Philly Teens Win National Young Entrepreneur Award For Creating Business Selling Pocket Squares For Cancer Research
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Two Philadelphia teens are getting national recognition after creating a fashion business for a good cause.
Devon Preparatory School students Chris Muth and Ryan Klauder are the creators of Rex Riccardi. They combine art and fashion to create stylish pocket squares.
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They started their company while enrolled in the Philadelphia chapter of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. The YEA! program teaches kids how to turn big ideas into business opportunities.
The idea for their company came after reading a study by Men's Wearhouse showing the pocket square business was growing by 50 percent. They then began to develop pocket squares featuring artwork by the late NFL Hall of Famer Garo Yepremian, who died of cancer in 2015.
But that's not the only connection the duo has to the disease. Muth was diagnosed with cancer when he was just 2 years old.
The 17-year-old cancer survivor and his business partner are now donating 10 percent of sales to support Alex's Lemonade Stand, a national childhood cancer nonprofit that helps fund cancer research.
Their passion for business and supporting a cause helped them win the National Young Entrepreneurs Award.
