It might be how a young Andrew Carnegie started on the road to entrepreneurship ­-- minus the Blizzards, of course.

One day earlier this year, three local Girl Scout troops toured the Dairy Queen at 1693 McFarland Road, in Mt. Lebanon, for a behind-the-scenes look at running a successful business.

They learned about food safety, product preparation, revenue, profit, overhead costs, ordering materials and more to help develop their entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

At the conclusion, the girls made their own Blizzard -- ice cream with candy or fruit mixed in.

It was all part of the Second Annual DQ Girl Scout Appreciation Week, part of a two-month promotion with Dairy Queen.

The partnership includes Girl Scout cookie-themed "Blizzard of the Month" selections for July and August.

Mt. Lebanon Dairy Queen owner Bob Rossi said it is also tied to the Children's Miracle Network which, on Aug. 13, will receive $2 from every Blizzard sold nationwide. Locally, the proceeds will go to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

The on-the-job training made a budding self-starter out of Alicia Nardei, 10, of Green Tree.

"I would like to work in my own Dairy Queen, and make Blizzards on my break," said the member of Girl Scout Junior Troop 50365.

The other participating Girl Scout troops were Daisy Troop 54315 and Cadette Troop 51531.

All are from the Keystone Oaks service area, which is made up of 303 girls in 19 troops from Dormont, Banksville, Beechview, Green Tree and Castle Shannon.

Troop 50365 leader, Beverly Bronder, of Green Tree, said the one-hour tour, while informative, was also fun for the girls.

And, despite ice cream images dancing in their heads, they were able to focus beyond their taste buds and learn.

"I learned that the Dairy Queen swirl is a trademark, and no one else is allowed to do that," said Melissa Bronder, 10, of Green Tree.

"The ice cream comes in a liquid to the store and they whip it into ice cream," said Alexandra Bartelme, 10, of Banksville.

Like Alicia, she might one day like to own her own business.

"It's fun working with people," she said.