BOLT Enterprises
The 1996 Business Applications class of Westbrook-Walnut Grove High School in Westbrook MN, taught by Lynn Arndt, was given the opportunity to promote and market a new product, "Prairie Smoke BBQ Sauce", while operating a new business: Business Opportunity through Learning and Technology, (B.O.L.T.) Enterprises.
The school received a five-thousand dollar grant from the Southwest Initiative Fund to help fund our project. B.O.L.T. Enterprises was also included in the 1997 Omnibus Education Bill that was passed by the Minnesota State Legislature and signed by Governor Arne Carlson. The education bill awarded $25,000 per year for two years to the business to be used in helping expand our plans.
The school cooks, who are licensed by the state of Minnesota, produced the sauce in a sixty gallon vat purchased for the project. The Applied Economics class bottles, markets, promotes, and sells the product while dealing with the financial aspects of the company as well. We also work on computerizing invoices, designing letterheads, and buying promotional material that are used by the business.
The proceeds from Prairie Smoke BBQ Sauce go into a special scholarship fund. The scholarships will be divided among seniors who have been involved with the business and who plan on going on to a post-high school education. The students in the class take care of business decisions with the help of their teacher, Shannon Helgeson.
The class has worked numerous hours on pricing and purchasing bottles and labels. Members of the class worked on securing nutritional information, a bar code, and designing the bottle label. It has been a great team effort to put all the pieces to the complicated puzzle together, and we at Westbrook Walnut Grove High School are proud of the business our students have created.
The school received a five-thousand dollar grant from the Southwest Initiative Fund to help fund our project. B.O.L.T. Enterprises was also included in the 1997 Omnibus Education Bill that was passed by the Minnesota State Legislature and signed by Governor Arne Carlson. The education bill awarded $25,000 per year for two years to the business to be used in helping expand our plans.
The school cooks, who are licensed by the state of Minnesota, produced the sauce in a sixty gallon vat purchased for the project. The Applied Economics class bottles, markets, promotes, and sells the product while dealing with the financial aspects of the company as well. We also work on computerizing invoices, designing letterheads, and buying promotional material that are used by the business.
The proceeds from Prairie Smoke BBQ Sauce go into a special scholarship fund. The scholarships will be divided among seniors who have been involved with the business and who plan on going on to a post-high school education. The students in the class take care of business decisions with the help of their teacher, Shannon Helgeson.
The class has worked numerous hours on pricing and purchasing bottles and labels. Members of the class worked on securing nutritional information, a bar code, and designing the bottle label. It has been a great team effort to put all the pieces to the complicated puzzle together, and we at Westbrook Walnut Grove High School are proud of the business our students have created.