Matthew Mandziuk and Tamara Kerluke were easy to miss.
It wasn鈥檛 for a lack of trying. Mandziuk, decked out in his Raiders football jersey, stood near his booth, scanning the room. If he made eye contact with someone, he鈥檇 strike up a conversation, explaining his collection of bottles. He exuded personability.聽
鈥淸My favourite part of the business is] interacting with people,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 love...talking with people.鈥�
Kerluke was quieter, but you could see the excitement in her eyes when she talked about her rows of yarn-covered sticks.
They occupied a small space in the Flexi Hall at the Gallagher Centre. They were surrounded by businesses and groups who had travelled across the province for the Harvest Showdown. Everyone was here for the big trade show.
Attendees saw a dazzling array of products and services. Companies offered shoe polish, agricultural innovations, and a bevy of exciting opportunities.聽
Mandziuk and Kerluke were sandwiched between these business giants, sharing one table at the trade show. It was a humble beginning, but every company has to start somewhere.
鈥淭his was a chance to dip our foot in the water and get a feel on how trade shows go and what works well,鈥� Mandziuk said.
Kerluke and Mandziuk are presidents of their respective companies. They brought their brands and their products to the trade show to establish themselves for the public.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a start and it鈥檚 just to get us out there, really,鈥� Kerluke said.
Kerluke is the president of Hang Loose, while Mandziuk is the president of Once a Bottle Time. Both companies are truly products of the social media age, as their creators were inspired by posts on Pinterest.
Hang Loose takes branches from rural Saskatchewan and drapes them with yarn. Hooks are also attached to them so they can function as jewellery holders or as wall-art decor.
Mandziuk was perusing Pinterest when he saw a wine bottle with lights inside. That鈥檚 how he found the idea for Once a Bottle Time. The company recycles wine bottles and inserts LED lights into them. They make for striking piece of home decor.
Kerluke and Mandziuk worked with their business partners around the clock to get their booths ready for the trade show. They haven鈥檛 had a lot of time to prepare; after all, their companies are only a few weeks old.
Kerluke and Mandziuk are students in the Entrepreneurship 30 class at Yorkton Regional High School. Kristine Kreklewich is the teacher for the class.
鈥淪tudents had to pitch a product to the class in a Dragons Den format,鈥� she said.
The class heard pitches from every student and voted on their two favourite ones. Juanita Polegi was a guest 鈥淒ragon鈥� at the pitch meeting. She asked questions and provided feedback.
鈥淚t amazes me how these students get these ideas,鈥� she said. 鈥淸It鈥檚] really remarkable.鈥�
Hang Loose and Once a Bottle Time were chosen by the class, who then spent long hours before and after school getting the businesses ready for the tradeshow.
鈥淕etting our logo and our sign finished, and making a lot of product, was definitely hard,鈥� Kerluke said.
Both companies plan to attend more trade shows before winter break.聽
鈥淭hey have until Christmas to sell as much as possible,鈥� Kreklewich said. 鈥淭hen we liquidate the business.鈥�
At the Harvest Showdown trade show, Kerluke adjusted her racks of yarn while Mandziuk spoke with an interested passerby. More than anything, this project has been a learning experience.聽
鈥淚鈥檇 like to continue my education in business,鈥� Mandziuk said. 鈥淭his is a great start off.鈥�
