Mount Vernon youth paves his own path
to success, wins $12,000 scholarship

WINNSBORO, Texas -- For more than six years, Jeffrey Davis has been paving his own path to success as an entrepreneur: he's worked part-time at his family's floor-covering business in Mount Vernon, spent a couple of years managing a mini-golf course that he designed, and most recently, he started his own deejay business, one that he financed and operates. Even more impressive, while Davis was racking up practical experience, he was tallying a formidable academic record -- in May he graduated at the head of his class at Mount Vernon High School.

With such achievements to his credit, it's not hard to fathom Davis eventually finding a future filled with reward. But this month, Davis' blend of entrepreneurial ambition and academic persistence paid off early, as the National Association for the Self-Employed awarded Davis its $12,000 Future Entrepreneur of the Year Scholarship.

The award, the largest in the nation given by a small-business association and the only major scholarship supporting the philosophy of entrepreneurship and not a specific profession, is presented annually to a young man or woman who demonstrates leadership, academic excellence, ingenuity -- and entrepreneurial spirit. Davis filled the bill on all counts, according to NASE President Bennie L. Thayer.

"In looking over Jeffrey's scholarship application, it was evident that our scholarship judges had done a fine job not only of selecting a student who was academically motivated, but a young man who has a vision for his own future," Thayer said. "The NASE is excited to be able to help him follow that vision."

Building on a solid foundation

This fall, Davis will be using his $12,000 scholarship to defray the costs of attending East Texas State University, where he'll be pursuing masters degrees in psychology and radio/television communications. Ultimately, Davis said, his goal is to "master communication skills that will allow me to relate to and reach people effectively" -- perhaps through a television Christian ministry he hopes to eventually start in East Texas.

Davis is inarguably off to a solid start. In high school, he frequently found himself on "the production end" of projects that included school plays, church musicals and church youth camps and revivals. In the past two years, he's built Jeff Davis Enterprises, a successful part-time sound and lighting business.

That endeavor alone has already prepared him for a future in business. "It's all been a new experience for me," Davis said. "I had to work with the bank to finance the equipment. I've had to learn how to do the billing and keep track of the money."

Fortunately, Davis already had an idea of what business was all about. Early into his teen years, Davis found himself helping out at Mount Vernon Floors & More, his parents' retail floor-covering business. By the age of 14, the young Davis had also designed an 18-hole mini-golf course, All-Star Golf N' Games -- and was in charge of day-to-day management of the family-owned business.

Not surprisingly, when it comes to his philosophy of what operating a business is all about, Davis gives much of the credit to this parents. "Most of the influence has been from my parents. I've learned that operating a business is more than just making money," Davis said. "It's about filling a need in the community. It's about running a business that the community trusts."

The $12,000 Future Entrepreneur of the Year Award is one of the largest scholarships in the nation. It is one of 24 scholarships that the National Association for the Self-Employed is awarding this year to the dependents of its members, small-business owners. Jeffrey will accept his award during the NASE annual meeting at 3 p.m., Friday, July 19, 1996, at the American Airlines Conference Center in Arlington, Texas.

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