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California State University, Fresno students
were acquainted with renowned
 entrepreneur and Fresno native Lawrence Young during the Entrepreneurship in Residence (EIR)
program from Tuesday, Oct. 23 though Friday, Oct. 26.
Students spent four days picking the brain of
Young, a Fresno State graduate and President and CEO of Active ES,
Inc., a Southern California-based corporation that designs and
markets energy management technology worldwide.
“Mr. Young was introduced to the numerous
resources Fresno State has to offer to up-and-coming entrepreneurs,”
said Genelle Taylor, Associate Director of the Lyles Center for
Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fresno State.
Young gave classroom presentations in
entrepreneurship to students, who had the opportunity to interact,
share their ideas and learn from his wisdom in building businesses.
“Both my wife’s family and my family live in
Fresno, so we come to visit all the time, but it has been 25 years
since I have set foot on campus,” Young said. “The level of
sophistication of incubators, venture funds and programs at the
Lyles Center is very high. Entrepreneurship isn’t a hypothetical
thing, it exists here.”
With decades of experience in international
business operations, high technology and training, Young and a
business partner formed Talent Investors (“Talent” refers to the
biblical Parable of the Talents) to identify businesses to acquire,
turn around and grow for eventual sale.
Young’s career has taken him throughout the
United States, as well as to the United Kingdom, Australia and
Mexico. In the mid-1990s, Young was asked by his eventual business
partner to join him at Infotec Commercial Systems, a high technology
training company specializing in software development and training.
They grew the company from four branches to
more than 30 profit centers, increasing annual company sales from a
few million to more than $30 million in five years.
At Fresno State, Young was a two-term president
of his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, Interfraternity Man of the
Year, and helped expand the chapter to more than 120 members. After
graduating from Fresno State, he provided leadership consulting to
chapters at about 100 colleges and universities in the United States
and Canada.
Over the years, Young has been involved in a
theatrical company, run political campaigns and been involved in
numerous community organizations. He and his wife and son live in
Mission Viejo.
Activities during the four-day EIR program
included presentations to students, a community reception, meetings
with local entrepreneurs, a luncheon and tour of the Central Valley
Business Incubator, and a seat for Young in the University Sky Box
with President John D. Welty for the Fresno State vs. Boise State
football game.
“This visit has broadened my awareness of the
people in Fresno,” Young said. “It took me aback and I’m impressed
at what is going on here. This is world-class stuff. In 10-15 years
people will look back and wish they were involved in this area. The
ground floor has been laid.”
SPOTLIGHT
Local Teen Competes in
National Business Plan
Competition
 Yesenia Garcia, an 18-year-old freshman at
Fresno City College, was the first competitor from the Central
Valley at the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship
(NFTE) National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge in New York on
October 3.
Garcia, one of 73 grandchildren, was the first
to graduate high school in her family and competed against 28
students with her business “Targetas de Negocio,” Spanish for
“business cards”, a bilingual business card retailer at the NFTE
national competition.
“I was concentrating on graduating high school,
not what programs I would participate in during college,” she said.
“Now I know I want to major in business and entrepreneurship and
someday start my own business.”
Garcia was part of the first NFTE program and
regional competition for at-risk youth last spring, sponsored by the
Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State
University, Fresno.
Linda Jean Voth, Garcia’s NFTE instructor,
helped her put the plan together and practice her presentation
skills.
“The business was entirely her idea,” Voth
said. “Her friend is in the construction business and didn’t speak
any English. Yesenia made him English and Spanish business cards
which allowed to him to communicate much better with the community.”
Voth said that at the beginning of the NFTE
program Yesenia was shy and not very confident. “Kids like Yesenia
are really important because they need to know they are smart and
that they have what it takes to succeed,” Voth said. “At the
regional competition Yesenia nailed it. She looked the judges in the
eye and asked them why they wouldn’t want to invest in her company.”
When Garcia won the regional competition she
received a $500 Visa gift card and was guaranteed a paid trip for
her and Voth to the national competition in New York City, where she
was one of 29 out of the 23,000 that competed regionally.
“This was a great experience for Yesenia,” Voth
said. “She’s never been outside of California. NFTE Corporate paid
for two nights in the city, the Lyles Center paid for the third and
I paid for a fourth night. That way Yesenia saw the city and could
enjoy being part of this competition.”
Since starting her business idea back in
January, 2007, Garcia said NFTE did more than prepare her for
college, it helped her with her speaking skills, which she will
continue to work on by taking college courses in public speaking.
“I’m not used to talking to people, I’m
normally really quiet,” she said. “This competition has helped me
with my speaking skills and I have met a lot of new people.”
Garcia said that she will transfer to
California State University, Fresno in 2008 and wants to see her
business come to life. “I really like my business, but I would want
to make it bigger and sell more than business cards. I would love to
start this business after I graduate from college.”
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Reza Raeisi, Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Don Priest, Mass Communication and
Journalism &
Corey Whitehead, Department of Music
Klaus Tenbergen, Department of Food Science
and Nutrition
Link>
CREDITS
Timothy Stearns,
Genelle Taylor
EDITORS
Tori Randolph
STORIES
Helga McCurry
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
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 The first two students to win the Coleman
Entrepreneur Scholarship through the Lyles Center for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship at California State University, Fresno, have set up
office and are using the numerous resources available to them in the
center’s “Hatchery.”
Genelle Taylor, associate director of the Lyles
Center, said the Hatchery is a student business incubator in the
Lyles Center that gives student entrepreneurs the resources and
space they need to get their businesses going.
“Mentors and coaches will be brought into the
Hatchery to provide important services and advice pertaining to
technology, legal, accounting, intellectual property and management
of the business,” Taylor said. “Students are eligible for Hatchery
space based on an assessment of their business plan or if tied to a
Scholarship.”
Eight Hatchery offices will be available to
assigned students who are working on a business plan or a business
in its early stages of development.
 Stephanie Reilly, an 18-year-old scholarship
winner and freshman at Fresno State, is one of the students to
receive office space in the Hatchery.
Reilly dreamed of fashion design and created
POParazzi, a line of fashion jewelry made with vintage soda bottle
caps.
“I found out about the Coleman Scholarship on
the Lyles Center website and started building my business ideas,”
Reilly said.
Kenneth J. Harms, Jr., the other scholarship
recipient, came to Fresno State from Sacramento and started K&P
Autoworks, LLC, an automobile tuning and performance enhancing
company.
In order to apply for the Coleman Entrepreneur
Scholarship students were required to provide a business plan and
license.
“The scholarship really motivated me to start
my business,” Reilly said. “Not only did I learn from the
application process, but I was awarded money to start my company.”
Through the Lyles Center, the Coleman
Entrepreneur Scholarship provides the scholarship winners $5,000 to
support their education and expand their businesses–paying for
tuition and providing “seed money” to see the student’s ideas become
reality.
“I feel so blessed to be here,” Reilly said.
“This center is a wonderful, safe place to discuss ideas and be
creative. The people are fabulous. They are helpful and encouraging
to me and my company.”
The Coleman Foundation gave a grant to the
Lyles Center to support the programs and progress the center has
made in educating entrepreneurs at Fresno State, the only university
on the West Coast to receive funding from the Coleman Foundation.
Genelle Taylor, Associate Director of the Lyles
Center, said these scholarships and the Hatchery will attract more
young entrepreneurs to Fresno State.
“Fresno State has the unique opportunity to
establish itself as an entrepreneurial destination,” Taylor said.
“This program will put Fresno State on the national stage and
attract students who have never received support from universities
to continue operating their businesses while attending college.”
Learn more about scholarships in entrepreneurship>
The Entrepreneurship Mentor Program for
exceptional entrepreneurship students at Fresno State has grown into
a three-unit class, thanks to the support of the Lyles Center for
Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Led by the Director of the Lyles Center,
Timothy Stearns, the Entrepreneurship Mentor Program provides
resources for students to build their skills and network with
professionals in their field.
“We will not be a traditional class where
students are passive and teachers are active,” Stearns said. “It is
an expectation and a requirement that students take ownership of the
course.”
Twenty prominent entrepreneurs in the community
have volunteered their time to mentor the students in this program,
which will meet once a week through spring 2008.
Students will experience several entrepreneur
presenters, workshops, two field trips and a trip to San Francisco
to take the Johnson O’Connor aptitude test.
“This class is a chance for students to
actively ‘pitch-in’ and add value to their entrepreneurial skills as
a group,” Stearns said. “The Lyles Center provides the space and
mentoring for them to do so.”
The students in the program go through an
interview process and are selected from a pool of candidates who
have made a commitment to pursue resources and experiences that will
result in the enhancement of their entrepreneurial skills.
In previous years, students would attend social
networking events and spend time with an assigned mentor. Now the
students will network with other students and professionals during
class and be able to develop a stronger relationship with their
particular mentor.
Blake Akin is a returning participant excited
to take the course. “Last year it was very beneficial to me,” he
said. “It taught me how to use my skills to focus on what I should
be focusing on. I am really excited about this year’s program.”
Yulia Chavez, a new student in the course, was
also excited for the class to start. “I want to be involved in
anything in the Lyles Center,” she said. “The Lyles Center gives you
more resources and mentoring than any University could ever give
you.”
The main goal of the Entrepreneurship Mentor
Program is for students to develop skills that prepare them to
succeed professionally as entrepreneurs. “This class is not about
learning,” Stearns said. “You can learn about entrepreneurship
anywhere. This class is about building skills in entrepreneurship.”
Rather than sit in class, a main part of the
students’ grades is their community involvement. The
Entrepreneurship Mentor Program is currently working with the Food
Bank and planning to provide direct assistance to help improve the
system.
“The Food Bank is a very important
organization,” Stearns said. “We will learn where their needs are
and tell them where we can add value to their business. Hopefully,
we can improve and add to their business practices.”
Grades in the class will be based on student’s
participation in class and with their mentor, community involvement,
a culminating project and evaluations by other students and mentors.
Stearns said the final project is free to
student interpretation, as long as it is communicated to the class
clearly.
“The project can be anything from a PowerPoint
presentation to a song, play or sculpture,” Stearns said. “The
students need to share what experiences they have had and what the
journey was like.”
Learn
more about the program>
 Twenty California State University, Fresno,
students attended the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO)
National Conference in Chicago Nov. 1-3, and seven participated on a
panel giving advice on starting a campus CEO chapter.
CEO is an entrepreneur network with chapter
clubs on over 100 campuses nationwide. The CEO Conference includes
networking, lecturing, keynote speakers and breakout sessions.
“The national conference is a great chance to
network with other campuses and entrepreneurial students,” said
Michael Biondo, president of the CEO club at Fresno State.
Biondo and six other Fresno State students were
among panelists participating in breakout sessions on topics
including how to start a CEO chapter, starting CEO clubs in high
schools and starting a CEO chapter business.
Marc Uyemura, a member of CEO Fresno, also
participated in the elevator pitch competition. He was the first and
only Fresno State student to participate and came away with fourth
place out of 60 students (125 applications) and won $1000.
The CEO Conference drew 135 university clubs
and more than 1,200 students, faculty and others from across the
country. More than 80 entrepreneurs and business leaders shared
their ideas and expertise with students on how they launched their
businesses, the lessons they've learned and where they are today.
Fresno State students were helped with expenses
by the Coleman Foundation and the Lyles Center for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship at Fresno State. The club also does fundraising for
sponsorships in the Fresno area, Biondo said.
Three club members earned an all expenses paid
trip thanks to the Plastic Jungle competition, which was held on
campus Oct. 11.
“Plastic Jungle, a gift card trading company,
was seeking the best methods to reach college campuses, so we held a
marketing competition on campus and the prize was a full-ride trip
to the conference,” Biondo said.
Two other students received all expenses paid
trips through their mentors in the Entrepreneur Mentorship Program
at Fresno State.
“These mentors volunteer their time and provide
students not only with knowledge but also funding for different
activities,” said Timothy Stearns, director of the Lyles Center.
For more information, contact Dr. Stearns at
559.294.2045 | ceofresno.com
Learning math and science has been an exciting
experience for hospital patients, thanks to this year’s partnership
of Kids Invent! and Children’s Hospital Central California.
Activities stimulate the creative instincts of
children to encourage innovation by engaging them in 90-minute
invention sessions in the Child Life classroom. Some of the
activities include Water Rockets, Rubber Band Racers, and Rocket
Cars.
“The patients at Children’s Hospital will learn
through hands-on experiments,” said Diane Phakonekham, Program
Director for Kids Invent! “Children design and build their own toys.
Different kids can come each time and we allow siblings who are
visiting to get involved as well.”
“Each session, patients take on new activities
and discover new inventions. It’s amazing to see them forget about
their pain and eagerly participate with other patients. Seeing the
kids smile as the result of an invention gives me, and I’m sure my
staff, instant gratification,” Phakonekham said.
Mary Saleem, a Child Life Assistant at the
hospital, organized for Kids Invent! to come to the hospital. “It
was hard with hospital policies to get Kids Invent! here,” Saleem
said. “Their staff has to go through tests to make sure everyone is
healthy enough to be around the kids.”
Kids Invent! provides Team Leaders, Team
Leader’s Assistants, and supplies, while the hospital provides extra
staff and space to teach the kids. Team Leaders and Assistants
provide kids with instructions on how to build their toys, give out
supplies and help with their designs.
After the kids have finished assembly of their
toy, they go outside to test the prototype.
“Testing out their toys is a great experience
for these kids,” said Alma Gutierrez, a staff member at Kids Invent!
“They all want to see how far something will go, or how high it will
fly, and if it hits something, that’s even better.”
At the end of the day, kids win prizes, receive
a free Kids Invent! T-shirt and keep the toy they’ve created.
Working with patients at the hospital can be an
overwhelming experience and having the right staff is vital to the
program, Phakonekham said.
“These kids are smart,” she said. “They can
read body language and begin to feel bad for themselves. You have to
treat them like any other kid and motivate them to give their best
effort. Some people can’t do that.”
Gutierrez said she enjoys spending time at the
hospital. “It’s a lot of fun spending time with these kids,”
Gutierrez. “To me, they aren’t sick, they are just like any other
kids and I am there to entertain them. A lot of them want to stay in
the hospital longer so they can do our activities.”
Kids Invent! did a separate partnership with
the hospital over the summer and had great success. “It was
wonderful,” Saleem said. “The kids really enjoyed it.”
“It was a lot of fun and the kids were really
creative,” Gutierrez said. “They would really get interested in
decorating the toys and they figured the more glitter and
accessories their toy had, the better.”
The Kids Invent! Program was developed as a
collaborative effort between Dr. Timothy Stearns and Dr. Ed Sobey in
1997. The program continues to flourish under the Lyles Center for
Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State University,
Fresno, and is now offered globally from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia.
Kids Invent! has served over 30 schools in the Central Valley;
Fresno Unified, Madera Unified, Selma Unified, Parlier Unified, and
Central Unified school districts.
“The program is unparalleled as it inspires
kids to apply their creativity and gain a life-long learning tool by
discovering unique ways to invent,” said Phakonekham. “As a parent,
I know how important it is for children to enjoy activities. This
helps with the healing process and gives kids good memories of the
hospital.”
kidsinvent.com |
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