You may know we partner with Snow Exciting at several events throughout the year. Located in the Sokol parking lot, Eagle families may have also enjoyed one of the amazing snow cones on campus at a Friday night football game, the annual Kickballooza tournament, or during finals week. What you may not know is that Snow Exciting is owned and operated by LCCS junior, Trace Howard.
Trace has been serving up our favorite treats and employing other Eagles since 2013. His idea and research in 6th grade led to the purchase of a trailer on July 5, 2012. 362 days later he and his dad had completed the build out with equipment, permits, location, and everything they needed to open Snow Exciting on July 2, 2013. Today Trace is a junior managing up to 20 employees while he handles orders, scheduling, payroll, and profits!
The transition from middle school student to business owner was not without challenges. Trial and error was key in finding balance in scheduling employees and even in determining hours. When thinking back over the past 4-5 years from the initial idea to today’s success, Trace is proud of his involvement in the business and knowing even his employees that are much older than himself can respect him in his role.
Trace also understands the value of giving back. Snow Exciting participates in and donates a portion of sales to several school and community events. For the past two years, he has worked with Mrs. Wolfe, LCCS Social Studies teacher, to present an economics lesson for the 7th and 8th grade students. This is a great opportunity for the kids to get an up-close look at running a business by someone who was a business owner at their age. Some of his Eagle employees serve up snow cones to the students during the Q & A session which is an extra treat.
This summer Trace added Snow on the Go to the business. It’s a separate trailer and equipment for on-site parties so he can add bookings without having to relocate the full Snow Exciting stand. You may have noticed Snow on the Go present at recent campus events.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Trace, and we are certain it will be an interesting journey.
For additional information on Snow Exciting or Snow on the Go, check out their website and Facebook page.