Youth’s business takes flight, honors at annual Celebration for Young Entrepreneurs in Colorado

Angel Wings wins young entrepreneur award in competition

September 10, 2004

John Swenson has some advice for would-be entrepreneurs.

"Go for it," says the 12-year-old Arvada resident. "You never know how it might turn out."

By Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News

http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_3171685,00.html

As a sixth-grader last spring at Van Arsdale Elementary School, Swenson was chosen to release his trained doves during what has been described as the most memorable part of a ceremony marking the five- year anniversary of the Columbine High School tragedy.

His business, Angel Wings, was awarded top honors Thursday night at the Celebration for Young Entrepreneurs, an annual fund-raiser for the Young Americans Center for Financial Education.

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Celebration for Young Entrepreneurs http://www.yacenter.org/index.cfm?fuseAction=celebrationForYoungEntrepreneurs.celebrationForYoungEntrepreneurs is a unique event that recognizes the incredible accomplishments of young business owners ages 21 and younger. Funds raised at this event benefit the programs of Young Americans Center for Financial Education.

This is not a business plan competition. These aspiring young people have started and operate their own businesses – they have customers and they have income! Some of the businesses are new and some have been operating for years.

The competition is open to any youth age 21 and under who live in the state of Colorado and have their own business. One winner and two finalists are selected from each of the following age categories:

# Ages 12 and under

# Ages 13 -15

# Ages 16 -18

# Young adults (ages 19-21)

Both winners and finalists receive cash prizes, and the winners are paired with business mentors from the community.

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Swenson, now a student at Oberon Junior High School, handles about two jobs a month releasing birds, mainly at weddings and memorial services in the Denver area. He typically charges between $175 and $195 to release about a dozen birds, depending on how far he needs to travel and how far the birds need to fly home.

He got his start from local bird trainer Tom Loux, a neighbor of Swenson’s grandmother. Loux taught Swenson how to raise doves and set him up with what he needed to train birds in his back yard.

Loux, who has his own dove-releasing business called White Birds Unlimited, said he and his birds took part in the first ceremony held in memory of the Columbine shooting victims.

"He is my competition now," Loux said of Swenson. "That’s what makes the world go ’round. There’s no way any one company can take care of all the business."

When asked about Loux’s company, Swenson said: "He does the exact same thing as me. Or, I guess I do the exact same thing as him."

As for the birds, Swenson says they’re motivated partly by food when they return home to their loft on his family’s property.

"Usually, they’ll beat us home," he said. "They’ll be home and eating like it was no big deal. They love their food like the rest of us."

Loux said he knew Swenson was committed when he invited him to spend time scraping off bird excrement from cages. "People see the romantic side of the business, but they don’t see the other side," Loux said.

As for Swenson, he knows even more about that now.

"We don’t feed ’em before the jobs so they don’t poop all over," he said.

Celebration for Young Entrepreneurs http://www.yacenter.org/index.cfm?fuseAction=celebrationForYoungEntrepreneurs.celebrationForYoungEntrepreneurs
, 2004 winners

AGE 12 AND UNDER

• Winner: John Swenson, 12

• Company: Angel Wings

• Business: Trains and releases doves at special events. Swenson launched his business when he was an elementary school student. He hopes to earn enough to pay for college.

AGE 13-15

• Winners: Lillian Ruiz, 15, and Olivia Ruiz, 12

• Company: Olian International Cookies and Mixes

• Business: Baking mixes featuring international ingredients. The Ruiz sisters started their dry-mix business to earn money to send Olivia to peace camp in Guatemala. They now sell six products, including Mexican Chocolate Brownie mix and Tasmanian Orange Spice Tea, and made enough money this year to send Lillian to Australia to be a camp counselor. They donate some profits to charity.

AGE 16-18

• Winner: Chris Olson, 17

• Company: Olson Enterprises

• Business: Custom construction business. Olson’s six projects this year ranged from a dollhouse to a 20-by-28-foot custom garage. While a senior at Wheat Ridge High School, Olson will become the first teen to attend Colorado State University’s adult Construction Technology program.

AGE 19-21, YOUNG ADULTS

• Winner: Nick Liput, 21

• Company: ITC Group

• Business: Communications consulting firm arranges landline and wireless phone service. Clients, who pay a consulting fee and percentage of their monthly cost savings, paid 30 percent less for phone service on average by letting ITC match their actual use with the most cost-effective plan available. Liput’s company distributes some proceeds to charity.

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