St. Louis Teen Entrepreneurship Symposium

Presenting Sponsor

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Participating Sponsors

Independent Youth Inc. and Clayton High Schools DECA Business Club (Clayton, MO.) are proud to announce the 2nd Annual Teen Entrepreneurship Symposium on Monday September 24, 2012 from 9:00 am to 2:30pm. Presenting sponsor, St. Louis University's John Cook School of Business and The Center for Entrepreneurship will host the event on the campus of Saint Louis University.

The event will focus on giving high school students various perspectives on entrepreneurship while teaching key entrepreneurial concepts in a hands-on setting. During the Symposium students will hear from keynote speaker Mr. Michael J. DeLazzer, creator of the Redbox movie kiosk, as he shares his entrepreneurial journey and road to success. In addition, students will attend break-out sessions that focuses on various facets of entrepreneurship, a networking lunch and a panel discussion. Each break-out session is presented by a Nationally-recognized teen entrepreneur.

Teen Entrepreneurship Symposium participants; develop and strengthen their entrepreneurial mindset, increase social and networking skills, and gain an in-depth understanding of entrepreneurship. In cooperation with several local businesses, The Teen Entrepreneurship Symposium has become a unique, educational and engaging conference that inspires teens to discover their passion and become an entrepreneurial-minded individual.

Date: Monday September 24, 2012

Time: 9:00am - 2:30pm

Location: Anheuser Busch Student Center on the Campus of Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO.)

Fee: Early Registration - $15.00 per attendee (Register by September 10, 2012)
Late Registration - $20.00 per attendee
(Limited financial aid is available upon request)

Teen Entrepreneurship Symposium Agenda

REGISTER NOW!!!

(Spaces are limited)

The Teen Entrepreneurship Symposium Presenters

Keynote Speaker
Mike DeLazzer, creator of the Redbox movie kiosk

Mike DeLazzer is a serial entrepreneur who was featured by Crain’s Chicago Business in an article about serial entrepreneurs in Illinois. In 1996 he founded Kodel Corporation which does Industrial design and manufacturing in Asia. In 2006 he was inducted into the Chicago Entrepreneur Hall of Fame for his work as founder of GetAMovie Inc. which developed the redbox kiosk. In 2005 the two companies merged and re-launched as redbox LLC. Redbox has since become the 2nd largest video rental company in the world, with over 35,000 locations in the U.S. and revenues approaching $2 billion.

After participating in international business for over 20 years in various sales and leadership roles, Mike started Kodel Corporation, an industrial design and manufacturing company in 1996. Kodel grew over the years and opened offices in Taiwan and Shanghai developing, sourcing and selling custom electronic and mechanical devices to OEMs in the U.S.

In 2005 Mike founded Safeguard Shutters, a manufacturer and installer of hurricane shutters in Florida and quickly signed an exclusive contract with Home Depot to sell and install shutters for them in Southwest Florida.

Building on past success in the DVD kiosk industry, Mike co-founded New Retail LTD, which is a licensee of redbox. This company is currently deploying a new platform of redbox machines in the UK.

Wanting to further entrepreneurial expertise in emerging countries, in 2010 Mike founded and funded Gaton Ltd., a non-profit organization that fosters entrepreneurship in Ghana, West Africa. It supplies micro credit to pastors in that country through rice distributions, which they in turn sell as a self sustaining method to cover their living expenses in the mission field.

In 2009 he was given a lifetime achievement award from the Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization for his word in supporting entrepreneurship globally.

Nationally Recognized Teen Entrepreneurs

Asya Gonzales
Stinky Feet Gurlz & She Is Worth It!
Arizona

Presentation Topic: The Ins and Outs of Starting a Non-Profit

As seen on CNN and TIME Magazine For Kids, STINKY FEET GURLZ was established in 2010 by then 13 year old designer, Asya Gonzalez. Stinky Feet Gurlz's motto is to 'Rid The World Of Boring Pony Tails!' All of her adorably designed Gurlz have 1940's inspired pin curls, long eyelashes and bright red lips. Asya donates a portion of every sale to her charity, She Is Worth It!. She Is Worth It! is focused on bringing action and awareness to Child Sex Slavery and backlogged rape kits. When Asya isn't tending to her business or speaking at a function, you can find her laughing hard with her younger brothers and friends, reading, playing her guitar or saxophone, reading, practicing her pitching for softball, and reading or sketching madly in her art book. Asya is passionate about her desire to design and create tomorrow's shoes, dresses and purses and aspires to attend The Art Institute of California with a focus on fashion design to help shape her unique sense of style.

Brandon Iverson & Jordan Williams
Making Money for Teens
Georgia

Presentation Topic: Financial Responsibility and Investing Techniques for Teens

Jordan Williams and Brandon Iverson are 14 year-old entrepreneurs, public speakers, and soon-to-be authors. They are the owners and founders of Making Money For Teens. Jordan and Brandon started this business last summer as a way to help educate teens financially. The two realized that most kids don't get the necessary financial education they need in school systems. This education will definitely help them make better decisions with their money as they get into college and their adult life. Through their products, Jordan and Brandon teach teenagers on different finance subjects such as investing, starting a business, marketing, managing your money, and much more. Their Making Money For Teens CD Series consist of three CD lessons. The main three topics are The Basics of Stocks and Investing, Starting Your Own Business, and Leadership. Jordan is also the author of the Teenpreneur Marketing Guide. They frequently speak at conferences, schools, and youth groups throughout Georgia. They have also been featured on Good Day Atlanta, Biz Kids (on PBS), BlackCelebKids.com, Atlanta Business Radio, Home Business Magazine, and more. Their goal is to keep expanding their business and inspire and motivate teens.

Remmi Smith
Cook Time with Remmi
Oklahoma

Presentation Topic: Effective and Creative Marketing Techniques to Grow Your Business

Cook Time with Remmi is a health based cooking show established in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hosted by talented 12 year old Remmi Smith, the show is based on concerns for the current childhood obesity epidemic. Remmi's objective is to get kids excited about cooking, and to link the skill of cooking to improved nutrition.
Named "Youth Ambassador for Health and Wellness" for Sodexo for their school nutrition program in North America, Remmi works with the executive chefs in 500 school districts and represent 3M students across the country.

Remmi has been selected as an Ambassador for Health and was a featured story in the May 2012 Issue of National Scholastic Magazine with a 700K distribution. In addition to speaking at various conferences Nationwide, Remmi has been named "Top 20 to Watch" by the national The Century Council along with business leaders, Congressmen and Elite Athletes. Remmi has also been invited to give a cooking demonstration on Capitol Hill where she presented the demonstration in front of Members of Congress and their children at the "Bring Your Kids to Work" event. The Ask.Listen.Learn initiative has named Remmi as one of their "Superstars." Remmi is amongst a group of elite athletes and Olympians. Remmi has also been selected as 1 of 7 "Rock Star" learners from across the country by Apple. Her story was filmed and she appeared on a panel in front of 400 university presidents. In January 2011, GTR News named Remmi as "Top 10 to Watch."

Remmi is currently a columnist for the International Amazing Kids E-Zine and a member of Independent Youth's National Teen Entrepreneurship Network.

Remmi's Italian Salad Dressing is marketed at Whole Foods Market Stores in bulk and retail.

Lachlan Johnson
Flipoutz
North Carolina

Presentation Topic: Financing Your New Venture as a Teenager

Lachlan is a rising high school senior and one of the inventors of Flipoutz, a fashion accessory for kids that focuses on self expression, trading and tracking. She has been an active participant in the business, even after a partnership with toy development company Wild Creations in Myrtle Beach SC, and a merger with the Omega Group in NYC. With her siblings, Lachlan is an integral part of the creative side of Flipoutz working on line extensions, new product development, public relations and marketing. Last year, Lachlan (and her siblings) was honored to be a runner up to ChiTAG's Young Inventor of the Year. Along with her brother, Jake, and sister, Erin, she represented her company on ABC's Shark Tank, and on PBS's Biz Kids, and loves sharing what she has learned about entrepreneurship with other kids.

She has earned national recognition for filmmaking and has earned varsity letters in volleyball, soccer, and cheerleading. In the area of extracurricular activities, Lachlan believes that "no activity should be left behind"! She enjoys sports, modeling, rodeo, pageants, international travel and service activities. Lachlan is currently volunteering as a Puppy Raiser for Southeastern Guide Dogs and looking forward to the day her Lab, Heather, graduates and becomes a seeing eye dog.

Jake Johnson
Flipoutz
North Carolina

Presentation Topic: Financing Your New Venture as a Teenager

Jake is a rising eighth grader but has been involved in business from a much earlier age. When Jake was eight years old, he and his sisters came up with the idea for Flipoutz, a silicone bracelet that holds coins that kids can trade and track online at flipoutz.com. Jake continues to work for Flipoutz as one of the company spokespersons as well as in the area of product development, public relations and marketing. As part of Flipoutz, Jake appeared on ABC's Shark Tank and lived to tell about it! He and his sisters were also featured on PBS Biz Kids and were nominated for ChiTAG's Young Inventor of the Year.

No stranger to the working world, Jake started his career as an actor at age seven in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" playing the youngest Ricky Bobby. He can currently be seen in Lifetime's "Army Wives" as Lucas Moran and in the movie "Southern Comfort." Jake plays soccer and basketball, runs cross country and has recently taken up rowing. He volunteers at the local Soup Kitchen and has been working on ways for Flipoutz to "give back" and make a difference.

Hart Main
ManCans
Ohio

Presentation Topic: Social Responsiblity and Entrepreneurship

Hart Main, currently 14 is a sophomore at Marysville High School in Marysville, Ohio. In the fall of 2010 Hart started a business ManCans that focuses on selling candles to men with scents that men like. All of the candles are made inside a recycled soup can; the can is first purchased by the business and donated to soup kitchens and homeless shelters across Ohio and into West Virginia. Since the beginning of the business Hart has been able to donate 30,000 cans of soup, expand his product line of scents, hire three part time employees besides himself, and expand his sales from online to 70 stores, catalogs, fundraisers and corporate marketing merchandise.

Hart has gained media attention from local Columbus, OH television stations, a number of radio stations, highlighted in Family circle magazine, The Lopez Tonight Show, PBS' Bizkid$, and this summer will be on MTV2 and Nickelodeon's new game show "figure it out." Additionally, Hart has received media coverage from various National media outlets including; entrepreneur.com, The Huffington Post, CNBC.com and USA Today. Hart is also a member a Junior Board Member of Independent Youth Inc.

Hart is an active participant in his High School Cross Country team, Student council and announces for both High School Baseball and American Legion games. Outside of School he is a member of the YMCA swim team, plays recreational league baseball during the summer, donates his time to help coach a Tee-ball team, umpires up to 12U games and sponsors his own Pony league team.

Lily Sandler
BLAMtastic®
Georgia

Presentation Topic: Product Development and Business Expansion

When Lily was just 10 years old, she was having trouble finding her lip balm. She said, "Mom, where's my lip blam?" Lip BLAM? Brilliant. Lily's mom said that would make a great name for a lip balm company. BLAMtastic® was born. Lily and her sister, Melanie, created their own personal care product line and started selling in the schoolyard. With great awareness of the ingredients they use, the economy they support, and the community in which they live and work, these young ladies have taken an idea and turned it into a popular international brand. With help from features on Fox Business International, ABC, NBC and CBS News, Time, Seventeen, Girls Life and Parenting Magazines among others, BLAMtastic® and Baby BLAMtastic® products are now sold in more than 3,000 stores nationwide and are exported to South Korea, Canada and New Zealand. Her company is passionate about supporting issues that affect kids and families.

Lily loves working to grow her company. She enjoys traveling, sharing her story and supporting other entrepreneurs worldwide. She is a contributor to numerous entrepreneurial accelerators, including the Georgia State University MBA Program. She has a passion for riding horses as much as possible in her hometown of Atlanta.

Sara Trail
Sew With Sara
California

Presentation Topic: Finding Key Mentors to Get Your Business Started

Sara Trail is the youngest fabric designer in the quilt marketplace. Her first fabric collection, entitled "Biology 101" came out August 2011 from Fabri-Quilt Inc, and her second collection, entitled "FolkHeart" will be coming out very soon! Sara's fabric collections can be found in most quilt stores in America. In addition to her love for designing clothing, quilts, home goods and accessories, Sara also enjoys "upcycling" vintage clothes from the thrift store and altering them to fit her style. A few years ago Sara wrote a book about sewing, "Sew With Sara" (C&T Publishing, 2009), along with publishing a DVD, "Cool Stuff to Sew with Sara" which are both nationally published and can be found on Amazon.com and in all major bookstores, such as Barnes & Noble. You can also find Sara's products in Jo-Ann's Fabrics & Craft stores.

Sara received a "Best Parenting Book Award" for Sew with Sara, and has received "Youth of the Year" for her county. Sara is currently designing a collection of patterns through Simplicity, which are called "Designed with Love by Sara." New pattern designs will be released every 3 months. Sara enjoys doing motivational speaking at the high school and middle schools in California encouraging pre- teens and my peers to reach for the stars and accomplish their goals one step at a time. In Sara's spare time she enjoys hanging out with friends along with sewing and designing new pieces.

Sara is shown in this photo wearing one of her cool jackets she designed for Simplicity Patterns now on sale worldwide.