Organic Restaurant Idea Takes Prize

Three local students get $2,000 in entrepreneur competition.

By Bethany Clough / The Fresno Bee
(Updated Wednesday, April 27, 2005, 6:49 AM)

Ashlee Hickey's vegetarianism and her classmates' health-conscious diets not only inspired an idea for a new business but led to a $2,000 prize and a limousine ride Tuesday.

First Place Team $2000 "The Green Bean" Ashlee Hickey, Jaymie Eaton, and Jana Garcia

Hickey, Jana Garcia and Jaymie Eaton, students at the Center for Advanced Research and Technology in Clovis, won the Central Valley Entrepreneur Leadership Program with their business plan for an organic restaurant named Green Bean.

The trio was part of a program in which 90 students from high schools across the central San Joaquin Valley created business plans for new businesses.

They started monthly sessions in October at California State University, Fresno, and ended by presenting their ideas to judges Tuesday. Hickey and her partners ended the day by enjoying one of the perks of winning: a limo ride back to their school.

William Goodall touts his team's grocery delivery service during finals competition. John Walker / The Fresno Bee

Twenty-three teams were whittled down to six finalists that afternoon from CART, Porterville High School and Washington Union High School in Fresno.

Judges from Fresno State and the business community pitched hardball questions to the finalists.

Kelli Furtado of the Central Valley Business Incubator told students that entrepreneurs often have a passion for their businesses that drives them to success.

"What made your group decide on this?" she asked the CART students who created a plan for Grocery To Go, a 24-hour grocery delivery service. Emily Farkas said her mom's busy schedule inspired her. "At home it's just me and my mom, and she works full time so something like going to the grocery store is just so not in the picture," she said. "It really touched home with me."

Jana Garcia talks about the obesity crisis in America on Tuesday during the finals of the Central Valley Entrepreneur Leadership Program at California State University, Fresno. Garcia and her two teammates beat 22 other teams with their business plan for an organic restaurant named Green Bean. John Walker / The Fresno Bee

Another team from CART planned to build a $1.5 million lighted nine-hole golf course and driving range at Herndon and DeWolf avenues in Clovis. The students thought the drive from Clovis to Fresno golf courses was too long, so one in Clovis would be a draw, they said. Three members of the group are golfers, and the fourth is a self-proclaimed minigolf expert. "It's just a passion," Derrick Simpson said.

Rebecca Schneider and Der Lee of Washington Union both volunteer in the medical field. Schneider has worked with children with disabilities with her mother, a rehabilitation nurse, and Lee volunteers in the respiratory therapy department of University Medical Center. Their experiences led to the creation of a business plan for Medi-Gear, a business in which customers can try out products before buying them online. Both students saw patients and professionals get frustrated with products, especially when ones they ordered online didn't meet expectations.

The plans they created were detailed, and each team determined what their target audience is, how much startup capital they need and when they would break even, among other factors.

The reporter can be reached at bclough@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6431.