NightCap was invented in early 2019 by then 16-year-old Shirah Benarde from West Palm Beach, Florida. NightCap is a revolutionary brand that was featured on Shark Tank in 2021, resulting in a passionate partnership with Lori Greiner. It has already helped keep over half a million people safe from drink spiking with her viral company NightCap. Invented in early 2019 by then 16-year-old Shirah Benarde from West Palm Beach, Florida, Shirah launched NightCap after a close friend had her drink spiked during a night out, and worked tirelessly to ensure the product would be something her customers would feel comfortable bringing along on a night out with friends. Inspired, she went to her mother’s closet, grabbed a pair of pantyhose, cut them up, and attached them to a scrunchie to create the first NightCap prototype. Knowing that there was no product on the market that had been adopted at large scale, Shirah’s brother, Michael saw huge potential for NightCap due to its unbeatable convenience, unique design and reusability. Together, Michael and Shirah took action and spent the next six months working to bring NightCap from concept to reality. Since its inception, Shirah has not saved just one person, but over HALF A MILLION people worldwide. NightCap has sold over 500,000 units in over 40 countries, and partnered with over 120 major universities, including LSU, Ole Miss, FSU, Yale and Penn State, furthering their mission to promote safety and vigilance and influence a wider cultural shift. Shirah can speak virtually to classrooms or after school organizations throughout the United States.

AJ graduated from Westminster College in 2019 with a degree in accounting. Since graduating, he’s held jobs in Accounting, Business Development, Sales, and Business Valuations. Recently he has come to his faith and has found more meaning in life on a path of true fulfillment. AJ can speak virtually throughout the United States or in person to classrooms in Northeast Ohio.

Evan is the Founder and CEO of Peaceful Fruits, a social good snack startup that employs people with disabilities to make healthy, delicious, rainforest-friendly fruit snacks. Peaceful Fruits has been featured on NPR and ABC’s Shark Tank and is focused on scaling sales and production locally and nationally. Evan graduated from Walsh Jesuit High School (2003), then Cornell University (2007), before working in private industry in operations management. Prior to launching Peaceful Fruits, he served as a Community Economic Development Specialist for the U.S. Peace Corps in the Amazon interior of Suriname, South America. Evan enjoys speaking about the entrepreneurial mindset, the art of the elevator pitch and how to raise capital. He is available to speak to students in person if local to northeast Ohio or virtually to classrooms throughout the U.S.

Rick is an engaged learner curious about the world and seeks solutions to problems. He works in both the for profit and non-profit sectors laboring to unleash potential: improving operations, building into communities, and equipping people for success. Rick is a founder of small businesses, a school, and social ventures. Rick’s motto, “Invest in the City!” Rick is interested in speaking about igniting the entrepreneurial mindset, the art of the elevator pitch and how to start a business. He is open to speaking to third through twelfth grade students in classroom settings and out of school programs. Rick can speak virtually throughout the United States or in person to classrooms in northeast Ohio.

Bob Gillingham is the President of Bob Gillingham Ford, a third generation family business. He is active in the community and volunteers for many organizations. He is a member of the Medina County Career Center school board, and is on the advisory board for the St. Ambrose school in Brunswick. His primary passion, however, is teaching financial literacy. Starting out with Junior Achievement 30 years ago, Bob has been teaching the subject at schools around the country. About 10 years ago he developed a curriculum specifically targeted to students in high school and college. His two-three hour class has been taught to thousands of students in over 25 high schools and several colleges. Unlike so many financial literacy programs, Bob’s class does not represent any business, nor sell any products. It is strictly to educate students how each of them can become a millionaire tax free in their lifetime without any complicated program or large investment. Students in eighth grade or older can get started with as little as $20.00 invested in the stock market with very little risk. This class teaches students not only how investments work but actually how to start investing tax free at a very young age. This program is so easy we call it couch potato investing. The program is part of a world wide nonprofit Finmango, which promotes financial literacy and entrepreneurship around the world.

Gabriela (Gabby) Hernandez is a member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a Supervisory Program Analyst and a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. She recently acquired Six Sigma Green Belt status and aspires to continue the work toward Black Belt status. Prior to this, Gabby was a Military Analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense. Gabby earned both a Bachelor degree in Urban Education and Leadership in 2017 and an Executive Master in Business Administration degree from Cleveland State University in 2023.

Anne (Catherine Johnson) is the owner of Anne Cate, a made‐in‐America accessories brand and manufacturing firm specializing in skyline silhouette purses and pillows. A proud Kent State graduate, she has scaled her business from a sewing machine in her dorm room to a manufacturing studio, employing full time individuals to create success with their hands. Anne Cate distributes products through both B2B and B2C platforms and works with corporate clients such as Hulu, Keybank, and Goodyear. Anne has been an entrepreneur since she was 13 years old and her favorite part of her job is bringing joy to her customers through her products. To her customers, the products are more than just a purse or a pillow; they tell a story that is unique to each person. Anne enjoys speaking about starting a business at a young age and working for that business throughout college, finding profitable success in a creative product-based business. She is available to speak locally in person or virtually throughout the country.

Anna Kelberg-Kim, Esq., is an Ohio-licensed attorney, who focuses her practice on intellectual property and entertainment law. Anna represents a diverse roster of clients that includes music artists, producers, record labels, literary artists, visual artists, filmmakers, performers and performing arts organizations. Anna combines business and legal knowledge of the industry to offer comprehensive representation to entertainment professionals on matters pertaining to Copyright and Trademark; Clearance and Licensing Rights; Formation of Business Entity; and Contract Drafting, Review, and Negotiation. Anna’s passion for helping people build their careers in entertainment comes from her personal experiences as a musician and as being a parent of a music artist. Anna, a classically trained violinist and pianist, grew up in an arts-rich environment – her family, professional music educators and music artists always stressed the importance and value of the arts as an integral part of their lives. Anna believes that one of the keys to professional success is continuous learning and keeping current with industry trends. Anna can speak virtually throughout the United States or in person to classrooms in northeast Ohio.

Greg is both an entrepreneur and educator. Having spent over 40 years building businesses, growing nonprofits, and educating young entrepreneurs, Greg can spark your students' interest in starting their own enterprise. Greg provides engaging content with interactive lessons focused on turning ideas into business opportunities. He can help your students move from idea to enterprise while sharing his personal experiences as a founder, board member, and educator. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Masters Degree in Education from Ursuline College.

Pepper Pike is originally from Colorado where her journey with entrepreneurship began at a young age. Pepper manifested her traumatic past by designing and making homemade vests in her bedroom at a young age. She was kicked out of high school and was lucky to find a trade school for fashion design, where she could stay out of trouble and be focused on something she enjoyed. Fast forward a few years later, Pepper turned a bad situation into a degree from one of the top fashion schools, The Fashion Institute of Technology. She was able to find her niche in the Fashion industry, doing data analytics. She was able to beat the odds and had huge success working for brands such as Nike and The North Face. Pepper enjoys giving back to the younger generation. She shows them how our pasts and presents do not define us but should motivate us to do better and break the cycles. How when we keep our minds open to others, listen to those around us, doors open we never knew possible. Pepper is open to speaking in person locally in northeast Ohio or virtually anywhere else.

Lee Schwebel is an experienced marketing professional with a record of achievement and results. He is skilled in Brand Management, Media Relations, Corporate Communications, Market Research, Public Relations and Event Management. Lee is the great-grandson of Schwebel Baking Company founders, Dora and Joseph Schwebel. He has spent the past 25 years as Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, setting new company standards for excellence in advertising, promotions, event marketing, product development, and digital marketing. Lee enjoys speaking about developing good interpersonal communication skills and how to be better organized and prepared for school and for life. Lee can work with students to help reinforce basic life skills and the keys to being happy, positive, and productive, including accountability to oneself, to family, to others. Lee’s special areas of achievement he can share about with students include cultivating your creative spirit, strengthening writing skills, grassroots marketing, advertising, social media, current events, and arts/theater/music. He is available to discuss what is necessary to achieve personal and professional success, to students of all age ranges. Lee can describe how creativity and marketing are linked, and how he used those skills in tandem at Schwebel Baking Company, his family’s business. He has an exciting story to tell about the baking business, its founding, history, operation, what makes Schwebel’s bread so good, and how the Schwebel family has stayed in business for 114 years.

Gabrielle is a Digital Content Specialist with University Hospitals (UH), the largest network of hospitals, doctors and surgeons in Northeast Ohio. Gabrielle was recruited to UH in 2021 to lead marketing and communications for the organization’s men’s health initiative. In this position, she deploys content strategies to drive the enterprise’s message of preventative, multi-disciplinary care to close the healthcare gender gap. Prior to her role at UH, Gabrielle was a Strategic Marketing Associate for Cleveland Clinic Innovations – the international non-profit and academic medical center’s licensing and commercialization arm. In this role she drove content campaigns across multiple platforms to educate and engage both internal and external business development partners. Gabrielle graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Premedical Studies in 2018 and a Masters of Business Administration from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in 2022 with focus on Organizational Behavior & Leadership and Marketing