IMPACT Innovation & Entrepreneurship Camp
What if we told you that the world’s next biggest idea could be yours? What if we told you that same idea could IMPACT people on the other side of the globe? What we know is that you have everything it takes to bring this type of IMPACT to reality.
IMPACT is a seven-day summer Innovation & Entrepreneurship camp at Taylor University for high school juniors and seniors who want to be change-makers and IMPACT the world by turning their ideas into reality!
Dates: June 18-24, 2023
Cost: $800 - Scholarships are available!
Teachers, guidance counselors, pastors, mentors, and parents: use the link below to nominate a high school student to be a part of IMPACT!
Are you a student who would like to be nominated for IMPACT? Please email us at IMPACT@taylor.edu.
What Will IMPACT Be Like?
At IMPACT, entrepreneurship is not taught from a textbook, but by doing. During the intensive, 7-day program, students are divided into handpicked teams to strategically address their ideas and to develop a feasible project plan through practical tools. Through many different ways, students will learn how to develop their God-given leadership abilities and how to transform society for the common good. By the end of the program, students will have turned their ideas into ready-to-be-launched ventures.
During the week of camp, you’ll be engaged in many different activities focused on problem-solving and entrepreneurship, such as:
Sessions with world-class speakers
Personalized leadership coaching with current Taylor students
Experimental learning outside the classroom
What happens after the week of IMPACT?
After camp ends, students will have the chance to join an acceleration season for free at IMPACT’s very own Venture Incubator. Those who decide to continue working on their projects with IMPACT’s assistance will experience, at no extra cost:
- A 10-month period of online classes and regular meetings to prepare you to launch your venture
- Access to dual-credit Taylor classes
- Opportunity to pitch your project in a Shark Tank-like event with real investors for your business
By the end of the week on campus, each group should have developed a stable project that offers a solution to their assigned real-world problem. This will lead into a 10-month period of acceleration that will teach you how to transform your idea into a viable venture. At the end of the program, each group should have all the necessary tools, information, and minimum skills to build a successful venture.
Who is IMPACT for?
IMPACT is designed for high school students who desire to address society’s most pressing needs with creative and innovative solutions and those who seek to become entrepreneurs by turning their ideas into real businesses. If you are someone who wants to engage in innovation & entrepreneurship or know others who do, IMPACT is the right place!
Featured Speakers
Chuck Surak
Sweetwater Founder and Chairman of the Board
Chuck Surack’s entrepreneurial success has been driven by a passion for music and a dedication to “always do the right thing” in service of others. In 1979, music began to take over Chuck’s entrepreneurial talents when he founded Sweetwater Sound as a 4-track recording studio in the back of his VW bus. Fast forward to today and Sweetwater is now the #1 online retailer of music instruments and pro-audio equipment in the United States.
In addition to Sweetwater, Chuck has translated his commitment to “always do the right thing” into ownership of more than 10 other businesses including SweetCars, Sweet Aviation, Sweet Helicopters, and Longe Optical in Fort Wayne, Indiana, under the Surack Enterprises umbrella. Beyond business, Chuck and his wife Lisa are passionate about serving their community. This passion lead them to start the Surack Family Foundation to continue making a difference and even greater impact in Northeast Indiana giving to over 600 organizations annually.
Chuck still makes time to regularly play saxophone in small venues around Fort Wayne. He also has a love for aviation and is an avid helicopter pilot. He and Lisa have two sons, a daughter, and two granddaughters and can often be found enjoying time together at their regular Sunday family dinner.
Dena Jaquay
Parkview Health Chief Administrative Officer
Dena Jacquay is Parkview Health’s Chief Administrative Officer. Since joining the organization in 2000, she has served in several roles, supporting and driving the health system’s culture, both within Parkview and within the communities Parkview serves.
Dena is responsible for key strategies that support the success of Parkview, such as digital/virtual experience, marketing/branding and communications, patient experience, community health and equity, and talent attraction and development. Dena is also responsible for leading the philanthropic efforts of the Parkview Foundation, and oversees many of Parkview’s administrative and support services, including public safety, planning and project management, supply chain, human resources, education, construction, real estate, facilities, environmental services, nutrition services and pharmacy.
Dena has a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and supervision from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, and a master’s degree in business administration from Western Governor's University.
Dena serves on several nonprofit community boards, including Ascend Indiana, Blessings in a Backpack, Easterseals Arc of Northeast Indiana, Indiana Tech, and Troy School. She is also a member of the Parkview Field Advisory Board. She volunteers as a freshman mentor for Smith Green Community Schools, and she also serves as a community volunteer with Audio Reading Service, part of the Allen County Public Library, which allows the visually impaired to hear the written word.
Brad Chambers
Indiana Secretary of Commerce
Bradley B. Chambers is the Secretary of Commerce for the state of Indiana, serving as a member of Governor Eric Holcomb’s cabinet and leading strategy and growth of the state’s economy and its related economic development efforts since his appointment in summer 2021.
For more than 39 years, Chambers has been a leader in the investment, development, and management of investment grade real estate nationwide. As founder, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based Buckingham Companies, Chambers has led the strategic direction of the company’s various integrated divisions since he started the company as a student at Indiana University in 1984. With a focus on midwestern values, creativity and community involvement, Buckingham has grown from its first rental property purchase to the development and acquisition of its investments exceeding $3 billion.
In addition to his role at Buckingham Companies, Chambers also serves as a founder and board member of the Buckingham Foundation Inc., a philanthropic organization focused on making a positive impact on communities within the mission areas of affordable housing, community and economic development, arts and culture, and childhood hunger. To date, the foundation has awarded over $3 million in grants and sponsorships to 600 nonprofits.
Chambers was recently appointed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to serve on the U.S. Investment Advisory Council. Among his other community activities, Chambers serves on the board of the Indiana International Center. He is also a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Chambers previously served as Chairman of the Indiana State Fair Commission and on the boards of Indianapolis Downtown Inc., National Multi-Housing Council, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. He also previously served as vice chair of the Urban Land Institute of Indiana and as a member of the Indiana State Office Commission, the Apartment Association of Indiana, the Indianapolis Police Department Civilian Merit Board and trustee of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Chambers received his bachelor’s degree in finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He and his wife, Carol, are parents to their son, Nick.
Michael Lindsay, Ph.D.
Taylor University President
The Impact of Faith
At IMPACT, we ground our commitment to leadership development in a framework that prizes serving others, caring for the community, and thinking more highly of others than ourselves. This servant-leadership paradigm is fundamental to how we approach the development of entrepreneurs and the kind of ventures they pursue. Through this weeklong, immersive experience, you’ll be exposed to entrepreneurial exemplars, people of faith who embody the values and virtues of servant-leadership who are spiritually grounded and represent the best of the Christian community’s contribution to the common good.
Contact Us
Questions? Email impact@taylor.edu to get answers.
Faculty
Mick Bates
Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- D.Mgt, George Fox University
- MBA, Regent University
- BS, United States Military Academy
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