Southwest Messenger - May 19th, 2019

PAGE 8- SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - May 19, 2019
In Education
www.columbusmessenger.com
Making
a pitch
By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
The four high school teams vying to
take top honors in the business concept
competition known as Pitch Night were
prepared to fail.
It was not that they wanted to, mind
you, it was just that these 14 seniors have
become accustomed to the prospect since
joining the Innovation and
Entrepreneurship program at the South-
Western City Schools District.
“Our ideas get shot down a lot,” said
Westland student Brandon Vargas.
For instance, Vargas and his fellow
classmates Omar Abdi and Haley Hall
have been trying to perfect their business
concept of a solar powered cellular phone
case that is capable of charging batteries
and offering protection against damaging
drops.
In their quest for product betterment,
they reached out to several companies
that they believed could offer sound advice
or even help them create a physical product.
They were rebuffed at every turn.
“It was a bit discouraging,” said Hall.
“It’s like adults don’t want to take you
or your idea seriously,” said Vargas. “All
we wanted was some feedback and most
didn’t even give us the time of day or
respond to our emails.”
Through the lessons laid out in their
program, the trio knew the importance of
pushing through with your idea, and it
was not just because they were being graded
on the product and their business acumen.
“It was something we believed it,” said
Vargas. “We just had to keep adapting
until our idea became viable.”
In addition to wanting to score a top
grade in their class, they also wanted to
earn the right to compete at the state level
with their idea, which they did earlier this
year.
“They placed seventh in the state,” said
Kevin Peters, a business and technology
teacher.
With that accomplished, they set their
sights on Pitch Night, an event where a
panel of business professional determine
which top team from each of the high
schools had the best potential for a business
startup.
“Unfortunately at this point, the winners
do not get a financial reward or
internship,” said Amy Schakat, the district’s
coordinator of career technical education.
“Just school bragging rights.”
Messenger photo by Dedra Cordle
Westland High School seniors Omar Abdi, Brandon Vargas and Haley Hall took first place at the district’s third annual Pitch Night
for their business concept SolCase. The students in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program said SolCase is a solar powered
cellular phone case that is capable of charging batteries and providing protection against damaging drops. Pictured here from left
to right is Omar Abdi, judges Dr. Heidi Stevenson, Tim Roe, and Dan Havener, and Brandon Vargas and Haley Hall.
Though most admit they would have
liked a contract for their business concept,
they agreed bragging rights was enough for
now.
“We all want to win for our schools,” said
Savion Golden, a senior at Franklin
Heights.
The first presentation was from Ashigan
Ali, Brittany Hanson, Luis Olivo and Jose
Martinez at Central Crossing who pitched
an app called $.M.A.R.T (or Saving Money,
Assisting Reliable Tips). According to the
team, the app helps people track how much
money they make, how much they can
spend, and how their money could be better
managed.
The second presentation was from
Golden, Kianna Jackson and Shareka
Jones who pitched a product called Grease
Glove. According to the team from Franklin
Heights, the “lightweight silicone glove” is
meant to protect fast food workers from
getting “popped by grease.”
“As you can see, it’s a big problem,”
Golden said, pointing to all of the Band-
Aids covering his arms.
The fast food worker said he is tired of
getting splashed by grease and his team’s
market research indicated the same.
“Eighty percent of the people we interviewed
said getting popped by grease was
problematic.”
He said this glove did not negatively
affect the tasks of the workers and added
that it was good business practice to wear
them.
“It would cut down on worker’s comp.”
The third presentation was from DJ
Neff, James Marvin and Blake Sahr from
Grove City who pitched UpNext Sports
Camp, a database which allows young athletes
to connect with sports camps that best
fit their abilities.
Marvin said they are just focusing on
local camps at this time but have received
excellent feedback from sports camps who
were interested in their budding product.
“There are millions of young athletes out
there looking for the right camp to go to,”
he said. “Our product would put them in
touch with the right fit for them.”
The last presentation was from the team
at Westland who pitched SolCase, the solar
powered cellular phone case that would be
made from recycled parts.
“Our product will be very eco-friendly,”
said Hall.
After all of the pitches took place, the
judging panel said they had a hard time
determining the best business concept.
“They were all so different and presented
so well,” said Dr. Heidi Stevenson. “I
think they all deserved to win.”
Schakat said she too was impressed by
the ideas from the students.
“There was a lot of variety,” she said. “In
the past there have been a lot of apps
pitched — which is a great thing — but these
teams had products that seemed more personal
to their lives and their challenges.”
Ultimately, only one team could be chosen
as the winner of Pitch Night and that
was the team from Westland.
“We’re really excited,” said Vargas. “It’s
a great feeling to know that other people
like your idea.”
Their win marked the first time a team
from Westland has received the top honor
at Pitch Night (Grove City won in its inaugural
year; Central Crossing the following).
Schakat said she hopes the recognition and
friendly competition will propel more students
to take an interest in the Innovation
and Entrepreneurship program.
“It really is one of the district’s more
unique career pathways,” she said. “They
are taught that there is no right way or
wrong way to create a business concept and
it allows them to be free to fail, so to
speak.”