A North Gaston High student showed a U.S. congressman how he wears his entrepreneurial spirit right on his own two feet.

On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., visited the Dallas school to meet with 16-year-old Kweli Meadows, who wore a pair of black Adidas Swift Run sneakers that he refurbished himself. The shoes are an example of the work he does with his new business.

Since last summer--when he moved from Georgia to Gaston County with his family--Meadows has been collecting old and worn sneakers at a low cost, fixing them up like new--sometimes adding custom paint jobs--and reselling them on a website/app called LetGo. The venture recently earned Meadows the 2019 Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

It also caught the attention of McHenry, who decided to pay Meadows a visit.

“It’s just encouraging to see a young person like him take on a challenge like this,” McHenry said. “It’s incredible. I love seeing homegrown entrepreneurs.”

The two spoke in the school library about the business, saving money and other financial strategies.

Meadows told McHenry he’s sold about 15 to 20 pairs of shoes so far for an average of $60 to $75. He usually buys them for less than $15. He’s sold everything from Nike Air Force 1s to Air Jordans.

He saves most of the money he makes, and reinvests some in the business or spends it on his siblings.

“You’ve got to really like it and then everything comes naturally,” said Meadows, of running his business. “I like to save money. I like watching it build up.”

And his passion made an impression on McHenry, who said of Meadows, “He’s just a fantastic guy. I hope I’m working for him one day.”

McHenry also could be a future client.