Top 7 Things Not to Miss at Westfield's Spring Fling

Westfield, NJ -- The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) of Westfield, a program of the Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce, will showcase seven new businesses at Westfield’s Spring Fling on May 1.

YEA! is a groundbreaking educational program that takes students in grades six through twelve through the process of starting and running real businesses over the course of a full academic year. Students work in close cooperation with local leaders of industry, community members, and educators to develop ideas and objectives, write business plans, pitch potential investors, obtain funding, register with governmental agencies, develop their brand identity and much more! By the end of the class, students own and operate fully functioning businesses that can be carried on after graduation.

“We are lucky to have an amazing group of students that are smart, creative and eager to learn about how to build a business,” Mitchell Beinhaker, founder and co-program manager of YEA! Westfield and managing director of The Beinhaker Law Firm. “This is an excellent experience for these students thanks to the significant support from the Westfield business community including our investors, mentors, instructors and guest-lecturers. Please do not miss the chance to come visit these amazing new businesses created by YEA! Westfield students.”

Students in YEA! Westfield will feature their goods and services in booths located on the corner of East Broad Street and Central Avenue.

Top Seven Things NOT to miss at the Westfield Spring Fling!

• Meet local Bello Bunny artist. Be the first to buy an original t-shirt and customized sketch!
• Need a babysitter? Someone to mow your lawn? Meet local teens who have the answer to your prayers with a new website, CommUnity!
• Experience the “Sweetness of Giving” with Entice Sweets mouth-watering homemade chocolate chip cookies and coconut macaroons. Make sure to stop by to participate in a chocolate chip counting competition for an enticing prize!
• How do you stretch? Come see FleXebo and enter a stretching contest with using FleXebo, the world’s first self-tightening stretch band!
• Show us your sneakers! Let experts from Peep My Kickz value your sneakers and clean them up to sell!
• Attention dog owners! Come explore the Stop & Save, an innovative collar to protect a dog and its owner when walking on dark streets and bad weather!
• Finally, an innovation for those who love a good old fashioned BOOK. Wordmark is a revolutionary bookmark that marks not just the page, but the actual WORD!

“As an entrepreneur myself, I am inspired by effort, ambition and passion these students have demonstrated on a weekly basis. Small businesses are one of the great foundations of America, and this group shows great promise for our future,” said Mario Cesario, YEA! Westfield co-program manager, founder of Cesar-Kai Academy in Cranford and owner of the MAX of Cranford. “Visit the YEA! booth to see them in action.”

YEA!’s mission is to help students embrace their passion, energy, creativity and talents, launch a venture, and view entrepreneurship as synonymous with success and freedom.

For more information about the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, please call 585.272.3535 or visit www.yeausa.org.

-- By Beth Jarecki

(Photo provided: YEA Westfield students from left - Botton Row - Stephen Weaver, Peter Shih, Benjamin Mathew, Taylor Salomon. Top Row - Bryant Wang, Dean Burrell, Vanessa Arce, Ash DiCristofalo, Lucas Jacomes, Daniel Graciano, Karl Wirth, Camden Beinhaker, Naomi Floy. Missing - Zhavier Bonds, Brenna Dyson and Ken Salanga.)