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In Partnership With

Guardian Industries a Company Invested in Youth Entrepreneurs

Michigan Business Beat
July 18, 2019 2:00 PM

youth-entrepreneurs-summit-detroit

Jeffrey Mosher speaks with Mazy Gillis, Vice President of Human Resources, Americas, Guardian Industries, Auburn Hills, MI. She discusses the 2nd Annual YE Summit and why it is so important for companies like Guardian to support students becoming entrepreneurs and helping to improve business curriculum.

Click below to hear Mazy and Jeffrey discuss Guardian Industries and YE Summit. 


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Some more of the details they discuss include:
Why a program like YE is so important to Guardian?

Why are you personally interested in supporting it?

In most classrooms, YE students can create an authentic pop-up business where they apply classroom learning to a practical, market-based scenario. Some students and alumni have even turned those ideas into real, self-sustaining businesses. As a business leader, the ideas that emerge from these businesses and the excitement generated from their experience is what keeps me hopeful about our future and professional, it empowers me to be more involved in the education of our children.

What do you find most relevant about Youth Entrepreneurs as head of HR for a major global corporation?

Through experiential learning, YE helps students discover their innate gifts and talents, while gaining the economic understanding to leverage those skills in ways that benefit both themselves and others.

YE’s unique curriculum not only teaches core entrepreneurial and economic concepts, but instills the key principles and character traits, such as integrity and responsibility, that are essential to living a meaningful and fulfilling life.

YE students leave the classroom equipped with an entrepreneurial mindset that is applicable to all facets of life. This includes critical thinking and problem-solving skills, a sense of self-awareness and a principled mentality that make them valuable employees and contributing members of their communities.

Here's some more background on this special summit! From July 15-19, 300 Youth Entrepreneurs students will participate in the second annual YE Summit. These transformational experiences will happen in the heart of Detroit, Michigan, where innovation and inspiration continue to shape the city.

While there, students will experience networking opportunities, dynamic speakers, engaging activities and a new event called the Opportunity Expo. At the expo, they’ll get the chance to connect with Detroit’s community leaders and 18 national partner organizations that could lead to mentorships, internships, scholarships and professional development.

This experience is being made possible in part by Guardian Industries, a diversified, global company and leading manufacturer of high performance glass for home, buildings and cars, value added coatings for transportation. The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, features more than 1.8 million square feet of Guardian Glass. Based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Guardian is also invested in Detroit and supporting programs like Youth Entrepreneurs. We sat down with Amy Hennes, director of Public Affairs and Corporate Communications at Guardian Industries, to learn more about our new partnership.

Why has Guardian chosen to partner with YE?

Youth Entrepreneurs is aligned with our Guiding Principles and our charitable giving priorities to support organizations that help empower youth through education. We are confident students in Michigan and across the country will benefit tremendously from giving youth the opportunity to participate in YE.

Youth Entrepreneurs has been in the Detroit area since 2016 and is now in ten area high schools. Having the national YE Summit in Detroit is a great opportunity to increase awareness for the program so others – corporations, nonprofits, schools and students – can understand the tremendous value the program delivers here in the Detroit Metro area and around the country. Our sponsorship is part of our efforts to grow the program and celebrate its success.

What does this event being in Detroit mean for Guardian and the city itself?

Detroit is the home of Guardian Industries; we started here in 1932. William Davidson, our former president and CEO, was a true entrepreneur and we’re excited to share our legacy, and that of so many Detroit entrepreneurs, with the students. It is also an opportunity to show the guests the great things that are happening in our city and the region.

Why does Guardian believe in supporting organizations focused on entrepreneurship?

We want to provide students with tools to help prepare them for success in business, higher education and future professional endeavors.

The YE program begins with educators who can use YE’s unique curriculum to not only teach core entrepreneurial and economic concepts, but also instill the key principles and character traits, such as integrity and responsibility, that are essential to living a meaningful life and to contribute to communities.

What do you hope the students take away from their experience?

We want the students and educators to appreciate our city’s history and embrace our exciting future. Through the Opportunity Expo at the Summit, we will be able to provide students information on Koch Industries, Guardian Industries and Molex. It’s a rare opportunity to bring us all together as one family.

Special thanks to Guardian Industries for their support as well as our other YE Summit sponsors including Southwest Airlines and Molex.

Mazy Gillis was also recently a guest of MBN friend Carol L. Cain and CBS-62's "Michigan Matters" (caption for shared picture at left: Mazy Gillis, Vice President Global Human Resources at Guardian Industries, Dylan McConnell, a student at Cornerstone Health and Technology High School and owner of Heir Customs and Renate Matthews, teacher at Cornerstone, with Michigan Matters Host Carol Cain (Credit: Logan Tesmer/CBS 62)

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  • Mazy Gillis, Vice President Global Human Resources at Guardian Industries, Dylan McConnell, a student at Cornerstone Health and Technology High School and owner of Heir Customs and Renate Matthews, teacher at Cornerstone (Credit: Logan Tesmer/CBS 62)
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Michigan Business Beat, hosted by Chris Holman, discusses economic development, new or unusual entrepreneurial initiatives, and successful business practices from different regions and industries around Michigan with a wide range of entrepreneurs and business leaders.

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