that change color with the push of a button.
Cobos, who is heading into her sophomore year at Arizona Arts Academy, was awarded first place Thursday following the final pitches at the Eastern Arizona College Small Business Development Center’s Youth Entrepreneur Success competition.
“I personally own a pair of glasses, and I was (thinking) maybe having different pairs that match each of my outfits. They’re like an accessory rather than a burden to wear,” Cobos said.
Second place and $500 went to Ashlee Horgan, who pitched Eco AC, an ecologically-friendly postable air conditioning unit. Third place and $250 was awarded to last year’s winner, Sadie Wenham, who pitched Icy Treats cold snacks. Owen Robinson took fourth place and $150 for his idea of Rural Rental, vehicle rentals better suited to rural uses.
The students could come up with any business idea they wanted — regardless if it could actually be operated in the real world — and had to fulfill three criteria:
- Identify a problem
- Explain how their product or service solves the problem
- Explain how buyers can acquire or learn more about their product or service
“They’re very sharp, they understand what’s going on,” said Joel Robinson, SBDC director and YES instructor. “They are very easy to teach, I would say, they’re interested in the stuff that we teach and they were very engaged.”
YES has been offered by the SBDC for three years and came from an idea shared during the 2023 Rural Policy Forum.
Judges for this year’s competition were Amanda Patterson; interim executive director for United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties; Clifton Mayor Laura Dorrell; and Thatcher Town Manager Heath Brown.
Prize money was provided by United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties.
