Youthpreneurs of NW Washington awards

(SKAGIT COUNTY)- Three teenage entrepreneurs received $9,000 in awards Aug. 27 from Youthpreneurs of NW Washington to help them grow businesses they launched.

Malachi Larsen, 19, of Burlington was named Youthpreneur of the Year and given a $5,000 award, according to a news release. As a sophomore at Burlington-Edison High School, he founded Pacific Kickz, which buys, sells and trades rare sneakers and clothing locally and online internationally.

Ella Jones, 15, of Ella’s Photo Booth in Burlington and Gunnar Williamsom of Custom Freeze Drying in Mount Vernon each received $2,000 honorable mention awards. The awards were open to teenagers and young adults up to age 21 in Skagit and Whatcom counties.

The awards are the first for Youthpreneurs of NW Washington, which was formed by three local entrepreneurs: Brandon Nelson of Compass Realty, Isaac Burrous of Kent’s Garden & Nursery and Trevor Swezey of Highline Construction, all based in Bellingham.

“I started my first company, Lawn & Order, at the age of 15,” Swezey said. “All I had was ambition and my dad’s lawnmower, but it was a start.

“It’s taken a lot of hard work, but I finally have a business that offers meaningful employment and living wages for over two dozen wonderful people. When you look at the ripple effect that has on their families, it’s really powerful.

“Creating this program is a way to extend that impact further. I hope one day the Youthpreneurs we honor will be running their own multimillion-dollar companies, creating meaningful local jobs right here in Northwest Washington.”