Four Omaha Middle School Teams Win as

Youth Entrepreneur Showcase (Y.E.S.) Top 25 Finalists

David Reynolds, Dillon Gant, Remington Edwards, Aidan Kimberlin, Trey Stone,

Cheyenne Ratliff, Lauren Moore, Maggie Griffith, Alexas Sanders, Victoria Mansfield,

Kaitlynn Youngblood, Tyler Kay, Connor White, Kaya Miner, Jordan Gabriel, Lydia

Jones, Pam Hopkins (teacher sponsor)

Girls’ Gourmet Pretzels, Pucker Pops, S.L.A.K., and Top Secret Spices of Omaha

Middle School, under the sponsorship of Pam Hopkins, were four of top 25 finalists in

Arkansas’s 8th annual Youth Entrepreneur Showcase (Y.E.S.), a statewide business plan

competition for fifth to eighth graders. Omaha School was the only school in the state to have

four teams in the final competition. Y.E.S. began in 2005 as a collaborative project for middle

school students and is sponsored by the Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF),

an affiliate of the Arkansas Capital Corporation.

This year 204 teams, made up of over 600 Arkansas students, accepted the challenge of

creating an innovative business and writing a complete business plan for their product or service.

25 teams were selected in the first round of competition.

For the next round of the competition, the finalists were challenged with creating a

comprehensive marketing piece and display booth to showcase their businesses. The teams set

up their booth, showcased and sold their products, and displayed their marketing piece at the

Y.E.S. Expo on Friday, January 18, 2013, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Park Plaza Mall in Little

Rock. The public was invited to attend.

Pictured: Cheyenne Ratliff (5th

grade), Maggie Griffith (6th

grade), and Victoria

Mansfield (5th

grade) Made Up the Girls’ Gourmet Pretzels (GGP) Y.E.S. Team.

The Girls’ Gourmet Pretzels (GGP), manufactured and sold delicious gourmet chocolate

covered pretzels, hand-dipped in milk, white, or dark chocolate and adorned with an assortment

of sprinkled toppings. GGP were sold individually wrapped or in creative gift packs.

Pictured: Tyler Kay, Connor White, Jordan Gabriel, Lydia Jones, Kaya Miner- the

Omaha 5th

Grade Pucker Pops Team.

A team of students in fifth grade, Jordan Gabriel, Lydia Jones, Tyler Kay, Kaya Miner,

and Connor White, were the creators of Pucker Pops, sour, crunchy, delicious frozen pickle

juice pops. A great snack with the extra healthy benefit of having no sugar added, Pucker Pops

are packaged in a sealed bag, holding all the frozen and melted yummy juice so you can enjoy

your Pucker Pop frozen solid, crushed, or melted and delicious.

Pictured: Aidan Kimberlin, Dillon Gant, Remington Edwards, David Reynolds,

and Trey Stone- 6th

Grade Top Secret Spices, Omaha Y.E.S. Team.

Remington Edwards, Dillon Gant, Aidan Kimberlin, Trey Stone, and David Reynolds

were on the 6th

grade team of TOP SECRET SPICES. TOP SECRET SPICES produce zesty,

designer spice blends exploding with flavor and created to feel like a party in your mouth. The

spices have heat volumes ranging from mild with the savory GROUND ZERO to medium in

flavorful PENTAGON and to the high heat, grand master, “knock your socks off”, spice of all

spices, AREA 51. TOP SECRET SPICES can be used as rubs on meats, seasonings in various

recipes, and/or sprinkled on food for a burst of flavor to stimulate your taste buds.

Pictured Front: Kaitlynn Youngblood and Lauren Moore

Back : Alexas Sanders and Tori Plunk- 6th

Grade Girls on the S.L.A.K. Team

S.L.A.K is an acronym for Styles by Lauren Moore, Alexas Sanders, and Kaitlynn

Youngblood, the creators of the business ( later joined by Tori Plunk) . S.L.A.K products are

unique designer aprons and coordinated bow accessories created to allow females of all ages to

look fashionable and stylish while cooking or working on any project. The aprons are designed

using stylish bandanas and adorable cup towels, decorated with tulle, ribbon, and a lot of hard

work and love. The bows are carefully planned to coordinate with each apron and can be worn

either in your hair or simply clipped on your apron for an added touch of class.

The top 25 teams competed for prizes in four categories: business plan, innovation,

marketing, and retail booth display. The S.L.A. K. team won third place for their retail booth,

which was designed as a French Boutique showcasing and selling their designer aprons and

coordinated hair accessories. Each team member won a medal and $25.00.