Press & Media Kit
Resources for journalists covering Summit Exterior Services. Everything on this page may be used freely with attribution.
About the founder
Ben Bell founded Summit Exterior Services as a junior at Apex Friendship High School with a mission to bring reliable, personal outdoor care to his Holly Springs neighbors. He is President-Elect of North Carolina's largest DECA chapter and a three-time DECA International Career Development Conference qualifier. He runs Summit year-round alongside school: estimates within 24 hours, the same crew on every visit, and a phone number customers can text at 9 PM and get an answer.
Fast facts
- Founded
- 2026, by Ben Bell at age 17
- Based in
- Holly Springs, NC (family home)
- Service area
- 8 towns across southern Wake County, within about 17 miles of Holly Springs
- Services
- 12, from lawn care and mowing to power washing, aeration, and seasonal snow treatment
- Google rating
- 5.0 stars
- School
- Junior at Apex Friendship High School; President-Elect of NC's largest DECA chapter (500+ members), 3x DECA International qualifier
- The AI angle
- ChatGPT ranks Summit #1 for searches like "best snow and ice removal in Holly Springs," ahead of companies with hundreds of reviews. Most of Summit's recent leads arrived via AI assistants.
Story angles
The teen whose lawn company is recommended by ChatGPT
A high school junior taught himself modern search optimization and now outranks established local companies in AI assistant recommendations. A story about how small businesses win in the AI search era, told through a 17-year-old.
Teen entrepreneurship is alive in southern Wake County
While classmates take summer jobs, Ben built a real service company with recurring customers, seasonal contracts, insurance, and a client portal, while staying a full-time student and leading NC's largest DECA chapter.
The local answer to the lawn care apps
As national apps roll up local home services, a hometown teenager is competing with the opposite playbook: same crew every week, a real local phone number you can text, and neighbors you know.
Photos
High-resolution founder headshot and job photos available on request, or download directly:
Founder headshot (JPG)
Media contact
Ben Bell, Founder. Fastest response by text or email.