Story By Anna Trowbridge
Marketing Communications Specialist
Moore Norman Technology Center
atrowbridge@mntechnology.com

Moore Norman Tech Center Student Shines at International Conference and in Business World

For most high school seniors, these are the days when they exchange email and home addresses and phone numbers to keep in touch after graduation. For Moore High School senior Jay Villemarette, that would be a regular, almost daily occurrence, in his life.

But there are some significant differences between Villemarette and most high school seniors, too.

One big difference is that he is exchanging information with adults who pay him for his services. Villemarette owns and operates a cleaning, maintenance and installation service for decorative ponds under the name Patio Garden Ponds.

Another difference, he is receiving state and national recognition for his business, placing sixth in the recent International DECA Competition held in Anaheim, Calif.

Presenting Patio Garden Ponds Services Expansion Business Plan, Villemarette placed in the Top 16 of 250 entries representing 50 states and six countries, then presented to a second round of judges and placed Top 10. By the end of the competition, Villemarette had earned sixth place in the nation for his business plan.

Because of these achievements, he will receive a cash award from the Kauffman Foundation, the event sponsor.

Villemarette serves as the DECA chapter president for his class, and served last year as reporter. DECA is the national student organization for marketing education students

For the past two years, Villemarette's story isn't unlike other young entrepreneurs, who have a certain drive and ambition to succeed. What is unique is the fact that his father and grandparents are also independent business owners. He and his dad also have a CareerTech connection at Moore Norman Technology Center.

His grandparents, Joe and Louise Villemarette, own and operate Patio Garden Ponds located at 7919 S. Shields Blvd., in Oklahoma City (www.patiogardenponds.com). His father, Jay Villemarette Sr., owns one of the only osteological businesses in the world called Skulls Unlimited International (www.skullsunlimited.com), and is preparing to open a Museum of Osteology, adjacent to his business, at 10313 South Sunnylane, in Oklahoma City.

In 1984, after high school, Villemarette Sr., took Auto Collision Technology program at Moore Norman Technology Center and went to work as an auto body technician after high school.

Just before his son was born, he found himself out of work, still needing to provide for his family. That’s when what started as a hobby for him – collecting, cleaning and displaying bones and skulls he'd find in the woods and brush – turned into a full time business.

Now museums and universities around the globe call on his business, hoping that he'll have the right setting or display they need for their sites. He's provided specimen samples for the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., as well as to several Hollywood movie production companies, and to the zoological community.

"What my father taught me is that, no matter what happens, you have to rely on your skills and good business sense to make it work. The customers we have are loyal. But, you have to give them quality and you have to care about what you're doing for them," said the younger Villemarette.

The ponds Jay installs range in size from 100 to 10,000-gallons, and may accommodate pond fish, frogs and turtles.
How does he accomplish all of this?

" Sometimes, on the bigger jobs, I'll hire my younger brother to help. I pay him well, though, otherwise he wouldn't do it. “
It seems only natural that he'd go into business for himself, even though he is still finishing his required classes to graduate from high school.

" When I was little, I was always the one with the lemonade stand, but I would look for ways to sell other things while customers were buying the drink, or I was the one trying to bargain with the ice cream man," he said.

Talk of "the ice cream man" and lemonade stands shows his youth, but his work ethic and dedication are what keep his 60 clients waiting until he's out of school for the day to go work on their ponds.

"It's hard to break through that initial thought some may have that 'Oh, he's young. He'll probably do a poor job on this project.' But when they see me dressed well for our first meeting, and then see the work I do, I begin to change any of those thoughts they may have had about me because of my age," said Villemarette.

One of his clients, Terry Kingsbery, is an entrepreneur himself. He owns Financial Counseling Services in Norman, and hired Villemarette to do work on his personal garden pond.

"It felt unusual to have an 18 year-old shake my hand with confidence, look at me in the eye while we talked, and stay engaged and focused on our conversation they way Jay did. His work is excellent, and it was worth the week's wait to get him out to my house," said Kingsbery.

"The skills that CareerTech students learn are something they'll use forever. In that one business interaction, Jay made an impression on me about Moore Norman students that can't be changed," he said.
Villemarette chose to attend MNTC at the encouragement of his parents, and also because of what the Entrepreneurship program had to offer him in terms of his business goals.

In the first year of study, students learn about what goes into owning and operating a business. In the second year, they develop personal business plans and prepare to go to the bank to request a small business loan to fund their business.

"I'm trying to stay as far out of debt as possible, so I buy my equipment as I go along, but my business credit is good enough that I can purchase what I need, when I need it," said Villemarette.

His Entrepreneurship instructor at MNTC has faith in young Villemarette’s abilities.

"I knew Jay would go all the way with his business plan," said instructor Nancy Holt. “He's dedicated and organized – a more settled and mature student from when we first met. He's come a long way and immersed himself in his business. I knew he'd do wonderful things. Jay is so focused on growing his business and serious about satisfying his customer's wants and needs. He's an amazing young man with a heart of gold."

For more information about MNTC's Entrepreneurship program, or other long term programs, visit www.mntechnology.com, or call 364-5763, ext. 7260. MNTC is located on the corner of 12th Ave. NW and Franklin Rd., between the communities of Moore and Norman.