10th Annual Glockner Dare to Dream awards $32,500 to local High School Entrepreneurs
On March 7th, Shawnee State University and the Kricker Innovation Hub hosted the 10th annual Glockner Dare to Dream High School Business Pitch Competition. The competition featured 15 teams from 8 schools across the region, who competed for their share of over $32,000.
Andy Glockner, owner of Glockner Family Dealerships, started the competition a decade ago to encourage local teenagers to pursue their entrepreneurial goals and bring new job opportunities to Portsmouth. Glockner shared his pride in the participants and their work ethic, stating, “if we're going to grow this community, we need leadership. And of course we need opportunities to keep the gifted and talented young men and women here.”
The competition requires students to form groups with peers from their own school and develop viable business or product ideas. Glockner marveled at the young men and women he saw presenting their pitches, stating, “Listening to some of the pitch decks amazes me at how mature and confident these young men and ladies are. They’re a great representation of our area.”
Happy Campers, a team from Ross/Pike ESD, took home the first place prize and a cash prize of $5,000. The Happy Campers built their business model around the idea of a cleaning service for campers and trailers. The students worked tirelessly with their coach, researching, planning, and creating the pitch that helped them win. As they stated, “We’ve learned how to market and work as a team. It gave us an idea of the reality of creating a business.”
“We learned how to market and work as a team. It gave us an idea of the reality of creating a business.”
Mike Thompson, the coordinator for Dare to Dream, shared his anticipation for an even larger competition next year, with more counties and schools participating in the program, including schools from Kentucky. In fact, the project has grown so exponentially that they might have to make multiple competitions, as Thompson shared, “We're going to have so many schools involved, we may have to actually split this into two separate programs, one for Ohio and one for Kentucky.”
The Dare to Dream competition is an excellent opportunity for young entrepreneurs to develop their business and speaking skills, as well as for communities to encourage their talented young people to stay and contribute to the local economy. As Thompson noted, "It’s going to be tough for the judges," as more schools get involved and the competition grows fiercer. But it's a challenge that speaks to the success and growth of the program, and the promising future it offers for young entrepreneurs in the region.
The Glockner Dare to Dream Program is made possible thanks to support from generous local and regional sponsors. To get involved - or for more information - go to https://ssuinnovation.com/glockner-dare-to-dream.
