Chip Reed, president of Junior Achievement of Alabama, spoke about his vision for the Business Plan Challenge, which is part of the “Be Entrepreneurial” program.

“Many students learn technical knowledge, but at JA we teach them how to apply it through our Be Entrepreneurial program and the Business Plan Challenge.”

After all, it's more than just entrepreneurship. “Success comes from practice.” “Entrepreneurship education is a skills development process. Students practice observing problems around them and devising solutions. This practice is applicable to any industry, and I can't think of a single company that doesn't have students who have been taught to be problem solvers.”

Hundreds of Birmingham-area students who participated in JA's Be Entrepreneurial program submitted video applications, after which the top 10 were invited to pitch their business ideas in person during the final round of the competition. Finalists will compete for a $15,000 scholarship, while all participants will enjoy a valuable real-world learning experience.

All participants were instructed to submit a business plan accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation and a video pitch, except for the top 10, who were given the additional task of creating a 60-second video ad/commercial and participating in a panel discussion at the finals.

The experience lasted half a day and required the students to present in front of not only a panel of judges but also an audience of their peers. “Even though it's a competition for a scholarship, there's a real camaraderie. The students all have a lot of respect for each other,” Reed said.

Ryan Harback of Hancock Construction spoke about his experience as a judge: “Junior Achievement put together an incredibly well-organized, professional and thorough event. you If we had incorporated real businesses into the event, it would have felt the same.”

He noted how tough a challenge the students were during the question and answer session: “Because the judges represented a range of disciplines, the panel of judges provided the students with a variety of challenges and opportunities to advocate for their ideas.”

Judges included Wayne Harris of Bridgeworth+SAVANT, Ryan Harbuck of Hancock Construction, Donald Demetz of EBSCO Capital, BeBe Goodrich of Interior Installations and Matt Jaeh of Techstars.

From organizational leadership to technology and even acquisitions, the judges rigorously reviewed the finalists' business proposals as they discussed their justification, competition, financials and more.

“The students who were most prepared and articulate stood out and came out on top. All of the students were really strong.”

Finalists were selected from the applicants based on a thorough evaluation criteria that scored on creativity, innovation, results, product, target market, competitive advantage, business ethics, financials and investment rationale.

Judges selected Keaton Sandford of Spain Park High School as the top winner, who was awarded a $5,000 scholarship for his business plan, “Cuisine Compass.”

Harbach said:Mr. Sanford unanimously earned his business #1 place on Cuisine Compass by providing real-world problem solving, well-prepared and knowledgeable presentations, and knowledgeable responses to panel questionnaires.”

Top 10 (in alphabetical order):

Karen Bryant, ShopSwift

Hoover High School

Meredith Collabreth, Organic Matter

Hoover High School

Grayson Collins “Hear Me”

Hoover High School

Morgan Fleming, Chroni Care

Hoover High School

Sheila Haines, Jordan Sauve, and Emily Rushing, “Safe Haven”

Hewitt-Trussville High School

Sarah Hannock & Adam Jackson, Influbiz

Hoover High School

Cage Kijire, Ship Select

Spain Park High School

Charis Moore, Ignite Sports Marketing

Hoover High School

Andrew Phillips remembers

Spain Park High School

Keaton Sandford, Cuisine Compass

Spain Park High School

“These students are doing something most people would never do,” Reid said proudly, “and they're still employable.”

Students who participate in the high school Be Entrepreneurial program learn the technical skills of an entrepreneur. The Business Plan Challenge allows them to apply that knowledge in a real business engagement environment. Students develop solutions to problems, work on branding their business, conduct market research, develop budgets, pitches and create commercials. Character development and communication skills are a big part of the applied learning that occurs in the Business Plan Challenge.

Reflecting on this year's business plan challenge, Reid said, “We hear negative news so often, but when we experience high school students in an environment like this, it's hard not to feel positive about the future of our community and what's happening in our schools.”