Riv-Ell Presentations: Food trucks, Mobile Florists, Special-Service Funeral Homes

Eleven seniors at Lincoln High School and four at Riverside presented business plans April 25 as the capstone project in a Riv-Ell Entrepreneurship Program and in pursuit of a 16-credit Butler County Community College workplace certificate in entrepreneurship funded by donors.

Riv-Ell students who pitched their ideas for ventures before more than 30 spectators in the Lincoln High School library were Lincoln’s Kaci Barnett, Madelyn Carner, Nicholas Franitti, Sidney Gibbons, Aydin Kline, Madison Long, John Lorenc, Alexis McClean, Claire Noble, Ryan Turner and Talan Young; and from Riverside’s Jax Bender, Brooke Dougherty, Brooklyn Gruber and Ciera Koller.

About their business plans:

Young’s idea for “Scent Safe” is to manufacture deodorizing balls for placement in clothing or equipment to enable hunters to become undetectable by prey. Balls would be mixed with cedar oil “that naturally smells like pinewood” to remove human scent, he said, and would also serve as a repellant against bugs and ticks.

Young is a member of Lincoln’s French club and student council, and of the National Honor Society.

Dougherty hopped atop a stationary exercise bike she slid in front of a 65-inch interactive whiteboard to announce “Mog Dawgs Gym.” Her fitness facility would include a nutritionist, personal trainers, protein-shake bar and, she said, child care.

Dougherty’s income would be buttressed by adding a digital option for exercise programs, she said.

“COVID, the pandemic happened, and many people weren’t able to physically go into the facilities,” she said. “So apps were launched and it became popular to have a Zoom class online or personal training at home. So this option could also give me a huge advantage.”

Dougherty is a member of Riverside’s international and video production clubs, and plays volleyball and softball.

Barnett with “Consider the Wildflowers” envisions a traveling florist who accentuates baby or bridal showers or parties by transporting flowers to events for guests to create thematic bouquets.

Ten million flowers are sold daily, Barnett said, and revenue from the floral industry is expected to increase from the current $36.4 billion to $47.7 billion by 2027.

“It is definitely rising and a good industry to go into,” Barnett said.

Barnett is a member of Lincoln’s French club and cheerleading squad, and of the National Honor Society.

Long’s “All Sports” would be a quarterly subscription box shipped to high school athletes. Boxes would contain stylish shirts, shorts and hats in preparation for track and field in March, volleyball in June, football in September and basketball in December.

“My business’ advantage is the market,” Long said. “There are approximately 20,000 high schools in the United States that are not being marketed to by” established national footwear labels. “Those brands focus on professional sports teams and colleges. There is nothing for high schools.”

Long is a member of Lincoln’s French club and of the National Honor Society and plays basketball and volleyball.

Bender’s presentation was titled “Sole Seeker,” an idea for online sneaker sales in which customers can personalize their choices, he said, “with certain patterns or colors, or add cleats.”

Bender is a member of Riverside’s international and art clubs, and its student council, and participates in archery.

Koller’s “Blossom Teahouse” would display choices from which patrons could craft their own custom blends “and create a gut-healthy alternative to their daily coffee,” she said.

The inclusion of a greenhouse would allow “for fresh, sustainable ingredients” and of an apiary “for honey.”

“With my business,” Koller said, “you would know everything that is going into your tea.”

Koller is a member of Riverside’s international club.

McClean’s “Vivid Vision Spaces” would “bring everyone’s dream to life, one unique vision at a time” through an online interior design business offering aesthetics such as gothic or art deco underrepresented by contemporary competitors.

“The types of styles from the past that no one really considers anymore,” McClean said, “but we are trying to bring those back and really try to focus on them.”

Spaces to be redesigned could range from entire homes to apartments, rooms or storefronts, McClean said.

McClean is a member of Lincoln’s drama club and participates in musical theater.

Lorenc would sell only healthful and well-balanced prepackaged meals from vending machines within a food truck in his “Freshness on the Go” venture. His menu of hot and cold items could change based on feedback he would request from customers and his ingredients would be purchased from local farms, he said.

“After every day, I plan on taking what food we have left and donating it to homeless shelters for people who don’t have money but need a meal for the night,” Lorenc said. “That way I can give back to the community because the community gave back to me.

Lorenc is a member of Lincoln’s history club.

Gruber’s “Vintage Voyagers” idea would be to create a mobile boutique that sells previously owned clothing and includes an online option.

“By selling secondhand items, I will be able to promote sustainable shopping and have a better impact on the planet rather than selling fast fashions that may end up in a landfill,” Gruber said.

“Our target audience is anyone who likes to shop sustainably, customers who are environmentally conscious and who want to expand their closets with different unique pieces.”

Gruber is a member of Riverside’s international club.

Carner’s “Pawsitively Purrfect Pet Day Care and Kennel” would also offer grooming and training services. To meet a mission statement of providing peace of mind, the business would send photographs of lodged pets to their owners “to keep them up-to-date with what their animal is doing,” Carner said.

Carner is a member of Lincoln’s student council and of the National Honor Society.

Turner would like to create a charcuterie board business “that emphasizes new cuisine options and innovate food presentation designs,” he said. His “Broaden Your Board” concept would offer appetizers such as deli meats, cheeses, crackers and jams, with vegan and gluten-free options, and incorporate fare from the Middle East, Mediterranean area or Asia, Turner said.

“All on a decorative wooden board,” he said.

Turner is a member of Lincoln’s German club and of the National Honor Society, and participates in swimming and track.

The goal of Noble’s “Flash Clock” idea would be to create a time-sensitive flashcard application that makes “learning more enjoyable … and a natural part of the user’s day and daily routine,” she said. High school and college students would customize the application to ask questions related to topics they may be studying, Noble said.

“Flash Clock” could include an alarm clock feature whose alarm would cease only if the user correctly answered a question and “would be unique to my business,” Noble said, “and set me apart.”

Noble is a member of Lincoln’s French club and student council, and of the National Honor Society, and participates in basketball and volleyball.

Franitti is a sprinter on Lincoln’s track and field team. He usually is the athlete who carries starting blocks with spiked bottoms onto a bus en route to meets. Starting blocks, he said, are “two pedals that keep your feet in the right place whenever you start a race.

“They are very heavy and big,” he said. “I don’t like lugging them around everywhere. And I am constantly spiking myself with them. I have all kinds of little scars on my leg from carrying them.”

Franitti would sell starting blocks that are lightweight and with rubber bottoms in a business called “SprinTech.”

Franitti is a member of Lincoln’s history club.

Gibbons’ “Nostalgic Reflections Funeral Home” would offer services and products such as hand-drawn portraits of a departed loved one, specialized urns, and carvings or paintings on caskets “just to make the moment a little more bearable, a little more special for you when you say goodbye, she said.

“Nostalgic Reflections Funeral Home” would “give families a more welcoming place to grieve, and a more meaningful way to remember someone who you have lost,” Gibbons said.

Gibbons is a member of Lincoln’s underground artists club.

Kline had a business plan called “Gaming Utopia.” The arcade would introduce games that are nostalgic for some to a younger generation. His venture may also include mini-golf toward meeting a mission statement of “providing a memorable and stress-free experience for families and friends.”

His arcade, he said, would also offer modern games and host special events and tournaments.

Kline is a member of Lincoln’s history club, and participates in track, basketball and soccer.