Superior Plus Participates in Shark Tank Competition in Marlboro, NY

Superior Plus Propane enjoys participating in community events in the locations we proudly serve.  Recently, two members of our Marlboro, N.Y. customer service center were invited to judge a Shark Tank competition at the local middle school.

The Marlboro Team Volunteers

John Cardillo, Field Operations Supervisor in Marlboro, New York, and Andrew Valitutto, the Territory Sales Representative for the New York Metro area, gladly volunteered at the Marlboro, N.Y. middle school in April of this year.  The pair was asked to judge a student competition modeled after the hit TV show, “Shark Tank.”

What is Marlboro Middle School’s Shark Tank?

The seventh grade English students at the Marlboro Middle School worked in small groups to construct a company and create a product or service that addresses a common teenage problem. The students had to draft a proposal, create a marketing strategy, design a logo for their company, create a product prototype, and then pitch their business to the Sharks (judges). The Sharks listened to the pitches, asked questions about the companies, and then decided if they would like to invest their pretend money in that business. The competition was a great business learning opportunity for the students, and also provided the Sharks time to impart their business knowledge to the students.

The Sharks in Action

This was the second year that John Cardillo and Andrew Valitutto volunteered at Shark Tank. When asked what he enjoyed the most about the event, Valitutto said, “the creativity of the students and some business ideas were genuinely impressive. Each year the student’s projects are getting better and better. Interestingly about 9/12 business ideas, were ways for the kids to get off their cell phones and become more sociable. Says a lot about their awareness of a current issue and their solutions surprised us all. I am now the proud owner of three fictious but hopefully profitable middle school operated businesses. I plan on in the future, returning to the class for more business lessons including interviews, business acumen, resumes, etc.”

John Cardillo grew up in Marlboro and attended Marlboro Middle School, so community events in his hometown have special importance to him. According to Cardillo, “partaking in this event brings back some great childhood memories.” Cardillo also enjoyed helping the students with their projects. “The kids are obviously nervous during their presentations, so it’s nice to step in with some good suggestions and give reassurance that their ideas would be a useful contribution to our imaginary consumers.”

A Job Well Done!

Superior Plus Propane is proud of our Sharks, John Cardillo and Andrew Valitutto, for volunteering their time to support and share their knowledge with the students in their community.