Business World sparks young inventors' minds

Students develop products, marketing plans at camp

By: Charlie Mathews, Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — The Fizzinator 3000 may someday be found in Wisconsin stores. It can re-carbonate flat sodas, make the can or bottle cold instantly, or even change the flavor of the drink.

"Thanks for putting the hop back in our pop" is the fictional product's marketing slogan devised by Emma Jelinek, a Roncalli High School junior and her Business World teammates.

Jelinek is one of about a dozen Manitowoc County high school students who attended one of this summer's two Business World camps, held at St. Norbert College in De Pere and Carroll University in Waukesha.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Foundation, students at Business World attempt to achieve financial success in a business simulation exercise.

They make decisions on product development, marketing and pricing strategy. Hands-on activities focus on career preparation and workplace skills.

The program also includes workshops, speakers from the business world, and tours giving the students an opportunity to explore career and education options available in Wisconsin.

"We were organized into eight different companies," Jelinek explained. "We had to produce a TV commercial, and make a business plan."

Jelinek said she'd like to explore a career in civil engineering. "I like designing things and math," she said.
Gregg Udulutch, a Valders High School junior, and his Business World team devised a motorized beverage cooler.

"We used a lot of duct tape on our Styrofoam cooler," said Udulutch, who will be vice president of committees in his school's Future Business Leaders of America chapter.

Udulutch said he'd like to have a career as a photojournalist. "I don't want to do the same thing every day, but get out and meet different people and have fun," he said.

Condiment dispenser, electronic caddy

Devin Remiker and Tyler Shimulunas are both juniors at Two Rivers High School but weren't on the same teams at Carroll.

"Our project was in the food and beverage category," explained Remiker. "We created a condiment vending machine where you could push a button or push a handle and you'd have ketchup, or mustard or melted butter.

"There was a lot of creativity involved in that we had to just take things from a pile of stuff and make something viable," said Remiker, who is the vice president of Two Rivers H.S.'s FBLA chapter.

Shimulunas is the president of the chapter, and his team's creation was called "The Cube."

"It wasn't really cubic but was an upgraded version of a combination golf cart-Segway," Shimulunas said.

"You'd drive it standing up, and there was a space in back for your golf bag," he explained.

"An E-Caddy feature analyzes your golf swing, tells you if your hips are too far apart, and uses Wi-Fi and GPS technology to point you in the right direction to find your lost golf ball if you have a hook or slice," Shimulunas said.

The contraption also features a music system that runs off solar power battery cells.

In 10 years, Remiker said he'd like to be in the information technology field, but he also is interested in the law.

"A decade from now, I'd want to be working in accounting," Shimulunas said.

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