NEWS RELEASE – This month, two local students will be gearing up to pitch their newly launched business on a national stage, as they prepare to compete in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy national competition, which is being held in conjunction with the 10th Annual America's Small Business Summit on June 11 in Washington D.C.

Gulf Breeze Middle School siblings – Eve Knight, 12, and Liam Knight, 13 – were selected to compete in this year's competition after winning the YEA! Saunders Scholars Regional Competition in Boca Raton with their business, The Spice Kidz.

The pair started their business as part of the first-ever Pensacola YEA! program, which was co-sponsored by the Greater Pensacola Chamber, Global Business Solutions, Inc. and the University of West Florida College of Business.

"Early education plays an important role in developing characteristics that are critical to becoming a successful entrepreneur," said Greater Pensacola Chamber President Jerry Maygarden. "These two students demonstrate our region's continued commitment to cultivating innovative qualities that can help our local youth succeed in any profession they choose to pursue."

The Spice Kidz' award-winning idea was to pre-package Indian-style spices to make curry and Vindaloo dinners. Twelve other middle- and high-school students from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties also launched their new businesses at Pensacola's inaugural YEA! Trade Show in conjunction with Pensacola Gallery Night.

A total of $6,600 in grants has been awarded to their businesses by several local investors and entrepreneurs, with The Spice Kidz earning the most with $1,200 in funding.

"Innovativeness and ambition are critical components that lead to professional success," said Global Business Solutions, Inc. CEO Randy Ramos, a successful entrepreneur himself. "Programs like YEA! help to foster the entrepreneurial mindset in young people and gives them the opportunity to pursue their dreams by harnessing their energy, optimism and creativity."

YEA! is a national educational program that guides 6th- to 12th-grade students through the process of starting and running real businesses over the course of a full academic year. Students work in close cooperation with local business leaders, educators and community members to develop ideas and objectives that help to create their own fully formed companies. Winners of this year's national competition will be receiving scholarships, as well as the opportunity to audition for ABC’s hit TV show Shark Tank.

"Entrepreneurial education is more than just building a business plan and marketing a product or service," said Dr. Ed Ranelli, Dean Emeritus for the University of West Florida College of Business. "Starting a business also includes learning about how to recognize opportunities and capitalize on them, which is a skill every young professional should master."

For more information about YEA!, visit PensacolaChamber.com/YEA or contact Kelly Reeser, Director of Entrepreneurial Development for the Greater Pensacola Chamber, at (850) 696-1314 or at [email protected].

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