A business concept drafted by five graduates of The Center for Rural Development’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (ELI) has earned each of the students an offer of a Presidential Scholarship from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond.

The first-place winners of ELI’s 2009 Business Concept Competition are Austin Adams, Rachel Colyer, and Leanze Jones of Pulaski County; Dustin Baker of Laurel County; and Justin Poynter of Rockcastle County.

The students worked as a team to craft a business concept for “You Turn,” a research and rehabilitation center for children with traumatic brain injuries in Southeastern Kentucky. The team proposed building the facility in Somerset, noting it would be one of four such facilities in Kentucky and the only one in Southcentral Kentucky.

A total of 31 high school students from across Southern and Eastern Kentucky graduated from ELI on June 19 at The Center in Somerset after attending a week-long session focused on helping them grow their business and entrepreneurial abilities.

The week culminated in the Business Concept Competition, in which six ELI student teams pitched their business plans to a panel of regional business leaders at The Center in Somerset. The teams delivered eight-minute presentations to the judges, who portrayed business lenders.

One of those judges was Jim Carroll, director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth with the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation.

“I was impressed with all of the presentations,” Carroll said. “The ideas, business plans, and presentation were very professional.

“It was evident that the students were very engaged in the process and took seriously the tasks assigned to them,” Carroll continued. “The judges had a difficult time deciding the winner.”

All five members of the winning team said ELI has helped them to set goals and realize they can accomplish their dreams through hard work.

Adams, 15, a sophomore at Somerset High School, and Poynter, 16, a junior at Rockcastle County High School, said they are now prepared to move forward and start their own businesses.

“The program has given me more confidence about starting a new business and has taught me the necessary skills to be successful in the workforce,” Adams said.

Colyer, 15, a junior at Pulaski County High School, said, “ELI has made me realize that through a dream, hard work, and dedication anything is possible.”

Colyer’s comments were echoed by two of her other team members. Jones, a 16-year-old student at Southwestern High School, and Baker, 14, a sophomore at North Laurel High School, said the experience gave them a renewed confidence to follow their dreams.

Additional business concepts proposed by ELI teams included:

• “Teen Scene,” a center for teens suffering from drug and alcohol abuse. This concept was judged by the panel as the “business idea most likely to be funded” by investors. Team members included Ethan Hamblin of Perry County; Collin Kern of Laurel County; Hannah Smith of Clay County; and Janey McDonald and Chris Stotts of Pulaski County.

The center would serve pre-teens and teens between the ages of 14 and 19 by meeting their mental and physical needs in a safe and non-threatening home environment.

Hamblin and Smith, members of “Teen Scene,” said they learned marketing, financial, and business-related skills while working on the project.

“ELI has helped me prepare for my future as a business leader by teaching me that to be successful you have to have a well thought-out business plan,” Smith, a 15-year-old sophomore at Clay County High School, said. “If you fail to plan, you can plan to fail.”

• “Circumference of the Body,” a one-stop shop for medical services with 18 physicians and 54 nursing support staff under one roof. Team members included Donavon McClure of Laurel County; Dillion Staples of Wayne County; Deanna “Dea” Brandon of Adair County; and Sarah Crawford and Jarrod Wesley of Pulaski County.

The team proposed operating a single medical facility where patients could receive medical services from their family doctor or a specialist without having to visit several different offices.

Brandon, a 17-year-old senior at Adair County High School, said her team looked for “a new and fresh idea” to provide medical services for families caught up in a fast-paced lifestyle.

• “Solar Solutions,” a “go-green” energy company that distributes and installs solar panels. Team members included Katie Ball of Harlan County; Tim Bocook of Casey County; Chelsea Hunter of Monroe County; and Callie Morgan and Cody Epperson of Pulaski County.

The team proposed marketing solar panels to middle- and upper-class families in an effort to promote energy conservation and a green environment.

Morgan, 17, a junior at Pulaski County High School, said the experience taught her “to be creative and follow her passions.”

• “Saving Me Academy,” a drug rehabilitation center for young males and females in Southern and Eastern Kentucky. Team members included Donavyn Coffey of Russell County; Allison Hicks of Wayne County; Lloyd Stotts of Taylor County; Jordan Penley of Laurel County; and Erin Beattie of Pulaski County.

Coffey, a junior at Russell County High School, said ELI encouraged her “to open my mind and think outside the box.” Through her work on the team, she said, “I have learned everything from elevator pitches to business plans, and every lesson taught is one more way I can avoid risks, be confident, and be successful.”

• “Job Vendors,” a non-profit organization that helps unemployed workers find jobs. Team members included Alaina Bailey of Breathitt County; Conor Childers of Estill County; and Courtney Broyles, Michael Crowhurst, Justin Epperson, and Taylor Dick of Pulaski County.

The ability to match potential employees’ skills with the needs of employers in the area was one of the selling points of “Job Vendors.”

Broyles, a sophomore at Pulaski County High School, said ELI has given her new insight into what it takes to become an entrepreneur and operate a successful business. As a team member of “Job Vendors,” Broyles said she also gained an insider’s view of how to operate a business. “ELI has given me an advantage over other emerging business leaders,” she said.

Jessica Melton, associate director of education and training for The Center, said all of the teams used teamwork, leadership skills, and business management skills to create six businesses unique to the region.

“Over the last six days, we have had an opportunity to work with 31 of the most creative, energetic, business-minded teenagers that Southern and Eastern Kentucky has to offer,” she said. “We divided the students into six groups and tasked them with writing a business plan, developing financial statements, and defending their businesses to a panel of lenders at the end of the week.”

Members of the first-place team will be recognized at the 2009 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards (EIEA) program, to be held Sept. 14 at The Center.

High school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors within The Center’s 42-county service area are eligible to apply for ELI. For more information on the program, contact Melton at 606-677-6000 or email her at jmelton@centertech.com.

Established in 1996 through the vision of U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, KY-05, and other leaders, The Center for Rural Development—the Center of Excellence for rural Kentucky and the nation—provides economic and community development programs to residents in a 42-county primary service area of Southern and Eastern Kentucky, and is home to several statewide and national technology-based programs. For more information on programs available through The Center, visit www.centertech.com.

Photo Caption 1: The Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (ELI) business team “You Turn” was declared by a panel of judges to be the overall winner of the 2009 Business Concept Competition for its top business idea—a research and rehabilitation center for children with traumatic brain injuries. Members of the winning team are, from left, Austin Adams and Leanze Jones of Pulaski County; Dustin Baker, Laurel County; Rachel Colyer, Pulaski County; and Justin Poynter, Rockcastle County. Because of the win, all have been offered Presidential Scholarships from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. Presenting the team with certificates of completion for finishing the one-week program are Charley Simpson, second from right, executive vice president and CIO of The Center for Rural Development, and Jessica Melton, associate director of education and training for The Center. ELI, a summer youth program hosted and sponsored by The Center for rising business leaders and entrepreneurs in Southern and Eastern Kentucky, was held June 14-19 at The Center in Somerset.

Photo Caption 2: The Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (ELI) business team “Teen Scene” was recognized by a panel of judges for presenting the business idea most likely to be funded by investors. Team members, from left, Hannah Smith, Clay County; Ethan Hamblin, Perry County; Collin Kern, Laurel County; Chris Stotts and Janie McDonald, both of Pulaski County, pitched an idea for an in-home teen center to meet the physical and mental needs of pre-teens and teens suffering from drug and alcohol abuse. Presenting the team with certificates of completion for finishing the one-week program are Charley Simpson, second from right, executive vice president and CIO of The Center for Rural Development, and Jessica Melton, associate director of education and training for The Center. ELI, a summer youth program hosted and sponsored by The Center for rising business leaders and entrepreneurs in Southern and Eastern Kentucky, was held June 14-19 at The Center in Somerset.

Photo Caption 3: The Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (ELI) business team “Circumference of the Body” was selected by a panel of judges for having the most creative business idea for a single medical facility where patients can receive medical services from their family doctor or a number of specialists all under one roof. Team members, from left, Jarrod Wesley, Pulaski County; Deanna Brandon, Adair County; Sarah Crawford, Pulaski County; Donavon McClure, Laurel County; and Dillion Staples, Wayne County, proposed the idea as a way to help families with fast-paced lifestyles take care of all of their medical needs at one centralized location without having to travel to different doctor offices. Presenting the team with certificates of completion for finishing the one-week program at the ELI graduation ceremony are Charley Simpson, second from right, executive vice president and CIO of The Center for Rural Development, and Jessica Melton, associate director of education and training for The Center. ELI, a summer youth program hosted and sponsored by The Center for rising business leaders and entrepreneurs in Southern and Eastern Kentucky, was held June 14-19 at The Center in Somerset.