Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/513426
14 | /INSIGHT ON MANUFACTURING • May 2015 w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m FEW THINGS ARE SCARIER THAN facing a pool full of sharks. But that's exactly what a few intrepid students from GPS Education Partners did in April, pitching product designs to a panel of area manufacturing and workforce development leaders. The Product Launch Challenge was modeled after ABC's "Shark Tank" TV show. Sharks included Mark Kaiser of Lindquist Machine, Kurt Voss of AmeriLux, Rick Recktenwald of Walker Forge, Jerry Murphy of The New North, Steve Peterich of BPM and Jim Golembeski, executive director of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board. "The point of it, which was absolutely brilliant, was to take these young people and give them real-life experience with some business leaders, who they have to impress," Golembeski says. "They had to come up with a product and develop the specs, and then come up with a presentation to try to 'wow' real businessmen." That experience will be valuable as these students graduate, go out into the real world and sell themselves, their skills and ideas, he says. GPS Education Partners is an alternative education program for students who are hoping to pursue a technical career. The students work and learn at area manufacturing companies and take classes together in a space at a partner facility — in the case of Green Bay, classes are at Lindquist Machine. E D U C AT I O N & T R A I N I N G Swimming with sharks GPS Education Partners students earn their sea legs with product demo project BY NIKKI KALLIO "The students are working as youth apprentices for our program, so they see that end-piece of manufacturing," says Stefanie Stainton, GPS instructor. "But we wanted them to see that whole picture of how does it really work? What are the steps that people go through to get a product to the final stages?" The project also allowed students to work with more manufacturing experts and build their confidence in communicating on a professional level, culminating in the presentation, Stainton says. And just because there weren't real sharks involved doesn't mean nothing was at stake — the winner of the project was given a $1,000 scholarship from the NEW Manufacturing Alliance. Winners Jordan Spencer, 18, and Carlos Perez, 17, who will share the scholarship, designed Smart Stove, a stove that helps people cook healthier food. The stove would communicate using WiFi and Bluetooth and suggest healthier ingredients for people with health issues like food allergies or diabetes. "We came up with the idea because my cousin has diabetes and I was kind of imagining a way to make it easier for him to be able to eat Jordan Spencer and Carlos Perez, students at GPS Education Partners in Green Bay, won a $1,000 scholarship for their Smart Stove product design and pitch. GPS seniors designed products and pitched them to area manufacturing leaders in a "Shark Tank"-like challenge. C O U R T E S Y O F G P S E D U C AT I O N PA R T N E R S