BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — Have you ever seen something and said, "I wish I would have thought of that?" Students from high schools and colleges across the state pitched their ideas to panels of judges at the Husky Dog Pound, a Shark Tank-inspired competition at Bloomsburg University.
"It's just about your business idea and how new and novel it is, and how you can sell it to the judges, who are people in business and industry," said Christina Force, a Bloomsburg University associate professor of business education.
Nearly 500 students from 75 school districts competed for cash prizes.
"It spurs on their creativity, their imagination, innovation, and hopefully making some people interested in becoming entrepreneurs," Force said.
For most of the morning, students presented their ideas inside the Ziegler College of Business at Bloomsburg University.
Students from Dallas Area High School pitched their idea for compression wear.
"It's simple, but sometimes simple things are the best things," Trevor Radvanyi said. "Instead of a netting inside the bathing suit, this is what's underneath to give you a better visual. So basically, instead of the mesh, this is all it is, but it's attached up top."
Newswatch 16 sat in on what turned out to be the first-place winner's presentation. Colin Stetter is a senior at Cocalico High School near Lancaster. He has a landscaping business.
"This competition has allowed me to really focus back in on what I've done with my business and how I've grown it. It's allowed me to reminisce and that I'm able to continue growing as well," Stetter said.
The top 30 teams won cash prizes. Stetter says his prize will go towards a truck he recently bought for his landscaping business.
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