Charles Rose, owner of Action Asphalt Maintenance, will be honored April 19 in Milwaukee
Junior Achievement of Wisconsin (JA), the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and EY have named Marathon County native Charles Rose as the “2018 Young Entrepreneur of the Year” for his asphalt maintenance service company, Action Asphalt Maintenance, that he started at age 15 after purchasing a starter seal coat unit that launched the company.
He will be recognized at JA’s Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on April 19 at The Pfister Hotel and will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship. This is the second consecutive year a Marathon County student has received the top honor for this statewide award.
The recipient of the Young Entrepreneur award, presented by EY, is selected from a joint committee from JA and DPI who evaluate each candidate on the following criteria: business success, growth potential, social involvement, ability to overcome challenges, strategic direction, innovation, personal integrity and leadership.
“Along with EY and DPI, Junior Achievement is honored to recognize Charles Rose as this year’s ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year,’” said Michael Frohna, president of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. “Charles not only represents excellence in entrepreneurship, but he is a role model for all young people to further pursue and grow their passions.”
“Congratulations to Charles Rose, this year’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year,” State Superintendent Tony Evers said. “Thanks to our work with Junior Achievement, we have an opportunity to celebrate the success of students like Charles. I want to thank Junior Achievement for their continued recognition of Wisconsin’s schools.”
Junior Achievement representatives say Rose’s passion for his business and commitment to innovation set him apart from other applicants for the “2018 Young Entrepreneur of the Year.”
Rose is innately focused on customer satisfaction and the prospects that will make him successful in the future, not just his accomplishments of the past.
His business is poised to see great growth in 2018.
Rose has been able to hire two part-time employees, receive larger projects, add to his fleet and expand through marketing. Perhaps, though, Rose’s greatest contributions are the ones he makes to the community by sponsoring the Granite Peak Ski Team Casino Night and the 2017 Paige Bootz Memorial Golf Tournament. Charles has also donated paint to the area’s local race track, State Park Speedway.
Don’t expect Charles Rose to slow down anytime soon. With each season, he plans to update and add new equipment, and grow his personal skills, skills that he will pass along to a growing team as he looks to create additional jobs.
To Charles, success is only one aspect of this company. Seeing growth and enhancement for the community and the customer gives him the drive to keep growing.
The Entrepreneur of the Year awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm EY, LLP. As the first award of its kind, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 140 cities and 50 countries.
