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(Ellwood City) 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  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鈥檚 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鈥檚 Jax Bender, Brooke Dougherty, Brooklyn Gruber and Ciera Koller.

About their business plans:

Young鈥檚 idea for 鈥淪cent Safe鈥� 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 鈥渢hat naturally smells like pinewood鈥� to remove human scent, he said, and would also serve as a repellant against bugs and ticks.

Young is a member of Lincoln鈥檚 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 鈥淢og Dawgs Gym.鈥� Her fitness facility would include a nutritionist, personal trainers, protein-shake bar and, she said, child care.

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

鈥淐OVID, the pandemic happened, and many people weren鈥檛 able to physically go into the facilities,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o 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.鈥�

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

Barnett with 鈥淐onsider the Wildflowers鈥� 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.

鈥淚t is definitely rising and a good industry to go into,鈥� Barnett said.

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

Food truck could also help the homeless

Long鈥檚 鈥淎ll Sports鈥� 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.

鈥淢y business鈥� advantage is the market,鈥� Long said. 鈥淭here are approximately 20,000 high schools in the United States that are not being marketed to by鈥� established national footwear labels. 鈥淭hose brands focus on professional sports teams and colleges. There is nothing for high schools.鈥�

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

Bender鈥檚 presentation was titled 鈥淪ole Seeker,鈥� an idea for online sneaker sales in which customers can personalize their choices, he said, 鈥渨ith certain patterns or colors, or add cleats.鈥�

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

Koller鈥檚 鈥淏lossom Teahouse鈥� would display choices from which patrons could craft their own custom blends 鈥渁nd create a gut-healthy alternative to their daily coffee,鈥� she said.

The inclusion of a greenhouse would allow 鈥渇or fresh, sustainable ingredients鈥� and of an apiary 鈥渇or honey.鈥�

鈥淲ith my business,鈥� Koller said, 鈥測ou would know everything that is going into your tea.鈥�

Koller is a member of Riverside鈥檚 international club.

McClean鈥檚 鈥淰ivid Vision Spaces鈥� would 鈥渂ring everyone鈥檚 dream to life, one unique vision at a time鈥� through an online interior design business offering aesthetics such as gothic or art deco underrepresented by contemporary competitors.

鈥淭he types of styles from the past that no one really considers anymore,鈥� McClean said, 鈥渂ut we are trying to bring those back and really try to focus on them.鈥�

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

McClean is a member of Lincoln鈥檚 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 鈥淔reshness on the Go鈥� 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.

鈥淎fter every day, I plan on taking what food we have left and donating it to homeless shelters for people who don鈥檛 have money but need a meal for the night,鈥� Lorenc said. 鈥淭hat way I can give back to the community because the community gave back to me. 

Lorenc is a member of Lincoln鈥檚 history club.

Alarm clock would test students

Gruber鈥檚 鈥淰intage Voyagers鈥� idea would be to create a mobile boutique that sells previously owned clothing and includes an online option.

鈥淏y 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,鈥� Gruber said.

鈥淥ur 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.鈥�

Gruber is a member of Riverside鈥檚 international club.

Carner鈥檚 鈥淧awsitively Purrfect Pet Day Care and Kennel鈥� 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 鈥渢o keep them up-to-date with what their animal is doing,鈥� Carner said.

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

Turner would like to create a charcuterie board business 鈥渢hat emphasizes new cuisine options and innovate food presentation designs,鈥� he said. His 鈥淏roaden Your Board鈥� 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.

鈥淎ll on a decorative wooden board,鈥� he said.

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

The goal of Noble鈥檚 鈥淔lash Clock鈥� idea would be to create a time-sensitive flashcard application that makes 鈥渓earning more enjoyable 鈥� and a natural part of the user鈥檚 day and daily routine,鈥� she said. High school and college students would customize the application to ask questions related to topics they may be studying, Noble said.

鈥淔lash Clock鈥� could include an alarm clock feature whose sound would cease only if the user correctly answered a question and 鈥渨ould be unique to my business,鈥� Noble said, 鈥渁nd set me apart.鈥�

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

Artistic ways to say goodbye

Franitti is a sprinter on Lincoln鈥檚 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 鈥渢wo pedals that keep your feet in the right place whenever you start a race.

鈥淭hey are very heavy and big,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 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.鈥�

Franitti would sell starting blocks that are lightweight and with rubber bottoms in a business called 鈥淪prinTech.鈥�

Franitti is a member of Lincoln鈥檚 history club.

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

鈥淣ostalgic Reflections Funeral Home鈥� would 鈥済ive families a more welcoming place to grieve, and a more meaningful way to remember someone who you have lost,鈥� Gibbons said.

Gibbons is a member of Lincoln鈥檚 underground artists club.

Kline had a business plan called 鈥淕aming Utopia.鈥� 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  鈥減roviding a memorable and stress-free experience for families and friends.鈥�

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

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