GER Business Awards
Final Report on the GER Business Award 2025
For several years now, the GISW Social Studies Department, in collaboration with the German Executive Roundtable (GER) 鈥� an association of German-speaking entrepreneurs in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area 鈥� has managed and organized a yearly student business project. Offered to our 10th-grade students, this year鈥檚 project, dubbed GER Business Award 2025, offered students a unique opportunity to acquire hands-on entrepreneurial skills and prove their business acumen in a challenging group competition offering monetary awards. Once again, this year鈥檚 project was a great success, impressively showcasing the creativity, commitment, and innovative spirit of our students.
We congratulate the winning teams of this year鈥檚 Business Award:
1st Place: "Amerigo Container Homes" 鈥� Ellen B., Sophia B., Josephine K., Henry J., Sebastian W.
2nd Place: "Heart & Fork" 鈥� Emily K., Natalie K., Alexandra R., Alex P., Max L.
3rd Place: "Cardio Coffee" 鈥� Maik W., Sebastian H., Antonia M., Marie von P., Daniela J.
Project Overview
As part of this year鈥檚 project, students formed teams of four to five members and developed comprehensive business start-up plans identifying and documenting key aspects such as:
- Production Analyses
- Marketing and Sales Analyses
- Projected Income Statements and Balance Sheets
- Market and Competition Analyses
Each team received support from commerce subject matter experts as well as from teachers Ms. Bankert and Ms. Lewe. Additionally, Ms. Margit Zimmern and Mr. Kim Larsen provided advice and guidance through two tutorial sessions, offering valuable insights from real-world business experience. 鈥淭he tutorials helped us resolve issues with our company. It was great that the advisors tailored their guidance to our ideas,鈥� one student noted.
Furthermore, students completed a Project Management training session with Mr. Alan Hall. This training not only covered fundamental business planning methods but also included practical exercises, such as competing in a challenge to build the most efficient paper airplane, highlighting the importance of developing goals, managing time, and maintaining flexibility in business environments. 鈥淲e realized how crucial it is to make efficient decisions under time pressure and to set clear priorities,鈥� reflected one student.
Throughout multiple project days, the teams worked tirelessly on their business ideas with the support of their teachers. 鈥淥ne major challenge was identifying a market gap that had not yet been sufficiently addressed,鈥� commented one student. The teams assigned specific roles to their members: 鈥淚n our project, we had a clear division of responsibilities: the Chief Executive Officer took overall responsibility, the Chief Marketing Officer handled marketing and branding, the Chief Operating Officer managed operational processes, and the Chief Financial Officer was in charge of budgeting and finances.鈥�
A crucial aspect of the project was the ability for groups to identify and deliver on self-directed goals: students had to set and meet deadlines independently. 鈥淏esides a clear division of responsibilities, open and continuous communication was the key to our success. We had to ensure that everyone on the team was always up to date in order to work efficiently together,鈥� explained a student. 鈥淲e learned how to collaborate as a group. Each member had a role, and we had to learn how to take responsibility and meet deadlines so that, in the end, all the pieces would come together into a complete picture,鈥� summarized another student.
Final Presentations
The project culminated in final group presentations before a distinguished jury of business professionals from the GER. Each team had 20 minutes to present their business idea, followed by a 10-minute question and answer session. 鈥淏efore the pitch, we were all quite nervous about presenting in front of such a large audience. At the same time, we were excited to showcase the project we had put so much effort into,鈥� shared a student.
The jury was highly impressed by the professionalism, enthusiasm, and quality of the presentations. Students impressed the audience with their innovative ideas and showcased their confidence in their business plans by demonstrating a well-rounded preparatory level comprehension of general business theories and concepts. 鈥淭he upcoming Q&A session was a bit daunting, as it was the only element we couldn鈥檛 fully control or prepare for in advance. Nevertheless, we believe we managed to provide well-thought-out and sound answers to every question. We are especially grateful for the very positive feedback to our presentation,鈥� one student team reflected.
The Teams鈥� Business Ideas
Six teams 10th grade teams developed innovative business concepts that addressed real societal needs:
- CardioCoffee: An app that encourages people to exercise by rewarding them with a free coffee for completing walks.
- Heart & Fork: A company that prepares healthy meals tailored to special diets, produced by individuals with disabilities.
- PerforMax: A fitness and health app offering customizable training and nutrition plans, including options for individuals with health challenges.
- Golden Nature Retreat: A wellness and adventure retreat in Colorado designed to provide stressed individuals with a nature getaway.
- Amerigo Container Homes LLC: A company developing sustainable housing solutions through container home construction.
- Dogture Bites: A sustainable dog food brand that combines healthy nutrition for dogs with environmental responsibility.
Conclusion
This year GER Business Award 2025 was a resounding success!! Our students have impressively demonstrated their ability to work creatively, systematically, and professionally. They gained valuable experiences that will benefit them in their academic careers and undoubtedly throughout their future professional careers. 鈥淪ome of us have developed a strong interest in business and entrepreneurship. The roles of CEO or CFO were challenging but also exciting, as they required making strategic decisions and taking on responsibility,鈥� noted one student.
A big congratulations to all participants for their outstanding achievements and entrepreneurial spirit! We sincerely thank the German Executive Roundtable, especially Ms. Margit Zimmern, Mr. Kim Larsen, and Mr. Alan Hall, for this inspiring opportunity.
We are already looking forward to the GER Business Award 2026 and are excited to see the ideas of the next generation of young entrepreneurs!
Nicole Bankert and Eva Lewe
