Cory Spranger, left, Brendan Betts, middle, and Gabriel Hartman finished in first place in the 2012 Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference business competition.On a normal weekend or day after school, the three Easton Area High School juniors would normally play video games or watch movies.
But last month, Hartman, Cory Spranger, 16, and Brendan Betts, 17, chose a different way to spend time after class: they created a 30-page business plan for a statewide competition outlining their company, Eco-Waste Power Systems. The company was designed to sell clean and renewable hydrogen gas to manufacturing companies that use hydrogen as a coolant.
Sacrificing their free time paid off. The FBLA members placed first in the 2012 Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference business competition against nine others earlier this month in Hershey, Pa.
Their win on the state level qualified them for a slot in the 2012 Future Business Leaders of America's National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas. But they face an obstacle. They must raise $5,031 by May 11 to foot the bill for lodging and transportation costs for the late June competition, said Beverly Klein, business education teacher and FBLA co-adviser.
The students and advisers have been peddling food and candy to raise cash for the trip, Klein said.
The $5,031 price tag will cover expenses for the boys, their advisers, Klein and Kim Letourneau, and Dain Zella, a junior and FBLA member.
Zella, 17, was selected to attend the Institute for Leaders internship, which is held during the national conference. It's a special internship that aims to groom future leaders, Klein said.
Another FBLA member bested most of the competition on the state level. Senior Noelle Watters, placed second out of 92 in the Business Communications category. Watters qualified for nationals, but opted out of attending.
Klein was impressed with the hard work the students put into their respective projects. They each spent much of their time working outside of the classroom. "The self- motivation coming from these students is just unbelievable," Klein said.
Putting together the business plan for Eco-Waste Power Systems wasn't a walk in the park. The boys spent countless hours doing Internet research, drafting the plan and piecing together the presentation that eventually won over the four judges in the state competition.
The plan is to sell clean and renewable hydrogen gas to manufacturing companies that use hydrogen as a coolant, Spranger said. The process involves using electricity to zap the bacteria found in waste water that ultimately produces hydrogen gas.
This pure gaseous hydrogen can be sold at a price of $13 per kilo to various manufacturing industries and to the growing hydrogen economy, which will rely on hydrogen-powered vehicles and other transportation vehicles in the future, he said.
The business plan's scientific base stems from individual science fair projects done by Betts and Hartman. They told Spranger about the project and the three decided collectively to use the idea on an industrial scale.
For the first phase of the competition, the boys had to write a 30-page report on their business plan and submit it for judging against 24 other teams. Out of the 25, 10 went on to the state finals, where the three juniors placed first.
Their business plan had to follow some strict guidelines including a company description, industry analysis, overview of the market they plan to target, operations and a marketing plan and sales strategy, among other things.
Klein believes the chances of winning nationals are pretty high, especially since state judges said the boys' business venture was "the best they've ever seen," Klein said.
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To donate or sponsor contact: Beverly Klein at 610-250-2481, ext. 32399. Or, click here.
All checks and money orders should be made payable to Easton Area High School FBLA.