Business

Plan




2017

Fightin’ Robotic Owls

Team 5401


 Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary 3
1.1 Mission Statement 3
1.2 Core Values 3
1.3 Our founding 3

2. Team Information/Management 4
2.1 Basic Team Info 4
2.2 Attendance, Participation, Behavior Expectations and Code of Conduct 5
2.2.1 Work Requirements 5
2.3 Organizational Chart 5

3. Relationships 6
3.1 Team Members 6
3.2 Mentors 6
3.3 Sponsors & Community 6

4. Financial 7
4.1 Sources of Funds 7
4.2 Use of funds 7
4.3 Financial Summary 8
4.4 Sponsorship Levels 8
4.4.1 Ride: $100-250 8
4.4.2 Franklin: $250 8
4.4.3 Edison: $500-$1,000 8
4.4.4 Tesla: $1,000- $3,000 8
4.4.5 Einstein: $3,000+ 8
4.5 Fundraising Plan 9
4.5.1 Major Fundraisers 9
4.5.2 Small Fundraisers 9
4.5.3 Sponsorships 9
4.5.4 Team-Store 9
5. Future Plans: 3 Year Goals 10
5.1 Scholarships 10
5.1.1 Strategy 10
5.2 Sponsorships 10
5.2.1 Strategy 10
5.3 FLL Outreach 10
5.3.1 Strategy 10
5.4 Summer Program 10
5.4.1 Strategy 10
5.5 FRC Outreach 10
5.5.1 Strategy 10

6. SWOT Analysis/Strategic Plan 11

6.1 SWOT Analysis 11
6.2 Risk Mitigation 11

7. Deployment of Resources 12
7.1 FLL at LaBrum Elementary School 12
7.2 FRC with William Tennent High School 12
7.3 Team Outreach: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 12

8. Conclusion 13

9. Media 14

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1. Executive Summary
1.1 Mission Statement
Our mission is to enhance students’ interest in STEAM and business fields by engaging them
with experienced mentors that challenge them with real world situations that will build character
and foster a lifelong appreciation for teamwork. Additionally, we want to be ambassadors for
both FIRST and STEAM in Lower Bucks County, while also providing FIRST college
scholarships to Bensalem students.
1.2 Core Values
 We provide a well-rounded, hands-on STEAM education for students in our district.
 We are not an after school club. We're a professional organization and competitive sport,
preparing the next generation of engineers, CAD designers, programmers and entrepreneurs.
 We pride ourselves in earning our way through challenges and learning from our mistakes.
We never value winning over our integrity
 We believe that everyone is welcome on this team, no matter their ability, or what they are
interested in they can find it in something we do.
 We participate in community service and outreach to show our team spirit, introduce others
to FIRST, and give back to the community that supports us.
1.3 Our founding
In 2013, Bensalem Township High School was beginning plans for a multi-million dollar
renovation that would include a new STEM Academy. To enhance this new STEM Academy and
to provide students a well rounded, hands-on STEAM education, Bensalem Township School
Board Member Kevin McKay sought to start a FIRST Robotics Team at the High School. In 2014
the team was founded with a small number of students, an equally small number of sponsors, and
only three mentors: Kevin McKay, Andy Windhausen, and Jesse Kovaschetz.
That first was year very hectic, with the mentors trying to get us organized and the
students trying to figure out what they want to do on the team. Despite the chaos, it was a great
learning experience for students and mentors alike. In the end, we worked as hard as we could
and stood out as one of the best rookie teams of the year—even winning the Rookie Inspiration
Award at our 2nd District Event for our commitment to STEAM education.
In our second season, we experienced a significant growth in the number of students and
mentors actively involved with the team. With a better understanding of what needed be done
and a larger number of students and mentors working as hard as they could help the team
succeed, we went on to make it past not only our district competitions to District
Championships, where we won the Judges Award, but we made it all the way to the 2016 World
Championship, where we made it to the semi-finals of our division in only our second year as a
team.

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2. Team Information/Management
2.1 Basic Team Info

Rookie Year 2014-2015

Location Bensalem High School, Bensalem, Pennsylvania
School Affiliation Bensalem Township High School
39 Students
Team 10 Girls and 29 Boys
Demographics 5 Freshmen, 11 Sophomores, 14 Juniors, 9 Seniors
6 William Tennent Students
14 Mentors
Mentor Professions include:
 1 General Contractor/Licensed Electrician
 1 Industrial Safety Professional
Mentors  1 Insurance Professional
 1 Tow Truck Driver & Diesel Mechanic
 4 Engineers
 1 Retired Sheet Metal Worker
 5 William Tennent High School Teachers
Einstein: Boeing, Pennsylvania Steel Company Inc., Coren Metal Inc., Tech Cycle
Performance Products, Village Catering and Old Skillz Graffik Garmentz
Tesla: PECO, The Department of Defense, and Global Metal Works
Edison: Clearstone Communications, Magid Glove & Safety and State
Sponsors Representative Gene DiGirolamo
Franklin: Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo, and HM Royal, Inc.
Ride: Boucher & James Engineering, Joseph Knowles & ReMax Reality Services,
Cape Coral Cleaners, Gross Financial, The Valley Pizza, Rainbow Mart and
Kathleen Lesnevec
Website Team5401.org

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 2.2 Attendance, Participation, Behavior Expectations and Code of Conduct
At the beginning of each season, students and parents are required to review and sign the team’s
code of conduct. This document lays out the general expectations for all students on the team.
This, in combination with our work requirements, ensures all students in the team are actively
engaged and participating on a regular basis.
2.2.1 Work Requirements
In an effort to better to engage team members, a set of work requirements were implemented
that must be completed in order to be on our competition team. As part of the work
requirements, team members are expected to:
Turn in signed school permission slip, complete STIMS registration, & sign code of
conduct
Check e-mail & Slack, our cloud based collaboration tool, regularly
Attend a minimum of 12 meetings in the 4 months pre-season (Sept.-Dec.)
Earn 3 credits in each of the following categories: Safety, Fundraising, & Outreach
2.3 Organizational Chart
We have four engineering sub-teams (Programming, Manufacturing, Assembly, and Design), a
Business team, an Outreach team, and a Safety team. One student leader leads each team.
Mentors and our Program Manager work to oversee the teams.

Team 5401

Kevin McKay Matt Garfield

Lead Mentor Program Manager

Engineering Safety Business Outreach

Andy Windhausen Kady Dennis James Kane Emily Ralston Ian Colville
Lead Mentor Chief Engineer Chief Safety Engineer Business Manager Outreach Coordinator

Ellen Garfield Virginia McKay Virginia McKay

Assembly Manufacturing Design Programming
Safety Mentor Lead Mentor Lead Mentor

Natalie Ralston Kady Dennis Abhi Patel Matt Jordan

Captain Captain Lead Designer Lead FROgrammer

Steve Rosenberg Jim Hawk Jeff Grabner Kevin McKay

Mentor Mentor Mentor Mentor

Dan Walker Josh Luther

Mentor Mentor

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3. Relationships
3.1 Team Members
 Provide team members a well-rounded, hands-on STEAM Education and an opportunity for
them to develop problem-solving skills, as well as practice critical thinking and logical reasoning.
 Offer them annual training via the Travis Manion Foundation Character Does Matter program
which, through day-long team-building exercises, discussions, and experiential learning challenges,
develops character and leadership skills. This past year, we invited members of other Mid-Atlantic
Region teams to join us and had two members from Team 2607 participate.
 We maintain a family-like atmosphere where everyone is valued, respected, and appreciated.
3.2 Mentors
 Have students inspire mentors with both their dedication to the team and their determination to
succeed in whatever they do.
 Retain mentors by actively recruiting new ones to because many hands make light work.
3.3 Sponsors & Community
 Invite sponsors and community members to Demo Night to educate them about the robot and
increase community interest.
 Participate in community events, such as the largest community event in Bensalem, the annual
Fall Festival.
 The Bensalem Education Foundation is our partner in fundraising and throughout the year our
team members volunteer at their events and fundraisers.

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4. Financial
4.1 Sources of Funds

Donation Fundraiser Sponsorship Team Store

1%
1%

42%

56%

4.2 Use of funds

Registration Fees Robot Parts Shop/Lab Supplies Team Spirit Bingo Supplies

4%
12%

11%

15%
58%

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4.3 Financial Summary

Financial Summary
Total Income $25,711.60
Total Expenses -$17,517.46
Total Cash On Hand $8,194.14

4.4 Sponsorship Levels

4.4.1 Ride: $100-250
 Listing in Pit/Booth
 Listing on website
 Listing in Demo Night Program
4.4.2 Franklin: $250
 Small Logo in Pit/Booth
 Listing on website
 ¼ page ad in Demo Night Program
4.4.3 Edison: $500-$1,000
 Small Logo on Robot
 Small Logo on T-Shirt
 Small Logo in Pit/Booth
 Small Logo on website
 ½ page ad in Demo Night Program
4.4.4 Tesla: $1,000- $3,000
 Medium Logo on Robot
 Medium Logo on T-shirt
 Medium Logo in Pit/Booth
 Medium Logo on website (with link)
 Full page in Demo Night Program
4.4.5 Einstein: $3,000+
 Name announced with team at competition
 Featured Logo on Robot - Largest, Prime Placement
 Featured Logo on T-shirt
 Featured Logo in Pit/Booth
 Featured Logo on website (with link)

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4.5 Fundraising Plan
4.5.1 Major Fundraisers
Hold two major fundraisers during the year. Designer Handbag Bingo in the Fall and Quizzo
Night in the Spring.
4.5.2 Small Fundraisers
Hold a variety of smaller fundraisers throughout the year. Examples include: Pizzeria Uno’s,
Dough Raiser, Sky Zone, and Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends.
4.5.3 Sponsorships
Retain the existing sponsors we have while at the same time; continue to bring in new
sponsors—both local small businesses and large corporations.
4.5.4 Team-Store
Continue the growth of our team store by increasing the variety of products offered so they
appeal to both fans of the team and fans of FIRST in general. This is an easy, no overhead,
year-round revenue generator for the team.

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5. Future Plans: 3 Year Goals
5.1 Scholarships
Have FIRST Scholarship money received by students on this team be double the total amount of
our sponsorship funds received
5.1.1 Strategy
Invite school guidance counselors and representatives from local colleges to attend a team
meeting where they go over the college admission process and the FIRST Scholarship
database.
5.2 Sponsorships
Balanced mix between large corporate sponsors and community based sponsors
5.2.1 Strategy
Target large corporations that offer grants and sponsorships to STEAM based
organizations; while at the same time, making sure we continue with a steady growth of
new local sponsors.
5.3 FLL Outreach
Expand outreach to elementary schools by establishing an FLL team at one of the schools in
Bensalem
5.3.1 Strategy
Continue to assist LaBrum Elementary School’s FLL team, in the School District of
Philadelphia. Our students will mentor them and help them achieve success in their
competition while gaining the experience necessary to start an FLL team in our district.
5.4 Summer Program
Revamp our summer program offered to middle school students in Bensalem School District
5.4.1 Strategy
Move to a VEX based curriculum that is more robot orientated, provides more hands on
learning and increases their interest in STEAM based fields.
5.5 FRC Outreach
Assist at least two high schools in Lower Bucks County with starting their own FRC team
5.5.1 Strategy
Take a group of students and teachers from a local high school and have them join our
team. The following year, with continued help and support from us, they will form a
veteran core to a unique rookie team.

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6. SWOT Analysis/Strategic Plan
6.1 SWOT Analysis

Strengths
 Members’ dedication to team
 Ambitious and resourceful
 School and School District support
 Community support
Opportunities
 Mentor and develop future lower
Bucks County teams
 Start additional FRC teams in the
district
 Diversify our sponsors
Weaknesses
 Lack of communication
 Lack of student engagement
 Lack of integration with the school
curriculum
Threats
 Decline in membership
 Loss of mentors
 Loss of corporate sponsors

6.2 Risk Mitigation

Recruitment
Create an interest in FIRST within the middle schools by expanding & improving our summer
program.
Attend Freshman Orientation with a display about the team to pique Freshman interest in FIRST,
making sure to have the robot there so Freshman can see how much fun FIRST really is.
Get engineering teachers involved in telling students about the team to increase students with
interest in STEAM careers.

Communication
Team leadership needs to communicate with the team more when it comes to decision making
and do a better job of explaining the rationale the behind decisions when they are made. Likewise,
the team members can do a better job of discussing decisions, instead of outright disagreeing with
decisions made.

Engagement
Mentors and veteran members need be more proactive in engaging new members in different
tasks, and not disregard them for their lack of experience.
Encourage new students to seek out things to do as opposed to waiting to be told to do something,
having them try different areas of the team until they find what they are interested in.

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7. Deployment of Resources
7.1 FLL at LaBrum Elementary School
During the 2015-16 FLL season we sent students and mentors down to Labrum Elementary
School in the Philadelphia School District to assist their FLL team on a weekly basis. They helped
the Labrum students understand game strategy & analysis, robot assembly, coding, and much
more. We will be returning to assist them for the 2016-17 FLL season.
7.2 FRC with William Tennent High School
In an effort to spread FIRST’s mission & core values in Bucks County, we are helping start a new
team at William Tennent High School in Warminster, PA. As a relatively new team ourselves, we
looked for an innovative way to engage new students in FRC and invited a group of Tennent
students to be a part of our team for this season. They will wear our colors, help build and code
our robot, and cheer on our collective team in the stands. Next year, with our continued help and
assistance, these students will form a veteran core to a unique rookie team.
7.3 Team Outreach: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
In honor of a teammate who tragically passed away, we have decided to support the
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (ASFP). ASFP is an organization that gives those
affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education, and advocacy to
take action against this leading cause of death. We, in partnership with Bensalem High School
Band Program, are supporting this organization by organizing fundraisers whose proceeds are
directly donated back to ASFP and by partnering with them to host an annual Out of the
Darkness Walk.

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8. Conclusion
As we wrap up our third year as an FRC team we are continuing to expand our outreach efforts. At the
same time we are growing our team, growing FIRST in the Lower Bucks region and increasing of FIRST
scholarship dollars awarded to students on our team. We are confident that this steady and consistent
growth will put us on the path to success for years to come.

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9. Media

Travis Manion Foundation Character Does Matter Team 5401 at FIRST World Championships in St.
Training Louis, Missouri

Students from LaBrum Elementary School Team members volunteering with the Bensalem
Education Foundation

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