HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Two Boyle County High School bass fishing team members helped develop a business plan that earned them scholarship money in a statewide contest.
Boyle County High School anglers Clay Christopher and Hannah Wesley teamed up with fellow Boyle County High student Daniel McQuerry to develop a bass fishing tournament business concept for the third annual Lieutenant Governor’s Entrepreneurship Challenge April 12 on the Northern Kentucky University campus. Their business concept placed second in the statewide competition, and their entrepreneurship team received $15,000 in scholarship money, which can be used at any Kentucky post-secondary institutions, including colleges and trade schools. Kentucky business professionals served as judges for the contest and evaluated each team’s business plan, marketing video, oral presentation and trade show display.
The three Boyle County High students created, Bass and Go, a business concept based on a bass fishing tournament circuit consisting of seven separate tournaments for high school students. Wesley said fishing in tournaments with their high school club gave them the idea for the business concept. “We looked at this project and talked about one major thing we could start in this generation that would boom very soon,” Wesley said. “We all thought (Bass and Go) would sell well.”
Although there are high school tournament circuits offering scholarship money now, McQuerry said the Bass and Go concept is unique because scholarship money would be awarded to the first-, second- and third-place finishers at every tournament rather than at a championship event. He noted in theory it would be possible for a high school competitor to place first in all seven tournaments and receive $1,500 each time in one season. The business concept’s scholarships would be supported by registration fees and corporate sponsorships.
Each Boyle County High team member played a role in Bass and Go. McQuerry served as the CEO and handled the financial duties, while Christopher was the Chief Operating Officer handling tournament director duties and Wesley was the marketing director in charge of promoting the tournament circuit through social media.
Wesley is a senior who was selected as the Kentucky representative for the 2019 Bassmaster High School All-State Team. She plans on fishing for the Cambellsville University bass fishing team next school year and majoring in business and marketing. Christopher is a sophomore who wants to team up with McQuerry again and enter the Bass and Go business concept in the entrepreneur contest next year.
