Solving mysteries has never been so much fun. Especially if you're Chloe Allen, Alexa Stroh, Zachary Boisjoly, Noah Waldron and Mia Williams.

These five middle school students were the winners of the 2010 State Farm Summer Business Camp business plan competition for their coffee shop business idea, Dough and Joe. Each student received a laptop computer and printer as their grand prize.

The students won out of the camps 39 middle school junior gumshoes who learned to unravel the mysteries of the business world during the two-week camp held July 5^th-16th.

Funded by State Farm and administered by the Business Education Partnership Foundation, the camp taught students how to become entrepreneurs by creating their own business concepts in teams. At the end of the two weeks, the students presented their team business plans to a panel of judges, who questioned and evaluated the potential viability of the proposals.

Like all mysteries, the students learned that business is not for the faint of heart.

The middle school students learn in two weeks what many college students take one to two years to learn in their courses, said BEP executive director Lee Rennick. Because of all the information we give them, they have to process quickly and figure out how to use the information to write up a viable business plan.

Students learned their clues to solving business from leaders all over Rutherford County. Volunteers from State Farm led workshops on decision making, time management, sales techniques, finances and presentation skills. Representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, JoZoara Coffee Shop, Julias Bakery, Barnes and Noble, World Outreach Church, Linebaugh Library, Smyrna Airport Authority, Old Fort Park Golf Club, MidSouth Bank, MTSU News and Public Affairs, Nissan, State Farm, and other businesses coached students on creating financial, marketing and human resource plans, as well as developing a code of ethics and mission and vision statements. Students also toured a variety of establishments to learn how business models differed in management, production, and service methods.

Its a strenuous time for the students, but it is remarkable what they can accomplish, said Rennick. We are grateful to State Farm and the business community for making this camp possible. Their investment is preparing students to be future business leaders in a powerful way.

For more information on this and the BEP's other programs, visit the BEP website at www.rutherfordbep.org.

Picture Caption: State Farm Summer Business Camp business plan winners pictured left-right: Alexa Stroh (Siegel Middle), Chloe Allen (Thurman Francis Arts Academy), Mia Williams (Central Middle), Zachary Boisjoly (Blackman Middle), and Noah Waldron (McFadden School of Excellence) pose with their grand prize computers and printers.