In March, four teams of Hempfield High School (HHS) students participated in Bloomsburg University's annual Husky Dog Pound. Three of the teams earned a place in the "Shark Tank"-inspired competition's top 15 out of more than 100 contestants. The group of students won a combined total of nearly $1,000, and the winning teams included Ryan Malesic, Reece Wilfong, Eddy Gibore, Justin Loretz, Reece Calabretta, Brandon Day, Philip Krauser and Nevaeh Ramirez.

Each team of young entrepreneurs developed its business plan during Chris Hanusa's Entrepreneurship 2 course at HHS. Students in Hanusa's class received $100 to create a marketable product or service, such as Malesic and Wilfong's invention AnyCase. AnyCase is a protective phone case that includes a locking mechanism on its back. Similarly to other phone case accessories, AnyCase allows users to mount a phone to hard surfaces or attach a wallet to the rear of the device. The locking mechanism allows for a more secure connection than magnets or adhesives.

Malesic and Wilfong, who are seniors at HHS, participated in the Husky Dog Pound last year with a cardboard prototype. After 3D printing a plastic model of the product, Malesic and Wilfong achieved third place at this year's competition. "The judges liked our presentation. They really wanted us to patent (AnyCase); they liked that it was different from similar products due to how secure it is and the different capabilities it has," Malesic said.

In addition to the Husky Dog Pound, Malesic and Wilfong participated in the Pennsylvania Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) state competition in Hershey from April 8 to 10. Malesic earned seventh place at the 2023 conference, and he teamed up with Wilfong to achieve first place this year. The resourceful duo was presented with a scenario where they needed to improve a small business's marketing strategy, a challenge that Malesic and Wilfong tackled by using online strategies such as e-commerce.

Malesic and Wilfong both credit Hanusa's class with giving them the tools to succeed at the conference and the Husky Dog Pound competition. "Mr. Hanusa is a great teacher, and it's super awesome to have the opportunities that we've had," Malesic said. "There aren't many schools that give you a hundred bucks to start a business."

"What I enjoyed most about Mr. Hanusa's class was the assignments and projects that allowed me to think outside the box and be creative," added Wilfong. "This year, I knew exactly what I needed to do to succeed, and that added a lot more confidence to my test-taking and our presentation."

After graduating from high school, Malesic plans to attend Penn State University to study finance, and Wilfong hopes to purse a business education at the University of Pittsburgh.