Office Administrator; Trevor Ross, 1st Source Bank Trust Administrator; John Tucker, Maple Leaf Farms Co-President; Missy Reese, Claypool Elementary Principal; Rita Price Simpson, radio broadcaster; and George Brennan, Lake City Group President and Chief Executive Officer.