Investor chooses Troy student

William B. Orenic Intermediate School sixth-grader Payton Fraser got a big surprise during a recent school lunch period when Lewis University director of school partnerships Larry Wiers surprised her with a check for $100.

The check was from a secret angel investor who was impressed by a business proposal Payton presented at the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s recent Young Entrepreneur EXPO.

Payton was one of the W.B.O. Intermediate School Entrepreneurship Club’s members who presented her project at the EXPO. Her business, Sunnyside Horse Treats, makes and sells reward treats made from oats, molasses, unsweetened applesauce and flour. The treats are baked for a longer shelf life and sold to those who want to give their horses healthy treats.

The $100 Payton’s business received will be put into W.B.O.’s Entrepreneur Club for future project development.

The Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee began the Entrepreneurship Club in 2011 as a way to engage middle school students with entrepreneurial thought.

Now in its sixth year, the Young Entrepreneur EXPO hosted 86 students from Troy, Gompers, Washington, Hufford, Dirksen, Rockdale, Channahon and the Cathedral of St. Raymond schools. The EXPO was held at the University of St. Francis. William B. Orenic Intermediate School is a Troy Community School District 30-C school.