Ugrin shines in Entrepreneurship Challenge

John Ostermann, Online Editor-in-Chief

Manhattan sophomore Jerin Ugrin competed in the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge contest of 2018 with his business Re-Treads Premium Footwear. Ugrin presented his business plan in a four minute presentation to the five judge panel. He was awarded the second place prize of $1,000.

“The money [is what made me enter the contest],” Urgin said. “It was really just a good experience because I can see myself actually doing this.”

Ugrin has a very unique design for the footwear he plans to sell. They are eco-friendly sandals made using a leather body and a sole made entirely out of upcycled tire treads.

“My dad was getting new tires for his motorcycle [just as] I grew out of my sandals.” Ugrin said. “As I was looking for new sandals my dad was talking about these sandals my grandpa made that he used tire treads on and made them himself. He called them his hippie sandals. I had [Kathy] Ricketts’ class and I had to make a business so I thought this could be the perfect idea.”

Ugrin’s experience with the class then assisted him in creating a business plan and begin designing how his business would run.

“It takes a lot of work,” Ugrin said. “It took months just to [create the] business plan. The hardest part was the financial part of the project. I had to make a bunch of different spreadsheet for every little part of the business so I could get the whole first year plan to see how much I’d make. The first year I wouldn’t be that profitable but the years after that I would expect my profit to rise.”

While Ugrin did make his business plan as if he was going to start operating it this year, he doesn’t plan on following through with its creation until his high school education is completed.

“I think I could start this once I get out of high school,” Ugrin said. “I have a plan on what I’m going to do if I start it that covers the whole first year of the business which will make the whole beginning process a bit easier.”

Ugrin plans for big things in his last two years of high school, hoping to enter the competition two more times to have the opportunity to win more money to be put towards the creation of Re-Treads Premium Footwear and funding his business.