Fierce competition

The group, which also included Aidan Murphy, Nick Westfall and Hailey Westbrook, attended the national Entrepreneurship Competition in June 2022 after taking first place in the state SkillsUSA competition with its plan for Lifetime Zero, a zero-waste grocery store.

“We designed a grocery store to have no waste, no packaging,” Livingston explained. “It’s environmentally friendly, which is what we want — no more harming the environment more than we already are — and it benefits the consumer as they aren’t paying for the brand.”

The competitions are held in two parts: In the first, the group creates a business plan; in the second, the students deliver a presentation about their business in a situation Livingston described as being similar to hit ABC reality show “Shark Tank.”

Then, the young entrepreneurially minded students are faced with a challenge. At nationals, that was to determine what would happen to the business during a two-day power outage.

“We had to make the best out of a worst-case scenario,” Livingston said. The SUNY Adirondack team impressed and took seventh in the national competition.

“The experience was life-changing,” Livingston said. “SkillsUSA really opened my eyes to the fact I don’t have to be a turtle in my shell, and that I can do anything if I set my mind to it.”

Fun Fact

After graduating from SUNY Adirondack’s ECCA program, the SkillsUSA team members all transferred to bachelor’s degree programs. Livingston will graduate from SUNY Adirondack in May 2023, then attend Castleton University, where she will major in Business. Murphy is a student at Bentley University; Westfall attends Syracuse University; and Westbrook is at Siena College.