Nine (9) students from the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) at Savannah will have business and networking advice from 5 CEOs, including:

Alfred “Rick” Spinks, Local GEICO Agency Owner

Samuel “Sam” McCachern, President CEO Thomas & Hutton Engineering Services

Madai Rodriguez, Owner Patron Bar & Grill/ Katrina’s Mexican Grill

Timothy “Tim” Echols, CEO / Founder TeenPack non-Profit youth organization.

Michael Traynor, President /CEO Union Mission

The CEOs volunteered one-on-one time with middle- and high-schoolers while answering their questions as they prepare to launch and run their own businesses as part of their YEA! class. “ I am looking forward to seeing …the next generation (of CEOs) on Thursday” says the CEO of Thomas & Hutton Engineering – Mr. Samuel McCachern.

YEA! teaches kids ages 11 to 18 how to identify their passions, develop a business idea, write a business plan, pitch investors for funding, and obtain all the necessary components to create a fully, formed, and functioning business or social movement by the end of the 30-week class.

As a non-profit organization, the Hispanic Chamber Foundation’s YEA! Program relies on the generosity of the community and of sponsors; people who identify with entrepreneurship and want to help pave the way for the future business leaders of tomorrow. “YEA! strengthens the community, and the community strengthens YEA!,” said Alfonso Ribot, President / CEO Metropolitan Savannah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and YEA! Program Manager. “Our instructors, mentors, and committee members seek out people in every facet of the business community to help our students’ dreams become reality.”

Metropolitan Savannah Hispanic Chamber Foundation (MSAVHCC) YEA! Program

The MSAVHCC Savannah is a 501(c)3 offering the YEA! Program’s groundbreaking year-long classes to the Savannah region, that teach middle and high school students how to start and run their own businesses. Throughout the class, students develop business ideas, write business plans, conduct market research, pitch their plans to a panel of investors for startup funds, and launch and run their own, fully formed companies and social movements. The project-based program empowers students to take charge of their futures.

Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a national 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2004 at the University of Rochester with support from the Kauffman Foundation, YEA! today serves thousands of students nationwide. In 2011, the United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation became a national sponsor and partner of the Academy to help celebrate the spirit of enterprise among today's youth and tomorrow's future leaders. The MSAVHCC and GHCC have teamed up to bring this entrepreneurial program to the Georgia Coastal Region. YEA! bridges the business and educational communities to fulfill its mission of teaching more students how to make a job, not just take a job.