Lock Haven University

03/31/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/31/2026 15:12

Young entrepreneurs shine at 9th annual Husky Dog Pound

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Young entrepreneurs shine at 9th annual Husky Dog Pound

Bloomsburg

Posted Mar. 31, 2026

By Jaime North, Digital Marketing Specialist

From edible hand sanitizer that helps prevent germ spread in elementary cafeterias to a school bus app that provides real-time tracking, some of Pennsylvania's brightest young minds turned Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg into a launchpad for tomorrow's million-dollar ideas during the 9th annual Husky Dog Pound.

Sponsored by the Zeigler College of Business, this spring's Shark Tank-style event drew roughly 800 middle and high school students from nearly 100 schools statewide, alongside Commonwealth University talent, competing for $20,000 in prizes.

Middle and high school participants delivered three-minute pitches followed by five-minute Q&A sessions with judges, being evaluated on marketability, feasibility, profitability, and presentation skills. The university division competed through prelims and finals with a 20-minute pitch in front of judges.

University Winners

  • 1st: Fold Out Fit - Warren Daisey, sophomore political science major, professional sales minor and black studies minor at Bloomsburg
  • 2nd: Locked in Learning AI - Michael Zalutko, graduate student in business education at Bloomsburg
  • 3rd: LumiSpeech - Muralidharan Sukumaran, doctorate student in audiology at Bloomsburg
  • 4th: Big Scoops Protein Ice Cream - Vasilios Dimou, freshman business administration finance major at Bloomsburg
  • 5th: Grymms Game Creator - Jade Selby, junior business administration management major at Mansfield (two-time place winner)

Middle/High School Winners

  • 1st: St. Mary's Area School District - Twin entrepreneurs Bailey and Trevor Herbstritt run a small bakery and smokehouse business specializing in baked goods, smoked cheese, pepperoni, and nuts. Started during COVID-19 as a hobby, it evolved into a full operation to help fund their joint college education.
  • 2nd: Rock L. Butler Middle School - Isobel Kennedy, Wiley Sargent, and Leah Szentesy pitched an edible hand sanitizer for school cafeterias using clove and lemon essential oils in a water-vegetable oil base. It prevents germ spread from kids licking their hands after using regular sanitizer.
  • 3rd: Fairfield Area High School - Olivia Sanders, Ivan Chris Brown, Michael Fisher, and Jonathan Mossberg developed Bus 360, an app using school ID chips scanned on buses. Parents track real-time boarding, location, and safe arrival, solving cold-weather waits and safety concerns.
  • 4. Hempfield Team 4 - Medha Lalani, Reshma Lalani
  • 5. Cambria Heights HS Team 1 - Logan Ivory
  • 6. Pine Grove Area Team 2 - Marlena Burke, Aubrey Aungst, Allie Witmer
  • 7. Crossroads Middle School Team 4 - Will Cohick, Kenley Kunkle, Kenley Kingsborough, Sophia Raimondo
  • 8. Rock L. Butler MS Team 2 - Sylvia Duterte, Riley Lanphear
  • 9. Hazleton Team 4 - Santino DeLorenzo, Jonas Kozlek, Michael Balay
  • 10. Linglestown Middle School Team 2 - Andrew Rein, Tenley Lauche, Roman Ricords, Myla Wood
  • 11. Hempfield Team 2 - Ryan Martin
  • 12. Downingtown STEM Team 4 - Sarah DiAddezio
  • 13. Carbon CTI Team 2 - Jeremiah Donadi, Ethan Zettlemoyer
  • 14. Pittston Area Team 2 - Kevin Jombe, Jayden Lovallo
  • 15. DHEMS Uniquely Upcycled - Adalyn Crebs, Nora Rummel, Muaz Aboueid
  • 16. Old Forge HS True Hue - Lily Barbuti, Nina Barbuti, William Garcia Mejia
  • 17. Cheltenham Folded Fantasies - Deven Johnson
  • 18. Blue Mountain High School Team 1 - Leonita Sylaj
  • 19. Crossroads Middle School Team 2 - Janie Scribner, Alexis Westhafer, Kensington Wilderson, Giada Minnier
  • 20. Donegal Team 2 - David Graybill
  • 21. Pottstown Team 1 - Jennifer McCall, Alejandro Suber
  • 22. Lehigh CTI Crowne - Savannah Hall
  • 23. Wyoming Seminary Team 3 - CJ Stevenson, Ronav Gupta, John Wilson
  • 24. Loyalsock Team 2 - Kalylene Kriner
  • 25. Williamsport HS SPO - Ella Kenyon, Michaela Thomke, Ciani Lubin, Kennedy Hamm
  • 26. Hempfield Team 1 - Arsenii Marchenko
  • 27. Central High School Team 2 - Christian Yuen, Sydney Austin, Sovanika Oum
  • 28. Pine Grove Area Team 3 - Haley Martin
  • 29. North Penn-Mansfield Redolent - Violet Kerstetter, Lindsay Noldy
  • 30. St. Mary's Team 4 - Max Keebler, Rocco Ruffner, Frankie Straub
Lock Haven University published this content on March 31, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 31, 2026 at 21:12 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]