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Entrepreneurs Address Pioneer Student Leadership Academy Interns, Throw Out Challenge

Posted: 06/17/2004

Interns see and hear how business is done, learn importance of good customer service and relationships

HOUSTON, June 17, 2004—Three Washington, D.C. region business owners brought the
face of the 21st century workplace to the 46 interns at the Pioneer Student Leadership
Academy today. Each having started their own business in the last 10 years, they
represent a fast-growing segment of corporate America.

Rosalind “Roz” Jeffries, President of Performance Enhancement Group, which
specializes in employee recognition and retention, presented “Make Them Happy, Make
Them Return—How to Deliver Excellent Customer Service.” Jeffries named five
companies—Disney, DuPont, EXXON-Mobil, Lockheed Martin, and Pioneer Hybrid—and
tasked each group of interns with developing a 2-minute commercial for one of the
companies.

Antwanye Ford and Andre Rogers, owners of Enlightened, Inc., presented
“Entrepreneurship: What You Really Need to Know.” Together, Ford and Rogers, longtime
college friends and business partners for five years, led the interns through the
basics of entrepreneurship—from making the decision to start a business to identifying
opportunities to financing and starting a business.

“We’re offering a 00 scholarship for the best entrepreneurship concept submitted by
a Pioneer Leadership Academy intern,” said Ford, to wild applause. Enlightened and the
Pioneer leadership team will review the submissions, and the final award will be given
before September 1, 2004.

Ford shared clues to the “entrepreneurship” personality, and noted the pros and cons of
owning a business. Rogers compared owning a business to having a baby, saying,
“sometimes it cries all night long, and other times it runs up and gives you an
unexpected hug.”

The pair closed by taking questions from the interns, who fired them nonstop until Ford
and Rogers had to leave for an interview and the flight home. “Our day isn’t over when
we get back tonight at 10,” said Ford. “We have a proposal to finish writing.” It
underlined the points he had made about being an entrepreneur: hard work, long hours,
commitment.

About the Pioneers in Education Alliance
The Pioneers in Education Alliance was formed to promote literacy in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics, increase diversity participation in these
fields, and promote awareness of and interest in nontraditional applications and career paths
for the sciences. Alliance partners include DuPont, NASA-SEMAA, NMUSA, and SECME,
Inc.

About the Pioneer Student Leadership Academy
The Pioneer Student Leadership Academy, an outgrowth of the Pioneers in Education
Alliance, will run concurrently each summer with the SECME Summer Institute, a
nationally acclaimed resident program for educators. Academy participants get handson
experience in managing all aspects of a conference; attend educational workshops;
and are taught and mentored by skilled professionals as they produce a daily
conference newsletter, conference videos, and other communications vehicles.

Press Information:
Nancy McKeithen
mckeithen@citlink.net
(304) 279-0228

Pioneers in Education
151 6th Street, NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0270
(888) 262-8307
www.secme.org

Performance Enhancement Group, Inc.
(301) 656-4600
RjPeg101@aol.com
www.recognitionsecrets.com

Enlightened, Inc
666 11th Street, Suite 620
Washington, DC 20001
Office: (202) 783-4655
Cell: (202) 783-7266
info@nlightened.com