On March 12, 2026, 29 students presented 14 entrepreneurial pitches to a panel of judges. The panel included: Joshua Ott of CW Mechanical, Kula Hoty-Lynch of Hoty Enterprises, Matt Maschari of Firelands Auto Group, and Elizabeth Clymer of Young Entrepreneurship Institute.
The RISE Youth Pitch Challenge Finals allowed students to present their polished entrepreneurial ideas to a panel of judges in a competitive environment. Students built on the feedback received during the regional Pitch Challenge to strengthen and refine their concepts before delivering their final pitch.
The following pitches were presented in the finals, with the four finalists appearing first:
- DJ McKinney & Aaliya Ohm – North Coast Cycle Rentals – Danbury High School
- Savannah Schaffer – Blueprint Denim – Margaretta High School
- Keylan Howell – HYBST – Sandusky High School
- Brody McFadden, Chaz Smith, & Bryson Wittmer – Solar Flex – Edison High School
- Liliannah Bennett – Little Listener – Huron High School
- Rylee Henney – FurFlow – Huron High School
- Angel Limon – DryVanta – Huron High School
- Mason Kromer – Pivot – Margaretta High School
- Isabella Belnden, Emma Rose Johnson, Aubrey Rohrer, & Adriel Venegas – The Pop Top – Port Clinton High School
- Grayson Jones, Charlie Kruse, Grady Northrop, Joseph Schwable, & Thaddeus Wierzba – Rust Bucket – Port Clinton High School
- Alivia Adorni, Analiya Alvarez, Johnny Peck, & Mike Wheeler – Magnico Glasses Company – Port Clinton High School
- Eian Etchill & Mason McCune – American Railways United – Sandusky Central Catholic School
- Rebecca Gallagher & Alexis Langenberg – Helping Hands – Sandusky Central Catholic School
- Elijah Murria – Klean Kicks – Sandusky High School
Breakfast for the program was provided by local business, Trabel’s Bagels in Huron.
The RISE Regional Youth Pitch Challenge is organized and produced collaboratively by Huron County Growth Partnership, Greater Sandusky Partnership, Ottawa County Improvement Corporation, Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation and North Point Educational Service Center. The 2026 program was supported by sponsors, Lorain County Community College and BGSU Firelands.
