Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club Announces "Grow Your Own Business Challenge" Winners

OMAHA, Neb., May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club "Grow Your Own Business Challenge," sponsored by CreditReport.com, came to an exciting end Monday afternoon when Secret Millionaires Club creator, A Squared Elxsi Entertainment, and Secret Millionaires Club exclusive sponsor, CreditReport.com, announced Aria Eppinger from Pittsburgh, PA and The Deals on Wheels Team –Charles Cheng, Lucien Mount, Alejandro Astudillo, Nataniel Natanov from Queens, NY as the winners of the online challenge.  Chosen from among 3,000 inspired entrants, the awarded individual and team impressed the judges with their inventive and insightful business proposals.

"Monday's event shows how enterprising kids are, and how early they can learn to practice good financial habits," said Warren Buffett. "All of the finalists exhibited impressive entrepreneurial zeal, creative thinking and business sense. If you can develop the right financial habits when you are young, it will serve you a lifetime."

Five individuals and three team finalists from around the country flew to Omaha, Neb. on May 21 for the opportunity to present their business concepts to Mr. Buffett and a panel of judges. All entries were evaluated based on key criteria, including: uniqueness of concept, depth and description of concept and feasibility of concept execution. After a final judging session an individual and team received $5,000 each. In addition, these finalists helped their teachers, who were instrumental in motivating and encouraging the students, win $1,000 each. Surprising everyone at the event, Mr. Buffett gave each finalist 10 shares of Berkshire Hathaway B stock.

"The success of educational programs like the Secret Millionaires Club 'Grow your Own Business Challenge' and SMC 'Learn and Earn' promotion are proof that it is never too early to teach kids fundamental business acumen and financial lessons," said Ken Chaplin, senior vice president at CreditReport.com. "It's been an honor to contribute to this program, recognize these winners and help provide information to the nearly 100,000 educators who received materials and lessons from the Secret Millionaires Club 'Learn and Earn' program."   

• Idea: Shine So Bright
  
  "I came up with Shine So Bright when my family was making light up sweatshirts at the holidays. It took forever for my dad to finish soldering my sweatshirt. I wanted a quick and easy way to make a beautiful light up design on any piece of clothing.  Shine So Bright will sell a kit that contains LEDs, colored conductive thread, switches and batteries through an online website. I will first find a manufacturer, have the kit packaged and then market and sell them on a website and at places like JoAnne Fabrics and Michaels. My customers will be people who want to have bright, cheery clothes that are easy and inexpensive. Shine So Bright is a great family activity, and can be done in social groups such as Girl Scouts and parties."
  
• Idea: Deals on Wheels
  
  "We found a need to raise money for our school due to budget cuts in education. Our group came up with a concept: a portable, easy to assemble, customizable school store on wheels. "Deals on Wheels" would sell school supplies as well as healthy snacks that are in high demand. We are targeting New York City schools in short term goals and the nation in long term goals. Our first target group is the principals and the Parent Associations. These customers would purchase the Deals on Wheels cart and merchandise to fill the portable store. Our secondary target group is the students and faculty that would buy the supplies that the principal and the Parent Association purchased from Deals on Wheels. After hearing about our business idea, our principal got excited. She allowed us to borrow a cart she had and agreed to invest in our business. She was our first investor!  The money we have raised so far enabled our school to bring back three cultural enrichment programs."

Secret Millionaires Club is an animated TV series created by A Squared Elxsi Entertainment, featuring Warren Buffett as a mentor to a group of kids sharing his values with them through different business lessons. The series was created to ensure that kids learn good financial habits at a young age.

The Secret Millionaires Club Learn and Earn promotion -- sponsored exclusively by CreditReport.com -- is a yearlong promotion managed by youth marketing agency, By Kids For Kids Co. (BKFK) and is designed to extend the reach of the Secret Millionaires Club into schools, afterschool youth organizations and families through fun educational activities and the "Grow Your Own Business Challenge."

For more information, visit www.smckids.com.

About CreditReport.com
CreditReport.com is part of a family of online consumer credit reporting sites belonging to ConsumerInfo.com, Inc., an Experian company. ConsumerInfo® was founded in 1995 to give consumers quick, easy and inexpensive access to their credit profile. It is the leading provider of online consumer credit reports, credit scores, credit monitoring and other credit-related information. ConsumerInfo provides credit monitoring to its more than 3.1 million members and has delivered more than 20 million credit reports on the Web. As part of the Experian family, it continues to grow its membership base and develop innovative products to help consumers better understand their credit.

About Experian
Experian® is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2012 was US$4.5 billion. Experian employs approximately 17,000 people in 44 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

For more information, visit www.experianplc.com.

About A Squared Elxsi Entertainment LLC
A Squared Elxsi Entertainment (A2E2) is an international joint venture between A Squared Entertainment and Tata Elxsi (part of India's Tata group of companies). The company creates, produces, acquires and distributes digital kids' entertainment in all formats across all channels. Headquartered in Los Angeles, A2E2 is managed by Co-Presidents Andy Heyward and Amy Moynihan Heyward. Current brands include, lessons in business with Warren Buffett in "Secret Millionaires Club"; environmental female superheroes who save the planet in "Gisele & the Green Team" with Gisele Bundchen; a craft show called "Martha & Friends" created with design-maven Martha Stewart; and a new portfolio of superheroes with Stan Lee, the first to be released being "Stan Lee's Mighty Seven." In addition, the company handles brand management and licensing for Build-a-Bear Workshop.

About By Kids For Kids
By Kids for Kids® (BKFK®) is a platform that empowers youth invention, innovation and entrepreneurship. BKFK promotes youth social innovation and partners with leading corporations to inspire product development, crucial technology skills, invention, and innovation in young people from 8 to 22. BKFK provides a unique platform for young people to develop, showcase, and commercialize their products, inventions and entrepreneurship. BKFK's "cycle of innovation" develops critical 21st Century skills in our nation's youth. The company provides educational resources — curriculum and challenges that promote social change, product development and entrepreneurial endeavors. Learn more: www.bkfk.com.

PRESS ROOM MATERIALS INCLUDING BROLL ARE AVAILABLE AT: http://www.smckids.com/learnandearn/pressroom

Media Contacts:

For BKFK: Judy Klym | 203-921-9039 | [email protected]

SOURCE By Kids For Kids