News : Vinton Popcorn: VSHS Entrepreneurship class, local business leaders plan future

The Old Vinton Popcorn and the New Vinton Popcorn logos.

Entrepreneurship Class members duscussed Vinton Popcorn with local business leaders Tuesday.

Jacob Patrilla serves as the CEO of the VSHS Entreprenuership Class's Vinton Popcorn project.

VSHS and area business leader are working to bring back Vinton Popcorn by early 2013.

Vinton Popcorn will soon be on the shelves again in Vinton.

The 11 students of Mr. Rick Vettraino’s first Entrepreneurship class presented their ideas and recent progress on Tuesday morning, to a group of potential donors and advisors.

The adults in the group included bank offers and business owners, who heard what the students have done and made suggestions about how to begin packaging and selling the popcorn.

Plans call for selling the popcorn in bulk, two pound bags and also in a microwave bag.

The details in question included how and when to start selling the popcorn. The adults agreed that the project should begin soon, although they hope to help the students develop a more specific business plan. Others among the business leaders encouraged the students to have more clearly-defined long-term and short-term goals.

Yet, said John Anderson, “They are more prepared now than I was when I started.”

Starting the business will cost approximately $15,000, although the students presented some ideas on how they could delay some of the initial equipment purchases.

The students – all but one of whom are sophomores or juniors – told the group they are committed to making the business work and to working the extra hours required.

Superintendent Mary Jo Hainstock said having an entrepreneurship class that actually runs a business would be extremely rare; Vinton-Shellsburg’s program may be among the first in Iowa to include a real business. Mr. Vettraino created the curriculum himself, and will expand it for next year’s class.

The students plan to sell the popcorn at the school, and several local businesses, in the very near future – most likely the winter of 2013.The adults will form an advisory committee to help guide the students.