Eagle Enterprise: A student run business

Imagine this: a high school class that will pay you to be there. This is Eagle Enterprise.

Eagle Enterprise has a mission to fill the skills gap in our community by providing real work experiences, industry-level training, and career plan development. Starting in September of 2019, the program began with 14 students who went through interviews to be a part of the team. Since then there have been three teams of Eagle Enterprise who have been learning skills to advance themselves.

Within Eagle Enterprise there are many departments including small engines, carpentry/woodworking, metal fabrication, business/marketing, and floral. Each of these departments has their own specialties and benefits.

The benefit to being in Eagle Enterprise is to build an introduction to a lifelong career in a job of your choice. Students are able to complete a portfolio they can bring to an employer. These employers can then look at the portfolio in order to see the work they have done. In Eagle Enterprise a working resume is also built which can be brought to an employer. Having these ready to use in the real world, according to senior in Eagle Enterprise Jacob Vogel, is “An advantage when applying for jobs.”

The first sector of Eagle Enterprise is business which focuses on marketing and accounting. Students post on social media including Facebook and Instagram to push ad campaigns and products. These ad campaigns include mass flower sales and wreath sales. Students also get to learn many parts of accounting including Quickbooks which is used by many businesses in our community.

Small engines are another large part of Eagle Enterprise. Tuneups for snowblowers/lawnmowers are offered all throughout the fall. In a tuneup, there is an oil change, new spark plug, carburetor clean, and sharpening of blades. Students also fix snowmobiles and four-wheelers.

Metal fabrication is a very large part of Eagle Enterprise. With the advanced team of welders, they have undergone projects including welding new bottoms on dumpsters, railings, and large welding tables. The CNC plasma is a machine that can cut designs out of metal. The customer can pick a design and it will be done by the Eagle Enterprise team.

Woodworking and residential construction are two areas that students participate in. Small projects like building bed frames, dog ramps, and wooden cabinets can be built. For residential construction, Eagle Enterprise has built sheds, roofs, and putting floors in houses. At the CTE center, there is a CNC wood router that can cut pieces out of wood. Any design can be made including signs and names.

Floral is a large part of Eagle Enterprise located at the high school. The greenhouse each year produces thousands of flowers. These can be put together for arrangements including a Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mothers Day, and Easter Flower sale.

The benefit to applying to be a part of Eagle Enterprise, Head Eagle Enterpriser Mr. Briggs said, is “gaining experience that you can take with you to the workforce.” Each student leaves Eagle Enterprise a step above the competition when entering the job market.