Batavia Chamber Of Commerce: Local Entrepreneur Works Collaboratively With Batavia High School Entrepreneurship Program

Press release from Batavia Chamber of Commerce:

March 04, 2021

Batavia, IL - Starting a business at any time is a challenge but starting a conceptually new food-focused business amidst a pandemic is a unique journey to say the least!

When Dale Hastert, founder and CEO of Bangarang Foods, began the process of creating Bangarang, part of the business launch plan relied on being able to sample the product in local grocery stores, sports camps and other community events. Shortly after production began, the pandemic took hold. Sampling at local spots started to seem unrealistic. However, Dale remained confident that starting his business with solid footing in his home, the Fox Valley area, would be the key to success. Alternate paths to the local community came to light, including the opportunity to work with Dennis Piron and his Entrepreneur class at Batavia High School. This course teaches students the ins and outs of starting a business from the very beginning. One of their students, Kaley J. had this to say about the experience: "I have had the pleasure of working as an intern for Bangarang Foods CEO Dale Hastert and his creative director John Kraynak over the past month," explained Kaley. "This opportunity was offered to me because I am enrolled in Batavia High School’s LINK internship course, which provides students with real-world experience in the field that they are hoping to pursue.

"I could not be more pleased with my placement as I, too, would like to start a food business of my own at some point in my life," Kaley continued. "Since starting this internship, I have been exposed to the creation and importance of brand story, packaging design, consumer market targeting, and the use of social media for building awareness. I find that this program has proven to be very valuable in the sense that it educates students about the ins and outs of business management.

"Furthermore, it has personally shown me that my dreams are attainable. The success of your business comes down to your team and passion for what you are doing. I am always learning from the meetings held twice each week, and my interest in this career path continues to grow," concluded Kaley. Typically, in the Entrepreneur program, small groups of students decide on a business to create and then follow the steps outlined to achieve that goal. Some of the businesses make the transition from the classroom to the marketplace, which is exciting and fulfilling for everyone involved. The Bangarang experience added a twist to the typical course, allowing the students to use their creativity and teenage social media expertise for a real-time social media campaign. When Dennis Piron was asked about his experience with this Bangarang project, this is what he had to say. “This year, a local company, Bangarang, helped our students greatly by offering a unique internship experience that allowed them to be in on the ground floor as this company gets off the ground," said Piron. "Owner Dale Hastert has been fantastic in working with a large number of our students at Batavia HS. Thank you to Dale and John for finding  a way to support our students during such a difficult time!” Bangarang is local business at heart and will remain community focused. Last year, during the holidays, they donated the high-protein pudding snacks to Batavia United Way for the Adopt-A-Family program. www.bangarangfoods.com dale@bangarangfoods.com

This press release was produced by Batavia Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.