"Snizer"-Charging The Snow Blind

Today was a great change of pace from the normal stress of the field and Aviate work. We started off the day with a fun design challenge. Team PAX had separation anxiety as we were split up into different temporary groups. My group consisted of Will, Tim, Sindhura and myself. I anxiously picked our “pain” card remembering my fateful last drawing of “I want to make art”, with my eyes clenched I fumbled through them till I finally selected one. Our card stated “the snow is two bright”, I could relate after years of doing winter Outdoor leadership and being blinded by the reflective blanket of snow.

My team quickly got to work using our new techniques. We brainstormed on post-it notes, writing down anything that came to mind. This wild process led us to more inciting brain-blasts instead of just rolling with one mediocre idea. We determined the product that corresponds to the “pain” the best and is most versatile, was innovative sunglasses that had energy capturing capabilities. In a sense, we created the winter campers best friend: a defense against sun-blindness and the ability to charge mobile devices in the wilderness. We named it “snizer” a.k.a. snow visor. We were only given three materials, tinfoil, straws, and string. The lens was composed of one piece of tin foil, which went across the eye area, resembling an X-man. We constructed the frame from the straws and added a string croakie to give it that retro outdoorsy feel. The Snizer won the appreciation of all avid outdoorsmen and women when we presented it; however, it was not well received by the applause-o-meter. The activity was a fun way to get a break from our demanding teamwork, as well as a good way to illustrate our newly acquired skills.

-Graham

Press Release

Hydration Tastes Better with a Little Caffeine

Cleveland Ohio, September 5, 2013

            Although just kicking off the 2013 school year, the entrepreneurship class is already in full stride in their relationship with Avitae Caffeinated Water. To start the project, the class had a Skype interview with director of marketing at Avitae, Tapan Shah. As Shah explained, Avitae is “an innovative concept,” with 45 or 90mg of caffeine giving the consumer “the healthy hydration you need with the caffeine lift you want.”

            The class attacked the challenge to find a solution for Avitae’s poor sales in convenience stores. To determine the poor profit margins at the convenience locations, the class broke up into four determined teams: the Breakfast Club, Eat Grit, Dream Catchers, and PAX. Each team formulated hypotheses to meet the challenge. Several areas were troubling, such as “low education of the health benefits of caffeine, distributor skepticism, and poor packaging.” To test each hypothesis the teams hit the streets, interviewing strangers with survey questions. The Greis Center’s terrific University Circle location allowed the class to walk out the front door and interview CWRU students and health specialist from University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic.

            As the relationship progresses between the class and Avitae, the class will continue to diligently work to provide a solution for the innovative company. For more information about the class and the partnership, visit our blog ENT 1.0: http://hawkenentrepreneurs.org/.