Thursday, June 19, 2008 9:46 PM CDT
Teenage entrepreneurs come up with ideas to better Effingham County at inaugural Camp E3 event
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
EFFINGHAM — Young entrepreneurs pitched a community transit service, an interactive sporting goods store, and other ideas Wednesday afternoon at the Effingham Country Club.
These teenage entrepreneurs were part of the inaugural Camp E3 — Energizing Emerging Entrepreneurs — sponsored by Eastern Illinois University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
With the guidance of local adult entrepreneurs, participants spent two-and-a-half days learning how to assemble a pitch for a new business. EIU business students then helped the teens create and present business pitches of their own.
“I was thrilled by their enthusiasm and energy. They were very engaged,” said Jeanne Dau, director of EIU’s Business and Technology Institute. She noted the 31 teenagers were divided into seven teams to compete for cash prizes and gift cards.
Each team was given a hypothetical budget of $50,000 and asked to pitch a business that would make Effingham County a better place to live.
First place was won by a pitch for an Effingham Community Transit service, second place was won by a Lakeside Theater drive-in idea, and third place was won by a Game Time Sporting Goods Store plan.
“We looked for problems in our community and we set on gas prices because that is what everyone is worried about now,” said Allison Donsbach of the transit team.
Donsbach, 17, of Effingham said the service would start with one bus that would visit 11 central stops, including recreation and shopping areas. She said anyone could ride for $4 per trip, of any distance, or via a $100 card for unlimited monthly rides.
The teams had to factor in the estimated time at which their business would break even and start earning profits, Donsbach said.
Dillon Biermann, 13, of Mattoon said his team’s Game Time store would offer facilities for customers to try out new equipment before purchasing it.
Biermann said he learned a lot from the camp and enjoyed the presentation by teen entrepreneur David Orr of Fruper.com, an online sales site. He said these lessons will help him as he continues to make fishing lures and hemp jewelry for sale.
“It was a three-day course, but it actually felt like you were trying to start a real business. I feel I can carry that knowledge over to my businesses and really help them run better,” Biermann said.
Other pitches included a Crossroads Cultural Center, a Vibe coffee shop and dance club for teenagers, a teen dance club and laser tag area in the former Heart Theatre, and a Greenhouse Studios environmentally friendly design firm.
Luke Karmisan, 14, of Mattoon said his team had planned to pitch a business incubator until learning EIU’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation already has one in the works.
His team switched the morning of the presentations to a cultural center. Karmisan said the nonprofit center, opened with a $50,000 endowment, would offer art displays, cooking classes and other international programming.
Karmisan plans to start an online retail business. Karmisan said he learned from the camp that he should allow more time to prepare, including giving his Web site a memorable design and saving money.
“I want to be prepared for any hidden costs I might encounter,” Karmisan said.
Dau said EIU’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation may hold future camps in Coles County, Effingham County and other locations.
Camp sponsors included Midland States Bank, Crossroads Workforce Investment Center, Schultz Investment Company, Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System, Lake Land College and Frank and Cathy Brummer.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
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