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Beaver County Youth Named 2012 Teenpreneur of the Year

Beaver County Youth Entrepreneurship Collaborative Alumnus Amber Liggett Becomes Black Enterprise Magazine’s 2012 Teenpreneur of the Year 

Sixteen year old Amber Liggett, CEO and owner of Amber’s Amazing Animal Balloons, was chosen on May 24th as Black Enterprise Magazine’s Teenpreneur of the Year for 2012.  Amber received the award at the Black Enterprise Entrepreneur’s Conference in Chicago, Ill. The award is given annually to a young African American business owner under the age of 18 who is committed to advancing black business achievement. Amber is a Beaver County native who resides in Bridgewater, Pa and attends Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School in Midland, Pa. Amber’s Amazing Animal Balloons was born when Amber received a balloon kit for Christmas from her grandparents as a child.  After experimenting with the kit, Amber eventually began entertaining at parties.  At age 14, Amber enrolled in the Advanced Biz Camp summer youth entrepreneurship program offered through the Beaver County Youth Entrepreneurship Collaborative.  The Collaborative, comprised of founding partners Franklin Center of Beaver County, Entrepreneuring Youth, and the Community College of Beaver County, was formed to ensure that every youngBeaverCountyperson has access to entrepreneurship education and support for a business enterprise of their own creation.  The Collaborative offers introductory and advanced summer Biz Camps, a youth business incubator, Market Events, business plan competitions, a youth venture capital fair, and a one-on-one youth mentoring program which matches students in the incubator program with practicing entrepreneurs in their field. Although she was already operating her business when she enrolled in the program, the summer camp helped Amber hone her business skills.  Amber’s emerging entrepreneurial abilties were recognized when she was named the 2011 Global Youth Entrepreneur of the Year for the Pittsburgh region through Collaborative partner Entrepreneuring Youth and their relationship to the nationwide Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).  Amber also went on to compete in the 2011 George W. Tippins Regional Business Plan Competition, where she placed first in the high school division and earned a spot in NFTE’s national competition.  She was a semi-finalist in the national competition in October of 2011.  She has received numerous additional recognitions prior to being named Teenpreneur of the Year 2012. The Collaborative’s youth summer Biz Camps are sponsored in part by Highmark, Inc. and the A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trusts. For more information on the Beaver County Youth Entrepreneurship Collaborative or its programs, please contact Sandra Curry at 724-378-2882 or at scurry@franklincenter.org.

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