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Show Local finalists Governor's Entrepreneur Contest By TOM HARALDSEN Two of the 10 finalists for this year's Governor's High School Entrepreneur Contest are from Davis County, continuing the county's fine record of success in the competition. Last year's winner, win-ner, Rob Hill, was from Bountiful High. Making the final 10 are Erika Lynn Worley, 17, daughter of David and Carol Worley of West Bountiful, a senior at Viewmont High School; and James K. Stout, 17, son of Ronald and Irene Stout of Bountiful, a senior at Bountiful High. The 10 finalists were selected from 62 local school winners win-ners in state competition, based on students' efforts to start and run their own successful businesses. Erika is owner of Erika Originals, Origin-als, which produces and sells handcrafted hand-crafted wood figures. James is involved in-volved in owning and operating three businesses: James Stout Woodcrafts, Stout Yard Service and Stout Snow Rmoval. Cash prizes of $10,000, $3,000 and $2,000 will be awarded to the top three winners during the Governor's Gov-ernor's Economic Development Week in February. The prize money has been contributed by Seldon O. Young, president of the NICE Corporation. Erika's work has found wide acceptance nationwide, as she has designed and produced half a dozen different wooden decorative accessories. Her first creation, the Cat Chasing Mouse decoration, has become a huge success, having been featured on the cover of the Christmas issue of "Creatively Speaking" catalog that goes to decorators de-corators and designers, as well as consumers, nationwide. The native Californian who moved to Utah seven years ago when her father was transferred here, discovered at an early age that "I've always had artistic talent. ta-lent. I like to work things through, from drawings and designs to production. pro-duction. It's something I really enjoy." Erika was a junior at Viewmont when she met Lisa Street, owner of Squirrel Haven in Bountiful, a shop that features handmade craft items and home decorations. Lisa hired her to help with decorative lined baskets which Lisa is producing, produc-ing, and Erika eventually helped in the store. "She is very meticulous," Lisa recalls. "She handled things in a manner-of-fact way, and she is very good with the public. She still works on my displays from time to time." It was partly through Lisa's enr couragement that Erika began her woodcrafts, using her artistic and design skills and her creativity to produce items that Lisa helps her market through the catalog. How has it worked? When Erika began, she made a few items to sell through Squirrel Haven, but once her product line was promoted in the catalog, business skyrocketed. "I have three people working with me," the personable Viewmont View-mont student said. "My business has grown tremendously, and we average about 100 pieces a week." During Christmas, her employee list grew to five, and she literally worked from right after school until un-til midnight, "and met some incredible incre-dible deadlines," Lisa added. With a new catalog expected out on Feb. 1 , Erika and her crew are now producing pro-ducing pieces for inventory. "I stick with hiring sophomores and others who generally have a hard time finding jobs because of their age," she stated. Heryounger sister Tanya, a Viewmont sophomore, sopho-more, is integrally involved in the business, and Erika credits her parents pa-rents with their help in running for supplies and keeping her computer system up and running. While she admits that the success suc-cess of Erika Originals has been "kind of a surprise," she loves the work. "It's very time consuming, but it's fun. My long range plan is to manufacture manu-facture and set up my own store, as well as go to trade shows and market mar-ket the product line." She also plans on college, probably two years at a business school and then two more years studying interior design. Three of Erika's most popular products, the Cat-Mouse, bear and duck, have been copyrighted. She is also working on another product for Easter time an Easter bunny. Should she win the $10,000, or even the second or third place monies, Erika plans on investing that money back into her business, continuing her climb to success. James is equally ambitious, and successful. His woodcrafts business busi-ness started with his father's jigsaw, jig-saw, "when I cut out little recipe holders and then had my sisters sell them door to door." That was five years ago. Since then, when James and his family inherited his grandfather's tools, he has set up a full shop. He concentrates on wallshelves, rocking rock-ing horses, and all types of wall hangings. His success comes from word of mouth, repeat customers who like what he's produced and order more. "Christmas was really crazy this year,-" he said. "We could just barely handle the orders we received, re-ceived, so business is brisk." Like Erika, James has studied design as well, including taking five drafting classes in the last two years. Stout Yard Service began when he was 10, and he, his mother and older brother Paul began a full-service full-service yard care business. As Paul got his driver's license, the brothers began taking on even more. He now operates it with his brother John, and business has grown so quickly that they may split up into separate crews this year. Anyone who has shoveled snow recently can appreciate the efforts of Stout Snow Removal, which James and John run in partnership. It began last year with one truck and a snow blower, and even then, the brothers broke even. This year, they have already paid off a loan they took out to start the business, and added another truck to the operation. "We've done about 25 lots so far since the first snow fell," James stated. "When the snow flies, it's usually time for us to panic, because be-cause we know we'll be getting ' plenty of calls." Next year, he plans on studying general education in college before serving an LDS mission. When he returns, he hopes to specialize in architecture, possibly at BYU. If James brings home the cash prize, he will use it to pay for college col-lege and save the rest for a start-up fund after his mission. "I plan on plowing snow the rest of my life," he stated, adding he hopes to be his own boss the rest of his career. James was also chosen recently as Bountiful High's sterling sterl-ing scholar in vocational education. educa-tion. The conference is set for Feb. . 4-5 at the Red Lion Inn in Salt Lake City (formerly the Sheraton). This year, the state is also conducting a similar contest for college-age student stu-dent entrepreneurs. Yy.A..... m-Tin ,1 - ... yvr" PHOTO BY ROGER TUTTLE Erika Worley, a senior at Viewmont High, created these decorative wood items that have made her business, Erika Originals, one of the fastest growing in the home decorating industry. . - - m I - - - - '1 - V j , . i Ry w j Bm&M&tty.y' IW.WIW-', vflMOMMBWWim.. - PHOTO BY ROGER TUTTLE James Stout, a senior at Bountifuj High, is owner-operator of three small businesses of his own, including James Stout Woodcrafts. Both students are among the 1 0 finalists for the state's High School Entrepreneur of the Year award. |