The Honolulu chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) recently named Kevan Hendrickson, a graduating senior at Brigham Young University–Hawaii and Marketing Director of Morph Studios, the winner of a regional qualifying round for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA). The GSEA program aims to inspire and support young entrepreneurs, providing opportunities for students to showcase their businesses and network with influential corporate leaders.
Kevin was also a member of the University’s Enactus team that represented the United States at the Enactus World Cup competition in October 2015 and came away with a first-runner-up placement behind world champion United Kingdom at the competition in Johannesburg, South Africa. The BYU–Hawaii team earned the privilege of competing on the world stage after being named National Champions at the 2015 Enactus United States National Exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, earlier in the year.
EO Honolulu members selected Kevan and two other student entrepreneur finalists from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Chaminade University for the regional competition hosted at the Manoa Innovation Center on Feb. 3rd. Each student was given an opportunity to deliver their presentations and field questions from a panel of business leaders including Trevor Benn of Benn Pacific Group Inc.; Juno Chung of Koa Pancake House; Michael Hernandez-Soria of Hawaiian Cool Water LLC; Brandon Lam of La Tour Group LLC; Matt Lyum of Performance Landscapes and Scott Paul of Kleenco Corporation.
Hendrickson is headed to compete against other regional winners at the U.S. national competition Mar. 2 – 3, 2016 in Miami. The winner of the national competition will advance to the global finals in Bangkok May 10 – 12, 2016 representing the U.S. among 50 students from 50 different countries. The global winner receives $20,000 in cash to accelerate his or her business, as well as media exposure, mentorship, donated business products and services, and numerous opportunities to connect with prominent EO members from around the world.
The GSEA program originated in the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University in Missouri in 1998. In 2006, EO took over the program to continue global growth and expansion while offering resources and mentorship among its network of more than 10,000 members in 48 countries.
For more information about GSEA, visit gsea.org.
About the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
As the premier global competition for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) represents more than 1,700 of the prominent student entrepreneurs from more than 32 countries. Built on a mission to inspire students to start and grow entrepreneurial ventures, GSEA brings global visibility to pioneering student business owners. Since 1998, the GSEA, a program founded at the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University, has honored outstanding students who simultaneously attend university full-time while running their own businesses.
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) took on leadership of the GSEA in 2006 to offer student entrepreneurs access to a global network of mentors, resources and connections from the most influential community of entrepreneurs in the world.
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s GSEA is generously supported by Thomas Franchise Solutions. To nominate a student entrepreneur or to get involved, visit www.gsea.org and follow GSEA on Twitter at @EO_GSEA.
About the Entrepreneurs’ Organization
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a global business network of more than 10,000 business owners in more than 131 chapters and 40 countries. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO enables small and large business owners to learn from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life. The organization’s vision is to build the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs, which aligns with its mission of supporting entrepreneurial education and engaging entrepreneurs to learn and grow.
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization also operates the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA), the premier award program for high school, undergraduate and graduate students that own and run businesses while attending college or university; and Accelerator, a series of quarterly, high-impact learning events designed to provide top business owners with the tools, knowledge and skills they need to grow their businesses to more than US$1 million in annual revenue.
Group photo is of the three finalists: Winner Kevan Hendrickson of BYU (center), pictured with finalists Erin Ah Sue of Chaminade (left) and Evan Young of University of Hawaii at Manoa (right), Hendrickson will compete at the March 2016 National competition in Miami.
