Guardian Announces 2010 Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Award Winners

NEW YORK, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) today announced the winners of its 2010 Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Award Program, a national competition that recognizes teen girls ages 12 to 18 who demonstrate exceptional entrepreneurship and community service.  This year's award marks Girls Going Places' 10th anniversary.

"Since we launched Girls Going Places, 150 young female entrepreneurs have been awarded more than $300,000," said Kathy Readinger, national manager, Girls Going Places Program, Guardian. "We salute the 2010 winners and all 150 girls who have utilized our program to reach financial independence and move on the path to business ownership."

This year's 15 winners from nine states represent a wide range of business interests from local food distribution to youth music academy to singing telegram greetings.  This group also exhibits a growing trend in socially aware and ecologically conscious teens interested in philanthropy.  Many focused on designing products from recycled or sustainable materials while others focused on mentoring younger children and raising funds for charities.

The top 2010 winner is Chelsey Schlosnagle, 17, Pleasureville, KT.  Chelsey has owned and operated the free-range egg business, Chelsey's Gourmet Pasture Eggs, for five years. The eggs are produced by 1,800 hens and are distributed through specialty health food stores in the Louisville and Lexington areas, including Whole Foods, Paul's Fruit Markets, Good Foods and local restaurants. She plans to attend the University of Kentucky to study agriculture education and political science. After that, Chelsey hopes to continue on to law school.

Second place winner Zoe Albert, 15, from Allen, TX started her own business at the age of 11.  Zoe's company, Faux Paws, makes and markets her own line of faux fur flip-flops. What started as a hobby has turned into an opportunity to express her vision for animal rights.  Zoe is involved with The Center for Animal Research and Education and her company has donated more than $11,000 to animal advocacy groups. She plans to become a veterinarian.

Sixteen-year-old Janice Aebi-Magee from Lake Oswego, OR won third place for founding "Aebi la Mode-Teen Fashion Boutique."  Through her own retail outlet store, Janice provides the community with fashionable and affordable teen clothing.  Driven by entrepreneurial spirit, Aebi-Magee also serves as an inspiration for other firsts in the area – to encourage other teens to start their own businesses, she now sells handcrafted necklaces, earrings and acrylic paintings produced by classmates.

"We are delighted to see how this program has evolved over the last decade," said Readinger.  "Girls Going Places is an example of Guardian's ongoing commitment to small businesses, which are the backbone of the U.S. economy. Women-owned enterprises are among the fastest growing small businesses and Guardian is pleased to reward to the entrepreneurial zeal that these girls have demonstrated. As we congratulate this year's winners on their extraordinary business accomplishments, we are celebrating the decade long success of the program and are looking forward to continue to support tomorrow's entrepreneurs."

Guardian granted the fifteen girls a total of $30,000 which they can use to reinvest in their entrepreneurial projects or to save for college. The first, second and third place winners receive prizes of $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000, respectively.

The 12 finalists are granted prizes of finalists $1,000 each and include the following young women from nine states:

Shayna Turk, Agoura Hills, Calif.

Bridgeja' Baker, New Orleans, La.

Melissa Monette, Mililani, Hawaii

MaKenzie Holmsborg, Annandale, N.J.

Mary-Brent Brown, Covington, La.

Emily Zauzmer, Dresner, Penn.

Shea Gouldd, Boynton Beach, Fla.

Lauren Schifsky, Stillwater, Minn.

Taylor North, Lake Charles, La.

Grace Li, Manvel, Texas

Quinn Kelley, Delhi, N.Y.

Rachel Osborne-Schwartz, Sarasota, Fla.

For more information about the program, its awards and conferences, please visit www.GirlsGoingPlaces.com.  Information is also available on MySpace, Facebook and YouTube; keyword Girls Going Places.

About Guardian

A mutual insurer founded in 1860, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America and its subsidiaries are committed to protecting individuals, business owners and their employees with life, long term care insurance, disability income, group medical and dental insurance products, and offer 401(k), annuities and other financial products. Guardian operates one of the largest dental networks in the United States, and protects more than six million employees and their families at 120,000 companies. The company has more than 5,400 employees in the United States and a network of over 3,000 financial representatives in more than 80 agencies nationwide.

For more information about Guardian, please visit: www.GuardianLife.com

SOURCE The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America