Jeremy Ratliff
Editor
Among the hundreds of scholarships and awards distributed to graduating seniors on May 22, was the first-ever Merrill Small Business Group (MSBG) Scholarship in the amount of $3,000, awarded to MHS senior McKenna Meunier. McKenna is the daughter of Dustin and Sara Meunier, of Merrill.
The scholarship became the cornerstone of the newly formed group last summer.
Initially spearheaded by Vanessa Lazarz – owner of Ana Blair’s Boutique – last April, the MSBG has not only grown to include 17 local businesses, but was founded on the principle of local entrepreneurial networking, to promote the small business community in the Merrill area.
“Owning a relatively new small business, I felt it would be a great idea to reach out to other small businesses to create an opportunity for networking and collaboration,” Lazarz explained, in an interview with the Merrill Foto News last fall. “Sometimes it may feel like you’re alone in a small business, even when you have several small businesses around you. By forming the Merrill Small Business Group, I hoped to build a sense of collaboration and communication among local small business owners.”
Lazarz followed through with her idea, and was met with an immediate positive response from other business owners.
“This started out as an idea which I hoped would be embraced by the local small business community,” she explains. “When I reached out to other business owners, the response overall was very positive!”
Once established, group members focused on a goal of creating a scholarship fund for future entrepreneurs.
The fund was officially established last July, with hopes of reaching the target goal of $3,000 for the scholarship by spring.
Criteria for eligible recipients was simple:
*Applicants must be an MHS graduating senior
*Be a current employee of a Merrill area small business
and/or
*Have a family member own and operate a Merrill area small business and/or plan to establish a small business in Merrill.
According to Lazarz, reaching the scholarship goal brought a great sense of pride and accomplishment for the group, due to the goal being met through the efforts of each MSBG business.
In addition to each member-business paying an annual membership fee, businesses also host various events throughout the year; such as Ana Blair’s Fashion Shows, $100 per Merrill home-sale donated by Lora Bladow ReMax Realty and the annual Kids Day event co-hosted by the Wellness Center at Gress Chiropractic. The membership fees, in addition to proceeds donated from various events, ultimately makes up the $3,000.
Once the entrepreneurial scholarship was ready, the group set about creating an application complete with an essay question; “What is your tie to the Merrill small business community”; an application process consisting of an initial screening, in-person interviews and forming a selection committee consisting of 6 member-entrepreneurs.
“When our application period wrapped up in April, we were very pleased to not only have received 16 applications, but 16 very qualified and worthy candidates,” Lazarz adds. “I think everyone on our selection committee would agree, deciding on just one application was extremely difficult.”
The field was eventually narrowed to 5 applicants, and Meunier’s was the final, unanimous selection.
“McKenna’s application was very solid from the start,” Lazarz said. “So many qualities jumped out at us and just demanded our attention throughout the process. Her strong work ethic was very clear, as displayed by the fact she had worked two jobs throughout high school and having attended NTC since her sophomore year. Due to her work ethic, she graduated with 23 college credits. That’s just phenomenal.
“Her dedication to her future was also a huge factor for us. She has a very detailed future plan and is very dedicated to the local small business community; We found all those qualities very impressive.”
Although Meunier was advised she had been approved for a scholarship, she had no idea which scholarship she had been approved for, until her name was called during the annual MHS Senior Awards Night, on Wednesday May 22.
“I was very excited when I found out I had been chosen for the scholarship, it felt like everything I have done throughout high school paid off.” Meunier said. “I heard about this scholarship through the school’s local scholarship packet and decided to apply because I felt that I met the criteria. I have worked for two places that would be considered small businesses and have personally seen what they do for the community and its members.”
As Lazarz alluded to, Meunier’s dedication to her future had resulted in earning 23 college credits, when she crossed the stage during the MHS commencement ceremony on Friday, May 24. As McKenna explains, that head-start translates to nearly a year’s worth of credit requirements being completed, of her chosen post-secondary path.
“I started accumulating college credits my sophomore year when I took my first AP class. Then during my junior year, I took two dual credit NTC classes and two AP classes at the high school, which also helped to earn some of these credits. Finally, during my senior year I took classes at UW-Marathon through the high school which was very useful. All of the credits I have taken so far are gen-eds (general education credits), mostly humanity studies. They are helping me to cut off almost a full year of credit requirements, and graduating college a year faster than the education plan for my program.”
The next step for Meunier will be attending Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Mortuary Science program, this fall.
“Once I complete this program, I’m not completely decided whether I want to start working in a funeral home or for a medical examiner, returning to somewhere closer to home,” she adds.
“Someday I would like to own my own funeral home, taking on the business side of this career in or around the Merrill area.”