Some students at Three Lakes High School have gone from friends to business partners thanks to the school’s Fab Lab.
Seniors Tom Stuckart, Jack Connelly and Stephen Gensler became owners of their own LLC, JTS Waste Products, last month after creating a product to boost efficiency during septic pumping.
Called a JTS waste guard, the four students made a septic hose filter that separates solid products in a septic tank from the hose during the pumping process. Stuckart, who works for H&H Septic Services in Rhinelander, says they made the prototype in September for a class project using the Three Lakes Fab Lab. They each made separate models, then combined elements from each to make a final prototype. He says after they presented their product at the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation’s annual meeting last month, they were directed to a company in Wheeling, Illinois called “Absolute Turn,” who now manufactures their product.
“…It’ll have uses to large companies to even portables just because there’s a lot of trash thrown in portables especially at festivals and things like that. It’s geared for septic outfitters and the drivers that want to use them and want to make their lives easier at work.”
Stuckart says they picked up their first order of 50 waste guards last week.
“…We’re three 18 year old kids and it went from ‘oh we got to get an ‘A’ in this class to ‘how are we going to manage our money’ and ‘what are going to invest in.’ It was really cool to see my name on a piece of paper saying I own the right to this company and what we’re doing here is really special, so I’m excited to get our name out there as we go forward “
The JTS waste guard is $125. Stuckart says a Facebook page, website and advertising is in the works.
