ROTARY CLUBS' CAMP ENTERPRISE ATTRACTS 47 STUDENTS

Forty-seven students from 11 area high schools attended the seventh annual Camp Enterprise at Little Grassy Methodist Camp Center near Makanda, Ill.

Camp Enterprise is a vocational service project of the Rotary clubs of the Jackson and Cape Girardeau area. The camp was an intensive two-day seminar and workshop on business issues, said Dusty Rhodes, vice president of human resources at St. Francis Medical Center and a co-chairman of the 1999 Camp Enterprise project.

Students interacted with business executives, government representatives and university personnel from the area.

"It was a great program and a good experience for students," said Rhodes. "It's real hands-on training in the design and marketing of a product."

The students attending were divided into teams with each team forming a company involved in the manufacturing of a sophisticated electronic pen.

"The program is geared to students interested in business and entrepreneurship," said Kim Swartz of First National Bank of Sikeston, a co-chairperson for the program.

"It's a marvelous program," said Swartz. "It generates visions for the future and has inspired some students to look into the business studies for college."

The program is for seniors, but Rotary clubs and program officials are looking into offering the camp for juniors also.

The various teams selected a company name and competed among each other for a period of eight quarters, a simulated two-year span of business.

Among corporate names elected were Memowrite, Elite Pen, Mighty Memory, Compu-Pen, Micro Ink 2000, Pentel Inc., and Right-Wright.

The students operated their individual companies, controlled their inventories and production, manipulated manufacturing costs relative to the variables in the economy, determined the selling prices of finished goods and budgeted marketing and promotional expenses.

Each quarter all of these factors were fed into a computer simulation program, which took into account all of the teams' plans, and then gave back the unit sales and market share for each company generated from the total market available.

A number of speakers addressed the students during the event. They were Jim Maevers, Maevers Management Co. Inc., Jackson; Rick Sparks, UM Extension Center, Jackson; Buz Sutherland, Small Business Development, Southeast Missouri State University; Stan Crader, Crader Distributing; Pauline Fox, Southeast Missouri State University; Gerald McDougall, Harrison College of Business at the university; Maggie Friend of KGMO Radio; and a number of businessmen from the Rotary clubs.

Winners of the business competition were Memowrite, Elite Penn and Mighty Memory in the first-second and third positions.

Four $250 scholarships were awarded. They went to Abby Grossheider, Jackson; Matt Godsey, Cape Central; Laura Horst, Jackson, and Heather Roark of Woodland High School.

Students attending:

Cape Central: Kim Dunning, Matt Godsey, Angie McFerrin, Faith Terry, Ross Redfearn, Lisa Rodreguez, Sean Maguire, Ross Conner III, and Justin Cook.

Jackson: Abby Groesheider, Laura Horst, Danielle Keenan, Michelle Carron, Jamie Dost, Josh Pfefferkorn and Brian Haas.

Notre Dame: Justin Essner.

Ste. Genevieve High: Erin Green.

Kelly (Benton): Jamie Essner, Allison Burger, Daniel Seyer, and Amber Scherer.

Valle (St. Genevieve): Beth Mueller, Richelle Jokerst, Michael Herzog and Pam Grass.

Scott City: Erin Raines, Scott Johnston, Heather Gresham and Ryan Oliver.

Perryville: Amy Mattingly, Brandie Koenig, Anna Lukefahr, Erin Miget, Renee Schlicting, Kris Kueker, Mike Jansel, Jonathon Estes, Sarah Weinken.

Woodland (Marble Hill): Dana Gillen, Joe Blankenship and Heather Roark.

Oak Ridge: Dustin Robinson, Duksty Statler and Audrey Schoen.

Delta High: Allen Rhodes and Mark Kielhafner.

Corporate sponsors were JCPenney, Kwik Kopy Printing, Ceramo Co. Inc., Lone Star Industries, Schapers IGA/Save-A-Lot, Coco Cola Bottling Co. of Jackson, Crader Distributing Co., Gilster-Mary Lee Corp., Union Planters Bank, Schott & Van De Ven, River Eagle Distributing Co., Cunningham Appraisal Service, Procter & Gamble Co., Brad Teets Insurance, Wal Mart Inc., Dr. T. Wayne Lewis, First National Bank, J.T. Seesing Insurance Co., Charles Sander, St. Francis Medical Center, and Associated Electric Co-op Inc.