The Beachwood Junior Achievement Company program, which hosted the Green Dream Showcase for the past five years, will bring
Entrovation to the Beachwood Community Center (25325 Fairmount Blvd.) on Friday, April 19 from noon to 7 p.m.
Twenty high school seniors from
Beachwood,
Mayfield,
Brush and
Solon high schools spent the school year planning Entrovation -- a combination of entrepreneurship and innovation -- which will showcase 170 area companies including 10 student companies.
“Some people think this is a little high school event, but it’s not,” says Greg Perry, Beachwood High School marketing and Junior Achievement teacher. “People will walk away saying, ‘I can’t believe students did this.’”
Kevin Eisler, a Brush High School senior is one of the students who has been planning Entrovation. “Entrovation showcases how small business and big established businesses are being innovative in their own field,” explains Eisler. “It’s cool to see where all our hard work is going to. It’s almost like we’re entrepreneurs ourselves, working together to make this happen.”
Esme Eppell, a Beachwood High School senior, says the whole experience has encouraged her own entrepreneurial spirit. “The guest speakers who have come in have been really inspirational,” she says. “They’re all normal people who had ideas for a business and became hugely successful.”
Organizers are expecting more than 5,000 attendees at Entrovation. In addition to the exhibitors, six food trucks and the
Game Craze truck will be on location. The
Burton D. Morgan Foundation is sponsoring an Innovative Entrepreneur of the Year competition. Using smart phones attendees can vote for their favorite entrepreneurs. Prizes range from $3,000 for first place to $500 for third place.
Many exhibitors will have merchandise for sale and a raffle offers a chance to win gift s and services from local companies.
Leikin Motor Companies is offering the chance to win a convertible Mercedes-Benz for a weekend.
The group has raised nearly $100,000 so far. Proceeds from the event will be used to build a model for an innovative classroom, based on their visits to places like
LaunchHouse and
Bizdom. They also plan to make a donation to
PediaWorks, which develops and manufactures medical devices for children.
Sources: Greg Perry, Kevin Eisler, Esme Eppell
Writer: Karin Connelly