"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Students Learn Ins and Outs of Business

Ace McCarthy and Destiny Rose of Tahlequah High School, winners of the $500 first place cash prize at Cherokee Nation’s recent Entrepreneurship Day.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - Encouraging ingenuity and business development among youth, the Cherokee Nation recently held an Entrepreneurship Day at the Place Where They Play for students from area high schools. Approximately 100 students from Sequoyah Schools, Keys High School, Tahlequah High School and Talking Leaves Job Corp attended the event.

“It’s exciting to see our youth excited about business,” said Todd Enlow, Cherokee Nation Group Leader of Leadership. “We want each of you to be successful in your endeavors. I encourage all of you in pursuing your dreams.”

Entrepreneurship Day was hosted by the tribe’s Commerce Division, a Cherokee Nation program that provides direction over the administration of various loan programs, develops marketing and tourism initiatives to promote the economies of the tribe as well as its citizens, and facilitates the development of individual and corporate business.

“Entrepreneurship Day was created to help foster business ideas and ambition among young people,” said Dana Espinal, Cherokee Nation Director of Planning and Development. “We want to instill in these students that realizing a dream is possible.”

The goal of the event was to develop a belief system among our young people that encourages business ownership, leadership and economic development among Cherokee communities.

Taylor Poe, a junior at Sequoyah Schools attended the event to gain knowledge about the processes involved of opening his own business.

“I’d like to learn more about possibly owning my own business someday,” said Poe. “I’m not sure exactly what goes into doing that so I though this might be a good opportunity to learn. I would like to maybe open a training facility for mixed martial arts.”

During the activities, participants were introduced to programs available through the tribe and other organizations that could assist them in their educational and business endeavors. Students were also treated to a question/answer session with a panel of area business leaders who shared with participants their successes and failures in the business world. Panel members included Jeff Reasor (President and CEO of Reasors), Renda Reese-Davis (2 Sisters Financial), Renita Dick (2 Sisters Financial), Bud Gaberino, Jr. (Entrepreneur), and Tommye Wright (Century 21 Wright Real Estate).

“Business ideas come from the heart,” said Reasor. “Ideas are generated all over the world, but they begin in the heart. If you open your own business you just might need that heart.”

Entrepreneurship Day students participated in an Ideas Competition Challenge, a friendly contest designed to peak student interest in entrepreneurship. The competition asked students to come up with a business idea, create a business plan and present the idea to a panel of judges and their peers. Three projects were recognized for their innovation and received prize money.

The Ideas Competition Challenge $500 first prize was awarded to Ace McCarthy and Destiny Rose of Tahlequah High School for their business idea “Tahlequah Motocross Park,” the plan included a track, a retail shop and RV hookups. Second Place, a $250 cash prize, was presented to Garrett Garvin of Keys High School for his business plan to convert gas fueled vehicles to electronically powered vehicles. “Going Green Under the Sun” a business plan developed by Sinea Ryan, Danita Adams and Shelby Kelly of Keys High School received the $100 third place award, their idea incorporated organically grown products and a juice bar in a tanning business.

“I learned a lot today about the processes of owning and operating my own business,” said Rose. “It was interesting to learn about what goes into being an entrepreneur.”