MHS Students Share Inventive Business Idea at State Business Competition

Milton Hershey School students Davan Hanley and Portia Cruz recently participated in the third annual Husky Dog Pound business competition at Bloomsburg University—an event that’s inspired by  Shark Tank, the ABC television network show that features entrepreneurs making business presentations to successful “shark” investors.

After developing a business model and presenting it to a group of industry leaders and professors, Davan and Portia were awarded third place out of 174 teams and more than 80 school districts.

“The Dog Pound event introduces students to a new presentation environment with judges from different business backgrounds, including college professors,” said Kelsey Gruber, a business education teacher at MHS. “Davan and Portia worked hard to develop their business and focused on the marketing and management areas for this competition.”

The students presented their “Good to Go” airport smoothie business model—a convenient mobile app-based nutritious food concept for busy travelers. Davan and Portia also presented this business management idea at the Pennsylvania ProStart Culinary Invitational in February where they received first place in the management category of the competition.

To prepare for these types of competitions, Milton Hershey School students take specialized classes through the school’s award-winning Career and Technical Education program. By interacting with local professionals and testing their knowledge at state-wide competitions, students have opportunities to expand on their classroom learning to solve problems and create out-of-the-box solutions.

Learn more about Milton Hershey School’s CTE program.