When Lynbrook’s Virtual Enterprise team entered Tilles Center at LIU Post for the Business and Entrepreneurship Leadership Conference Elevator Pitch Contest, the venue was packed. The 12-student team was confident in its idea, despite the presence of experienced schools like Syosset, Hewlett, and Jericho.

Virtual Enterprise is a realistic business simulation class where students learn how to create, market, and finance a business. Firms interact in the “virtual economy” with 5,000 companies worldwide that are a part of the network. Lynbrook’s firm consists of a mix of senior and juniors: Jesse Candel, Francesco Cimato, Benjamin Cohen, Matthew Ferrante, Justin Guevara, Asif Islam, Kyle Kropas, Connor Reichert, Spencer Sundeberg, Samuel Tucker, Gabriella Vogt, and Nolan Weinberg.

The students represented their company “Fuel It,” an innovative service that delivers gas directly to cars. Through the use of an app, the consumer can schedule a delivery to his/her location, saving a trip to the gas station. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Tucker describes the mission of Fuel It as a company that “strives to make the filling of your car as convenient as possible.” Tucker adds, “We believe that once you use Fuel It, you will never go to a gas station again. Because we get gas from distributors, we can keep prices low, so you will be saving time without spending more money.”

The firm is headed by CEO Tucker, Chief Financial Officer Candel, Chief Operating Officer Weinberg, and Chief Marketing Officer Vogt, but the idea was inspired through the brainstorming processes facilitated by Dr. Benedict Tieniber, a new business teacher at LHS. In the beginning of the year, Tieniber exposed students to previous winners of the Virtual Enterprise Competition and challenged them to decide what the class liked and disliked about each company, inspiring them to create their own company, Fuel It.

Upon arrival at the competition, students posed for a quick picture and took their seat in the main theater to listen to the keynote speaker, Al Kahn, the marketing executive behind international successes Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

After the lecture by Kahn, the primary round of pitches was scheduled to begin. Tucker took his place on the stage with students from more than 25 schools, but unlike the other representatives who were nervously trembling, Tucker radiated confidence. From his cool composure and perfect delivery of the pitch to his swaggering shimmy after he was done, the spotlight was not too bright for Tucker. When describing how he stayed so confident Tucker said, “I had reason to be confident because of the great team that was in the audience. The team that supported me, helped me practice, and helped me write the speech.”

After the first round of competition, the three departments of Virtual Enterprise–accounting and finance, administration and human resources, and I.T. and marketing–were sent into lectures to learn real-world applications of the knowledge they gain in class. In each section, industry leaders talked to students about how they would start or run a company. Connor Reichert, sales executive, said, “The lecture on accounting and financing taught me the different ways of raising capital for a company, the pros and cons of outsourcing production overseas, and realistically pricing products.” Justin Guevara, office manager, said that the administration and human resources lecture was helpful because “the people on stage told us a lot about their companies: how to hire for diversity, deal with lawsuits, and organize a successful company.” Spencer Sundeberg, marketing executive, learned “how to reach a target market and how to market, most importantly, not to overuse a specific marketing platform such as social media.”

The firm met up at lunch and once again marched towards the Tilles Center like soldiers on a battlefield. They walked into the enormous arena, looked at the screen displaying the finalists, and rejoiced when they saw that Fuel It had made the cut. While waiting for the final round of competition to start, the students practiced the skills they learned in class to network with other VE firms: standing up and shaking hands when introducing themselves, maintaining eye contact, and asking for a business card.

When the finalists were called to the stage, Tucker took his place. The first two competitors went, then it was Tucker’s turn, and in front of an audience of 1,600, he began his pitch. With enthusiasm, eloquence, and humor, he had the crowd at the edge of their seats. Adrenaline pumping, Tucker finished the pitch. Cheers rang through the air. The other companies pitched their ideas, and then came time for awarding the winners. Sadly, Fuel It was not a top-three finisher; nevertheless, it established itself as a company that spoke to people. Fuel It stood with the best and made a lasting impression, exemplified by Tucker receiving numerous text messages from other schools to congratulate him and his team, all of which stated that Fuel It was the best idea and deserved to win.

Currently, Fuel It is working towards preparing for its upcoming business plan competition on Jan. 4 at Farmingdale State College. It is also going to start selling discount cards soon, which offer discounts to local businesses. The participating establishments are Moe’s Southwest Grill, McDonald’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Carvel, Angelina’s, Vincent’s, Craft Kitchen and Tap House, Bagel Gourmet, Villa Maria, Best Barber Shop (14 Barbers), Lynbrook Bagels, Burger Bandit, Vi Ale Gelateria, Valencia Eatery, and Lynbrook Deli.

When asked about his team’s accomplishment, Tieniber responded, “Being a first year team who was determined, enthusiastic and hardworking, I had high expectations for this group, and they not only met those expectations, but surpassed them,” he said. “I am very proud of them.”

Fuel It is on the path to proving Tucker’s powerful final lines: “The world is changing; we believe gas should too.”