Morgan County High School junior Addison Hilsman is $10,000 richer after winning the Georgia Foundational Leadership & Entrepreneur X-perience (FLEX) competition.
Addison’s company, Elite Diesel Performance & Accessories (formerly Elite Motorsports), specializes in diesel maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades.
He won the inaugural district-level competition organized by entrepreneurial hub The Wheelhouse on March 18. Addison competed against nine other students in three rounds at the local level to win a $3,000 prize and went on to the state FLEX finals on April 2, representing Morgan County as the sole representative.
At state, Addison competed against nine other students in three rounds. The first round was an expo showcasing the companies to the public, followed by elevator pitches in the second round presented before a panel of judges. After the elevator pitches, the three finalists were selected to give 10-minute pitches to the judges.
“I’ve worked on this business quite a lot, and for it to finally come together was an awesome experience,” Addison said about winning the state competition. “I was extremely excited. It was amazing.”
Addison said he plans to use the $10,000 prize to purchase a car lift and other tools.
In the future, he plans to expand his business by opening a shop in the Madison area and marketing his company more.
Addison thanked his parents, his school, community members, and the Wheelhouse for helping him get ready for the FLEX competition.
“Without all of them, I really couldn’t have done anything,” he said.
Morgan County Charter Schools and The Wheelhouse praised Addison’s win in Facebook posts earlier this month.
“[Addison’s] hard work and entrepreneurial spirit are truly inspiring,” read the school system’s post. “Way to go, Addison!”
“We are so proud of him and his hard work,” Wheelhouse leaders said.
Work-Based Learning Coordinator Merritt Ainslie acknowledged Addison’s state win during Morgan County’s first year in FLEX as a testament to the local program’s success.
Ainslie thanked The Wheelhouse, led by former Morgan County Principal Dr. Miki Edwards, and entrepreneurship teacher Dr. Doug Arnold for helping to spearhead the local program.
“It was a team effort,” Ainslie said. “One person could not have performed all the tasks it took to get Addison ready. Addison brought his expertise to the table, and we assisted him by having community members give workshops and working with him on pitches and presentations.
“We convinced Addison to do it because he was running his business through Work-Based Learning, and we were all learning on the fly, so it was a learning process for all of us, Ainslie continued. “He gave a lot of his time outside of school and outside of his class requirements to come back for workshops, and there was a lot of emailing back and forth about presentations.
“[I think Addison] learned a lot; we learned a lot. It was just a good experience for all of us, and hopefully, we marketed it enough so that we’ll get a lot of interest next year. Addison is ineligible to compete next year because he won this year, so we’re looking to get a new crop of students next year to follow in his footsteps.”