American Family Share Tank Competition
The Problem: Tasked with identifying and solving a problem in a local non-profit given a $10,000 budget.
My Role: Project Manager/Designer
Tools: Click-Up, Adobe Illustrator
Timeframe: 6 Weeks
Background
Every summer American Family hosts an internship competition entitled "Share Tank". Interns are grouped in cross-divisional teams and assigned a local non-profit. After volunteering with that non-profit, teams must identify a problem or need to be solved and propose a solution given a $10,000 budget. The proposals are presented "Shark Tank" style in front of the company and judged by a panel. The winning team is awarded a $10,000 grant for their non-profit and a $500 scholarship for each member.
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During my time as an intern at American Family I was able to participate in this competition with my team members, Casey and AJ. After a summer of hard work, we were able to win the competition for our non-profit, The River Food Pantry. Here is how we did it...
“We are extremely grateful to Casey, AJ, Lexi and American Family Insurance’s Dreams Foundation for supporting our mission in a way that will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the community and environment.”
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-Charles McLimans, President and CEO of The River
Casey, myself, and AJ volunteering at The River
The Project
Assemble
In the beginning of the summer we were assigned our teams and non-profits. I ended up in a group with two young men, Casey and AJ. We were given The River Food Pantry, located in Madison, Wisconsin. The teams were meant to be cross-division and our team certainly reflected that. Casey was an Environmental Sustainability Intern, AJ a Business Intern, and myself a UX/UI intern.
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We began our project by meeting with the River's leadership team and volunteering in the pantry. The River's leadership was excited to have us and made us feel right at home in the pantry. We did a variety of jobs, from distributing meals, stocking shelves, and weighing carts. One day, we were tasked with sorting through palettes of strawberries and throwing out any bad ones. Five palettes later, we had thrown away about 90% of the produce and was only left with 20 boxes of good strawberries. We thought that it was too bad so much had to go to waste, and learned fresh produce was a luxury that food pantries couldn't afford.
One of two bins of strawberries we had to throw away
Thank you EPCOT
After volunteering a few times, I kept on thinking back to the problem of fresh produce. I started researching various ways to get fresh produce through the River's door. Between partnering with local farmers, to a green house, no solution seemed practical. I then thought about the Living with The Land pavilion at Disney World's EPCOT.
The ride features hydroponic growing solutions, which is a technique of growing plants without the use of soil. This allows for the growth of fresh produce, indoors, year round, and with little maintenance. I knew this was our ticket to winning the competition, it was innovative, cost effective, and supported American Family's sustainability mission.
A hydroponic growing system at EPCOT's Living With The Land
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Three Heads
After pitching the idea to the River, we sprung into action working out the details. This is where our group really hit our stride and the benefits of coming from different backgrounds started to pay off. Casey, an Environmental Sustainability intern was beyond valuable in this project. He knew everything about hydroponics; from the systems, to the seeds, to the pH kits. AJ, our business intern, handled the logistics of the project. He managed our budget, determined ROI, and community impact for the River. Where as I took over the presentation for the competition. Utilizing my knowledge of UX, design, psychology, and marketing to craft the perfect pitch. I also served as the project manager for the team, keeping us on track to reach our goals.
AJ, Casey, and myself weighing carts at The River
The Pitch
Into The Tank
We settled on a Flex Farm Hydroponic system for its low maintenance and compact size. And used our $10,000 budget to cover two systems, growing materials, seeds, and pH kits. After getting in contact with the manufacturers of Flex Farm, we were able to secure a system to use on stage during our pitch as well as fresh lettuce harvested from the same system to hand out to judges. Our presentation highlighted the benefits of hydroponic growing vs. traditional agriculture, the effect fresh produce will have on the clients of the River Food Pantry, and American Family's gain from supporting this project.
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We were beyond grateful to have won the competition at the end of the day. All teams did a wonderful job on their projects and put in a lot of effort for their non-profits. The people at The River Food Pantry truly deserved this grant and I felt blessed that some of my work at American Family went back into the community that I grew up in.
$10,000 awarded the River Food Pantry
2,000 households impacted
25 pounds of produce produced a month
Casey and AJ with The River's leadership (I sadly had to miss this photo session)
In The News
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From American Family Insurance:
From the River Food Pantry:
Click above to view
Click above to view