Russell students claim top spots in ‘Dare to Dream'
Russell High School students placed first and second in the Glockner Dare to Dream Pitch Competition at Shawnee State University earlier this week.
In its 11th year, the event gives area high school students the entrepreneurial opportunity to create a business idea and pitch it to a panel of judges.
Russell's Blakely Monte, Marlee Coburn, Ava Gabbard and Abbie Phipps launched Unbridled Creations, which took first place out of 13 pitches. The quartet took home a $6,000 cash prize on Tuesday.
Carmin Corey, Averi Dean and Chloe Townsend — also students representing Russell Area Technology Center — captured second place with Alissa's Cheesecakes. They won $5,500.
Monte is the CEO of Unbridled Creations. The 2024 Miss Greenup County Fair and standout cheerleader is a welding student at RATC.
She, Coburn, Gabbard and Phipps started Unbridled Creations with old horseshoes, recycling them to make wreaths, wine racks and more.
'It morphed into working on a horse head made out of scrap metal,' said Melissa Wilburn, business teacher at RATC. 'They want to bring the Lexington vibe to the area, with the (Revolutionary Racing) horse track coming, and to go along with the arts in Ashland.'
Wilburn said the four girls sold $550 worth of their product at a craft fair a couple months ago.
'They wanted to take it to a grander scale,' Wilburn said. '… The judges were pretty impressed with girls in trades. They've stepped into it and made it into their own.'
Their pitch included positive points such as: handcrafted items, by females for females, focused on home decor, affordable, unique, local and avoids shipping.
Coburn, Gabbard and Phipps handled duties at the competition on Tuesday. Monte was in Morehead as the cheerleading squad supported the Russell girls basketball team in the 16th Region Tournament.
'Those girls are all busy, spread thin,' Wilburn said. 'These girls are so good at this, but it's just a fraction of what they do.'
Wilburn's statement applied to the trio behind Alissa's Cheesecakes as well.
Corey, Dean and Townsend helped Dean's mother, Averi, with the cheesecake business when she was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago.
After she recovered and went back to work, the three took the reins from there.
'They all three grew up baking, making cake pops, things like that, so they're familiar with it,' Wilburn said. 'They picked up the business and ran with it.'
They made 25 cheesecakes for Valentine's Day and sold out within two hours, Wilburn said.
'They're looking at it right now as a side hustle to help put them through college,' she said. 'Maybe eventually they'll set up in downtown Russell with a storefront.'
Wilburn said the Angel Investment Group, Andy Glockner and local businesses are instrumental in donating money toward this competition to make it happen.
'Nothing motivates these kids more than cash,' Wilburn said. '… They want to get young people started with an idea and show they could be entrepreneurs, which is great.'
Other finalists were from Minford, Wheelersburg, Greenup County, Portsmouth, Green, South Webster and Boyd County.
Judges were April Perry (Kentucky Farmers Bank), Faith Knutsen (Voinovich School of Leadership), Ryan Redoutey (Glockner's Commercial), Jessica Kopelwitz (TechGrowth Ohio), Luke Keller (Glockner Enterprises) and Adam Miller (Shawnee State).
The annual competition is open to students who attend high schools in Lawrence, Scioto, Pike, Gallia, Adams and Jackson Counties in Ohio and Lawrence, Boyd, Greenup and Carter Counties in Kentucky. Blazin' Butter (Minford High) was the 2024 winner.
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