Mower County CEO students participate in Banker Day

(ABC 6 News) – Students in Austin are being put to the test, they’re in the hot seat trying to get funding for their own start up businesses.

Accentura Credit Union is one of the three banks participating in Banker Day.

The banks are investors in the Mower County CEO Program.

This is like “Shark Tank” for these kids! They’re juniors and seniors at either Austin High School or Pacelli. They have the chance to really elevate their business.

By meeting with a banker, the students are eligible to receive up to $599.

Two students we talked to passed the test, and they’re excited about what they accomplished.

One student, Nathan Schmidt, has a business called “What’s the Scoop.”

His business model is based on making sure whoever eats Ice Cream is happy. For every flavor he creates, he matches it with a dairy free alternative.

“I never thought I’d get to a point where I’d be making product and giving it to people and making money while doing it. I would have never imagined in high school doing something like this,” Schmidt said.

Another student had her eye on the prize today, Lilly Paul.

Her business is “Lavender by Lilly.”

Lilly specializes in making homemade body butters.

“It was nice to sit down with the banker to be able to get advice on my business on how to grow it further in the future,” Paul said.

Now that the students have the money they need, the real work begins.

In the future, they’ll be participating in a trade show where they will market their products to the community.

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