2019 Youth Entrepreneurship Pitch Challenge 

These were a few of the business ideas pitched by 10 Lake Fenton High School students Tuesday, April 16 during the Youth Entrepreneurship Pitch Challenge, a nationwide program in which Genesee County participates.

The winner, senior Brianna Johnson, pitched “The Green Grocer,” a store that focuses on reducing waste at grocery stores. She won a $100 gift card and will compete against winners from other districts at the Genesee Career Institute on May 1.

Shannon Fray, Lake Fenton High School teacher, organized the event, which was funded through the Mott Foundation. They provided a $100 gift card to the winner, $50 gift card to second place and a $25 gift card to third place.

“The goal was to get kids in a growth, entrepreneurial spirit. Get that growth potential that they have in them,” she said.

Students have never run out of money while building a storefront or been told “no” in the “real world” yet, Fray said, so she wanted to take advantage of that blind faith to get them to be creative.

She said it went “really well.”

The students, dressed in business attire, stood in front of three judges to deliver their pitches. Judges included Chelsea Mills, owner of Behind Your Design, Michael Cicalo, who works at General Motors and is on the Lake Fenton Board of Education, and Kimberly Pfeiffer, a real estate agent for Lasco Real Estate.

The second place winner was sophomore Cody Sheltraw with the “Charcoal Absorber,” a company that makes a beanbag style odor-absorber to put in your locker, backpack and more.

Third place went to junior Mackenzie Moore, who pitched “Moore Festive,” a company that decorates homes for the holidays.

Fray hoped the Youth Entrepreneurship Pitch Challenge would show the students that they can start their own business.

“For so long, we were so post-secondary minded. We only wanted kids to go to college and that was the only option. But now we’re looking more at trade and vocational programs and we’re looking at these entrepreneurial options,” she said. “It’s to give them more options.”