Homestead offers an honors Product Development Project class (PDP) that allows selected seniors to work with real businesses in order to create a new product. Juniors must apply to be in this class their senior year and are accepted or declined based off their GPA, extracurriculars, teacher references, and their responses to short answer questions. Students are put into teams for the entirety of the trimester and are paired with a mentor from one of the businesses that have volunteered to work with students in the class. Each mentor guides their team throughout the trimester by giving them assignments and assistance in developing a new product with their company.

Meg Niedfeldt, Elisa Carranza, Rachel Truttman, Matthew Hartleib, Andrew White, and Patrick Shirley are currently working with Western States Envelope and Label. Their group is creating two different envelope prototypes that include new envelope technology such as perforations and peelable windows. The prototypes surround an overarching theme of college admissions letters and promotions. “I enjoy being able to work with a team and the independence of the class. This class allows students to work with real businesses and communicate with owners, CEO’s, and product innovators,” Niedfeldt said.

Another company working with students in PDP this trimester is Sargento. Julian Stechschulte, Megan Hagerty, Adam Gertz, Drew Gebhardt, Ari Krayzman, and Naomi Schwam are working with Sargento to create a new shredded cheese product as they have seen declining sales in this section. Their group came up with three ideas to work with: Sargento Culinary Complements, Sargento Artisan Cheese, and Sargento Grab n Go. After conducting research through surveys, they decided to go with their Sargento Grab n Go idea which includes a six pack of small shredded cheese pockets that can be ripped off and taken anywhere to put on a snack or meal. “On May 23 we will be going to Chicago to meet with Sargento’s marketing firm in which we will come up with a marketing plan for our new product,” Stechschulte said.

Ellie Pramenko, Grace Warshauer, Ethan Padgett, Dane Newman, Erin Carley and Sam Judd are working with Kohler this trimester to create a loyalty and rewards program for builders who work alongside Kohler. “With our newly designed program we hope to incentivize builders to stay in Kohler’s growing community,” Pramenko said. Their plan includes eco-points and training points that incentivize builders in the community which will eventually lead the builders to accumulate points and receive a specific reward. “This class has taught me how to balance responsibilities in a group and gain communication skills by working alongside professionals in the field of business,” Pramenko added.

Spur 16 is working with Corey Detoro, Hannah Speich, Connor Duggan, Nikita Piryani and Sasha Milbeck. They are reaching out to potential vendors and researching various things that need to be looked into for the opening of the Mequon Farmers Market that will be part of Spur 16. “I really like how this class gives you a glimpse into the world of business,” Detoro said.

While some businesses volunteer to work with students in PDP every once in awhile, others consistently work with students multiple trimesters in a row. One such company is Felins Bundling Solutions that Bailey Kramer, Mike Bruner, Caitlin Geurtz, Frankie LaLonde, and Kayla Zimdars are working with this trimester. Their group started their work with Felins by researching their favorite companies such as Lulu Lemon, Lush, Kirkland and many more. “We were trying to see if there was a discrepancy between what they claimed about their eco friendliness and how their products really affected the environment,” Kramer said. After looking into many different companies, their group spotted a brand called Angelic Bakehouse that they are now doing testing and research on to see if they can use one of Felins’ solution to help them package or bundle their bread club packs more efficiently.

PDP gives students at Homestead real world experience in the business world, and the product idea they develop on their own with some assistance from their mentor may be created by their business. After the class is over, students are able to use their mentor as a reference for future job opportunities, or may even get the chance to be an intern for their company in the future. Regardless of the outcome of their product idea, each student gains accessible skills they can use in future endeavors.

Gallery • 4 Photos

(left to right): Andrew White, Rachel Truttman, Patrick Shirley, Elisa Carranza, Matt Hartlieb and Meg Niedfeldt pose for a photo.