Emerging Entrepreneur Showcase & Awards

Sarah is the founder herARTS in Action, a St. Cloud-based nonprofit that uses art to enhance social justice and enrich youth learning opportunities. She is a spring 2023 Enterprise Academy graduate and an artist who specializes in writing and illustrating books, painting murals and teaching. Sarah is this year’s Community Impact Award winner. She also is a 2024 President’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Learn more: herartsinaction.org.

Hussein is the Food Business of the Year award winner and a fall 2018 graduate of the Enterprise Academy. Hussein is the owner of Thirty-Third Meat & Grocery and Horseed Deli—a combined full-service grocery store and deli in St. Cloud. The store has been open for more than 10 years, and the deli was added following his Enterprise Academy graduation. Both businesses offer Halal food onsite and through catering.

Sahara is a fall 2021 Enterprise Academy graduate and choreographer for Area 56 Dance Studio. She is the recipient of the Product/Service of the Year award. Sahara currently runs an award-winning dance studio in St. Cloud that provides culturally specific dance training and multi-state competition opportunities. Sahara aspires to take dancers to new places and to change people’s lives through dance. Learn more by visiting facebook.com. Search for “Bratz Dance Team.”

Charles and his business partner Ibrahim are the New Business of the Year award winners for Yenko, an airport transportation business. Both are graduates of the spring 2023 Enterprise Academy cohort. Charles is a seasoned entrepreneur with a knack of building successful ventures. He holds a master’s degree from the University of the West of Scotland and had established a thriving facilities maintenance business prior to starting Yenko with Ibrahim. Learn more: yenkodrives.com.

Ibrahim previously owned and ran a popcorn business in the Republic of Benin in West Africa prior to starting Yenko with his business partner Charles. He and Charles are the winners of the New Business of the Year award. Ibrahim is a faculty member at St. Cloud State University and has a Ph.D. in statistics and a master’s degree in applied statistics. Learn more: yenkodrives.com.

Fatuma is a graduate of the spring 2023 Enterprise Academy cohort and is receiving the Groundbreaker Award. She owns Asha’s Beauty, the first Somali-owned store at Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud. Fatuma sources and sells traditional Somali clothing, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories. Asha’s Beauty ensures women have access to beautiful and culturally appropriate clothing in the St. Cloud area and beyond.