Community Calendar

Come meet our Young Entrepreneurs Academy participants. Listen as Cat, Bru and Liam present their business plans and make “the ask” for funding for their businesses.

This exciting event, The Investor Panel for our Young Entrepreneurs Academy,  takes place Tuesday, April 9, 6 – 8 p.m.  in the auditorium of Southern New Hampshire University (2^nd Floor), 10 Tibbetts Dr., Brunswick (next door to TD Bank and near Wal-Mart).

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a groundbreaking nine-month program that guides students in Middle and High School through the process of starting a real business, including business plan development, pitching to an investor panel, obtaining funding, launching the venture, managing media campaigns, e-commerce and web development, sales events, and trade shows. Launched in 2004 at the University of Rochester, the program focuses on themes of driving innovation, viewing the world in new ways, recognizing opportunities, valuing risk taking, networking, providing solutions and creating value.

The Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber’s YEA! program has the incredible support of many Chamber members: Sponsors are Mechanics Savings Bank, Southern New Hampshire University, Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Maine Dept. of Economic and Community Development. SMMC Board Directors Matt Barbour (McLeod|Ascanio), Liz Wyman (J. Edward Knight Insurance), Jim Bouchard (Northern Chi Martial Arts) and Art Lamothe (Law Offices of Arthur J. Lamothe) have been guest speakers. Other guest speakers included Peter Boivert (Cook’s Lobster House) and Marita Wallace (EZ Auction Net). Field trips were taken to Percy’s Burrow, Tim Horton’s and Bubba’s Hairstyling Brian Mitchell (Norton Insurance), Tim Welch (TD Bank) and Larissa Darcy (Bank of Maine) have mentored students Cat Johnson, Bru Abreu and Liam Conlin. Liam and Bru both have fathers whose businesses are Chamber members!

Now it’s time for the students to ask investors for funding for their startup businesses on Tuesday, April 9. We’ll have a “meet and greet” (6-6:30 p.m.) with some refreshments. Steve Wallace, Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber President is our emcee. Our investor panelists are Bo Yerxa, Director of Southern New Hampshire University, Earle Harvey, Senior VP of Mechanics Savings Bank (and Chair of  SMMC Board of Directors), Jim Howard, Owner of Priority Real Estate Group, Randee Reynolds, President & CEO of Parkview Adventist Medical Center and George Gervais, Dept. of Economic and Community Development commissioner.  The investors will conference and then make their announcement for funding.

This is an exciting evening and we look forward to you sharing in the excitement. Please bring a colleague or a potential YEA! student for our next academy.

For more information about the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, please email yea@midcoastmaine.com

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