Teenager With Six-Figure Business Named Cindy Rowe Auto Glass Young Entrepreneur of the Year

A senior who operates a remodeling business with six-figure revenues has been named the Cindy Rowe Auto Glass Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Sam Wesner of Dauphin, Pa. won the top award and $2,750 for founding and running Dauphin Enterprises LLC. Wesner, who attends Dauphin County Technical School, launched his company just over two years ago as a remodeling firm with about $4,000 in sales. In 2005, after grossing more than $30,000, he purchased a masonry company and now oversees eight full-time and two part-time employees. His companies brought in a total of $380,000 in revenues last year and he has already completed more than $30,000 in business so far this year. The company recently began a $250,000 job in Harrisburg.

In addition to running his business and attending school, Wesner is an Eagle Scout, a volunteer assistant Scout Master, a member of the National Honor Society, and Rotary Club Student of the Month.

"I never cease to be impressed by the quality of the applications we receive for the award," said Cindy Rowe, founder and president of Cindy Rowe Auto Glass. "It is not easy to scale it down to three winners and even more difficult to pick a winner out of the top three."

Second place was awarded to a high school senior operating a landscape business with his older brother; a high school senior who runs a violin studio captured third place. The awards were announced on the evening of May 9 at a ceremony at Elizabethtown College.

Wade McCorkle of Hummelstown, a senior at Hershey High School, was named Gold Finalist and won $1,750 for starting and operating K.W. Lawnrangers.

His lawn care company, which he runs with his older brother, saw revenues of $35,000 in 2005. McCorkle is a four-year varsity wrestler and is a member of the Pennsylvania All-Academic High School Wrestling First Team. He also belongs to the National Honor Society and is a Wendy's High School Heisman National nominee.

Andrea Dorrow of Camp Hill, a senior at Cedar Cliff High School, was the Silver Finalist and won $1,250 for launching and running Dorrow Violin Studio. Since founding her business two years ago, Dorrow has developed her own unique teaching system and grossed $5,000 in 2005. Dorrow is president of the National Honor Society, president of the orchestra and vice-president of the German Club. She volunteers in numerous community organizations and is the recipient of many local and national scholarships.

"These young people manage to not only operate his or her own business with a profit, but participate in extracurricular school activities, community work, church work, and last but not least - school work," Rowe said. "It is a positive and fun affair to be with them on the awards night."

Since its inception in 1999, the Cindy Rowe Young Entrepreneur of the Year program has awarded more than $60,000 to over 150 high school students who have shown ingenuity and expertise in founding businesses. Cindy Rowe, who founded her auto glass company as a one-person operation in 1980 after a 14-year career as a registered nurse, started the program. Cindy Rowe Auto Glass, headquartered in Harrisburg, now has 12 locations and nearly 100 employees.

Rowe, named one of Pennsylvania's 50 most successful businesswomen, has received numerous honors, including Central Pennsylvania Entrepreneur of the Year, the Communicator of the Year from the International Association of Business Communicator's Harrisburg Chapter, and the Quality Achievement Award from the Hanover Chamber of Commerce for outstanding customer service.