Charger Spotlight: Kate Dwyer
Cover image submitted by Kate Dwyer.
Congratulations to Hamilton High School senior Kate Dwyer for being one of three winners of this year’s Kwik Trip Innovation Competition. Each year the Kwik Trip Innovation Competition awards a prize of $500 to the top three pitches.
Can you describe the Kwik Trip Innovation Competition?
The Kwik Trip Innovation Competition is a Wisconsin statewide competition for high schoolers, sponsored by Kwik Trip, where students are tasked with creating and articulating a new business concept for Kwik Trip stores.
Can you describe your winning idea for the Kwik Trip Innovation Competition?
My winning idea for the Kwik Trip Innovation Competition was an automated custom dirty soda machine, which I entitled "Kwik Sip." This machine was inspired by Kwik Trip's recently introduced Fresh Blends smoothie machines, making my concept a combination of concepts that created a new value, rather than an entirely new invention. While my idea maintains the general mechanics of the Fresh Blends machines, Kwik Sip introduces an elevated level of consumer customization by allowing customer input and involvement nearly every step of the way.
What was your thought process for coming up with your idea?
When brainstorming ideas to enter into this competition, I began thinking about my everyday joys. What do I do often that Kwik Trip has the opportunity to not only profit on but also increase accessibility? I eventually landed on Kwik Sip when thinking about dirty sodas—close locations that sell them limit my customization, and the places which provide high quality are rather expensive and a considerable distance away. With Kwik Trip being on nearly every corner, introducing some way to purchase custom dirty sodas would not only bridge the gap of affordability, accessibility, and quality for consumers, but also nearly guarantee success and profit. Then, all that was left was to prove the worth of this concept.
Why did you decide to compete in the Kwik Trip Innovation Competition?
I had heard about the competition through a friend in Mr. Oechsner's entrepreneurship class, where this competition is assigned for a class project. After looking into the contest, I learned that not only was there a prize involved but that this is a reputable organization supporting an amazing opportunity for one to immerse themselves in the innovative process. I had wanted more experience in the business world, creative aspects thereof, as well as articulating my own ideas, so this competition was the perfect opportunity, one that I could not pass up.
What are some of your future goals? Is there a specific career you want to go into?
The main career goal that I have for myself is becoming a patent lawyer, where one familiarizes themselves with patent law and technologically emerging ideas in order to fight for legal rights to one's idea. While this does not necessarily involve innovation on my end, this competition gave me experience in the creative, problem solving process of articulating new ideas, which will undeniably be of great use within the field.
