2008 Headlines
Seth Flowerman emerges as one of the top three student entrepreneurs in the world in The Entrepreneurs' Organization's Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
Takes third place and the Social Impact Award for his company, Career Explorations, LLC.
November 17, 2008 | Ithaca, NY | Seth Flowerman (MBA '09) is extremely busy. Not only will he graduate from Cornell University with three degrees in just over five years, but he has also already grown two businesses into profitable enterprises: Career Explorations, LLC , a business that he launched at just 16 years old, that matches exceptional high school students with mentors and summer internship opportunities in New York City and Boston, and Vertex Academic Services, LLC , a full-service academic consulting and standardized test preparation company. Recognizing Flowerman's entrepreneurship skills, The Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) recently awarded him third place and the Social Impact Award for Career Explorations in this year's Global Student Entrepreneur Awards.
After a successful summer internship in high school, Flowerman launched Career Explorations to help other high school students find similar positions. He started the business with $25,000 and brought it to profitability in its first year. Since then the company has hosted more than 400 students in internships in a variety of fields including advertising, fashion, finance, medicine, politics, and law to name just a few. Vertex Academic Services evolved as an offshoot of Career Explorations as many of Flowerman's clients requested academic consulting and test-preparation services. Between the two companies, Flowerman employs more than 40 full- and part-time employees in New Jersey, Manhattan, and Boston.
Flowerman was one of 26 finalists in this year's Global Student Entrepreneur Awards competition – the "Heisman Trophy" for top undergraduate and graduate student business owners. The annual competition, presented by Mercedes-Benz Financial, attracted 1,000 collegians from more than 300 universities in 11 countries. The finalists' businesses represented more than US$20 million in sales.
"The number and caliber of award nominations that the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards receives is more impressive each year. We congratulate this year's winners for distinguishing themselves from a talented pool of innovative young business owners," said Dave Galbenski, chairman of EO's Global Board of Directors. "Entrepreneurs drive economic recovery during down-turns. We are proud to offer programs like this that nurture the next generation of business leaders."
Dominic Coryell from Northeastern University and his company Husky Express, a high-tech laundry and dry cleaning service, placed first. Second place in the overall competition as well as the Lessons from the Edge Award was given to Joseph Pascaretta from the University of Michigan for his company Alps Technology International.
This award adds to Flowerman's growing list of accolades, including the Junior Achievement International Student Entrepreneur of the Year (2004), one of the top three Kaplan Most Promising Campus CEO's (2007), and BusinessWeek's 25 Entrepreneurs under 25 (2008). He has also been featured in Forbes, The Boston Globe, and Yahoo! Finance.
To learn more about Career Explorations visit http://www.ceinternships.com.
To learn more about Vertex Academic Services visit http://www.vertexacademic.com.
About Entrepreneurs' Organization
The Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)—for entrepreneurs only—is a dynamic, global network of more than 7,000 business owners in 38 countries. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO is the catalyst that enables entrepreneurs to learn and grow from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life. Membership in one of EO's 113 chapters is by invitation only; the average member is 39 years old with annual revenues of US$14.4 million. For more information on the Entrepreneurs' Organization, please visit www.eonetwork.org.
The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards is the premier award competition for undergraduate or graduate students that own and run a business while attending college or university. Nominees compete against their peers – other student entrepreneurs from across the globe. Since its founding in 1988, the Awards have celebrated the success of hundreds of student entrepreneurs. The Awards are a program of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, in partnership with Mercedes-Benz Financial.
