Career Center Students Put Business Skills into Action through 18 on Franklin

On November 26th, the students of the Business Ownership and Sports Entertainment Marketing Class at the Porter County Career and Technical Center held the grand opening of their store, 18 on Franklin. This was a chance for the friends and families of these students to come out and be the first customers at the new student-run convenience store.

A great deal of people came out to support these budding entrepreneurs in their new endeavors. Bo Anderson, the Store Manager of 18 on Franklin, and Stephen Thorne, the Marketing Manager, kicked off the night by thanking those who donated their time and resources to help these students get the store started.

This helps set the building blocks in place for starting a business in the real world,” said Stephen Thorne. “It’s a great chance to learn, because we run the store the way we want.

After the students had a chance to introduce the store, Jon Groth, the Principal of the Porter County Career and Technical Center, had a chance to address the crowd as well. He provided a great deal of encouragement for his students.

We always say here, at the Career Center, that the students are the most important people in the building,” said Jon Groth.

After some inspiring words, it was time to cut the ribbon. All eighteen of the students gathered around the ribbon with scissors in their hands.

About as quick as they cut it, there was a line out the door. Everyone wanted their chance to enjoy the wonderful snacks and drinks the students had for sale.

The students got to work. Their future success could be seen in the passion and diligence in their eyes.

The most important thing about this is the experience,” said Anderson. “For all of us that want to start our own business, this is a great hands-on way for us to understand our strengths and weaknesses.”

{valpo}Click here to see more photos from the opening!{/valpo}{portage}Click here to see more photos from the opening! {/portage}