Photo courtesy of Dave Sim Winners of the Pike Tank Entrepreneurship Event were Lukas Axford ,of Lake Linden-Hubbell High Schools (left) and Davis Moyle, of Houghton High School, who presented a specialized scraper designed to clear ice and snow buildup made from snowboard and ski bindings.

HANCOCK – The first-ever Pike Tank Entrepreneurship Event took place Tuesday at the Hancock Community Hub. The day-long event brought together 60 high school junior and senior Business and Entrepreneurship Career and Technical Education (CTE) students from Baraga, Houghton and Keweenaw counties to pitch original product prototypes to a panel of local business leaders and industry experts.

David Sim, CCISD public engagement specialist, said students identified common challenges in their daily lives and developed tangible business solutions. Notable projects included an atmospheric water generator and a color-changing lamp incorporating light therapy concepts to help students get into the proper studying mindset.

The event opened with a presentation, which included keynote speakers Marty Fittante, CEO of InvestUP, and Jim Baker, MTU Research and Innovation Senior Associate Vice President, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities for young entrepreneurs in the Upper Peninsula, said Sim.

Co-hosted by the Copper Country Intermediate School District (CCISD), the Breakwater Federal Credit Union and Michigan Small Business Development Center, the event was a huge success, said Kayleigh White, Breakwater marketing & community relations coordinator.

White said Breakwater conducted an entrepreneurship simulation in which students selected a business venture from four options. Working in groups, students went to the different stations, like marketing, professional development, employment, where they had to make decisions about how they wanted to operate their business.

Throughout the day, students cycled through breakout sessions in the gymnasium, simulating the various stages of business creation, Sim explained. Representatives from KBOCC, Michigan SBDC, and Breakwater guided students through essential entrepreneurial tactics, from public relations and marketing to compliance and long-term planning.

The Pike Tank event brought students together from three counties, and also brought several organizations together to make the event a success, including an activity called Business Bingo, White said. Organizations included the Baraga Chamber of Commerce, the Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce, MTEC SmartZone, KEDA and the Small Business Development Center.

“They all came together for this Business Bingo,” White said, “Students had to go stations to talk to representatives, shaker their hands, and ask them if they were running a small business in the community, how could they support that. Then they would find those answers on their bingo cards and scratch it off.”

Sim said the day concluded with a final round of presentations, where the top contestants pitched to the “Pikes.” Lukas Axford (Lake Linden-Hubbell High School) and Davis Moyle (Houghton High School) delivered the winning pitch.

“The duo masterfully presented a specialized scraper designed to clear ice and snow buildup from ski and snowboard bindings,” Sim said.

White said the event went very well.

“There were so many community members and organizations involved who all came together that all came together to make it successful,” she said.