Draper students pitch new businesses during Junior Achievement competition with CNBC

OREM — Utah’s entrepreneurial spirit was on display at Junior Achievement City in Orem as Draper students pitched new business ideas at an event hosted by CNBC.

This week, Utah has been featured in a series of stories from CNBC called Cities of Success: Salt Lake City, which looks at how businesses along the Wasatch Front have put Utah on the map as a thriving business hub.

On Wednesday, the CNBC team made a final stop at JA City, turning the attention onto the next generation of entrepreneurs as 6th-grade students from Draper Park Middle School teamed up with local CEOs to pitch their new business ideas in a competition called It’s My Business!

“I’m really excited because I think our company has a good shot at winning it,” said Laynie Alleman, a 6th-grade student. “It’s just really fun to be here and, like, see everyone.”

“This is so exciting to me and it’s near and dear to my heart because of not only being a business owner but I also taught 6th grade,” said Sandi Hendry, CEO of Minky Couture.

In a shark-tank style competition hosted by CNBC’s senior personal finance correspondent Sharon Epperson, three teams pitched products to the local CEO judges that were well-researched, well-developed, and also entertaining:

• Wish Wash Pet Scrub: An all-in-one bath brush for pets
• 2 Lit 2 Sip: A multi-functional heating and cooling cup
• Just Right Clothing Company: A t-shirt company with heating and cooling technology

“I’m so proud, my students killed it,” said Pam Saltmarsh, the students’ teacher. “They were so good for the judges, they practiced, they were ready, they committed, and they nailed it.”

Saltmarsh has been a teacher at Draper Park Middle School for nearly 7 years, and one of her favorite things to teach is entrepreneurship and financial literacy. She said teaming up with JA for competitions like this helps provide new opportunities for her students.

“These are our future leaders, and the soft skills, the workplace skills that we introduce them to now carry with them into their careers,” Saltmarsh said.

After a short deliberation among the judges, and some time with KSL TV learning about careers in journalism and how pitching ideas and stories translates to many businesses, the students gathered for the announcement of the competition winner. This year, it went to Wish Wash Pet Scrub.

“I was really excited and shocked because there were three other groups going and you don’t know if it’s luck, if you’re going to win or not,” said Luca Leonardi, who was on the winning team.

While the five winning students each received a $500 gift card and a Minky Couture blanket, all the students involved in the pitching competition walked away with gifts from CNBC feeling inspired.

“It just made me feel so much more confident and I know I can do hard things now,” said Brooklyn Bryner, who helped develop the Wish Wash Pet Brush.

A goal of the Junior Achievement program is to give students hands-on learning experiences in business and encourage innovative thinking. JA Board Chair and CEO of Instructure Steve Daly said having CNBC highlight the work that the program is doing is a testament to the opportunities it can provide to students, and he hopes it will encourage more schools to adopt the program.

“I hope that what they leave here with is a passion for trying to solve problems for people. Because that’s really when you figure out what somebody needs and you’re able to create a product or service that meets those needs. It’s one, super rewarding, but it’s also what results in successful businesses,” Daly said.