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SBDC pitches free youth entrepreneurship program; seeks school endorsement and student sign-ups
Summary
Gregory Price of the Columbia Gorge Small Business Development Center described a 10-week, no-cost youth entrepreneurship program and asked district leaders to support student recruitment and participation. The district did not commit funding; the SBDC said the program covers its own administrative costs and awards.
Gregory Price, director of the Columbia Gorge Small Business Development Center and the Oregon Coast Community College SBDC, presented a youth entrepreneurship program he said is funded and run by the SBDC and community sponsors and does not require district funding. "It is a 10‑week program. It meets once a week," Price said, describing a curriculum that includes founder talks, pitch-deck coaching and a final pitch competition in which winning students may receive awards to use for education, professional development, or their business.
Price said the program ran as a pilot in Lincoln County, where about 30 students started and roughly 20 completed the course; the pilot distributed approximately $12,000 in awards. He said the SBDC covers the program administration cost from its operating budget and raises sponsorships and grants to fund awards. The SBDC proposed running the program at Dallas High School or Innovation Academy with in-person sessions and livestream options for students in alternative programs.
Board members asked about program logistics and sustainability. Price said registration is open to any interested student through the SBDC and is managed by a program manager who orients students and families. He said community partners and chambers typically serve as case-study speakers and that some local sponsorship interest is possible but that the SBDC is limited by staff bandwidth and available operating funds.
No formal board action or funding commitment was taken during the presentation. Price requested board leadership support for student outreach and promotion so the SBDC can recruit participants for a delivery window that can be flexible to school schedules.
