Make48 Crowns Student Teams at UW-Stout Competition

MENOMONIE, Wis. (August 6, 2026) — UW-Stout’s Polytechnic campus served as the backdrop for an intense weekend of innovation, housing nine incredible middle and high school teams competing in a regional Make48 challenge from July 31 through August 2.

Over the three-day event, participants were tasked with conceiving an original product idea from scratch, developing a professional sales sheet, and producing a one-minute promotional pitch video.

The competition was evaluated by a distinguished panel of guest judges:

• Dr. Katherine Frank, Chancellor of UW-Stout

• Michael Dehne, Culver’s

• Ryan Schwoch, Red Wing Shoe Company

Winning Teams

A big congratulations goes to our top two teams: 

• 1st Place: The Bears — White Bear Lake Area Schools (MN)

  • Team members: Logan Blalock, Ben Bower, Jack Firkus and Eric Olson 

The Bears with panel of judges

• 2nd Place: Architecting The Mastery — Cotter Schools (MN)

  • Team members: Jack Slaggie, Jaxson Greshik, Brielle Staudacher and Eric Paulsen

Architecting The Mastery with panel of judges

Both teams have earned their spots to represent their schools at the Make48 National competition, where they will go head-to-head against other regional winners from across the country.

Throughout the weekend, competitors were filmed and interviewed to document the fast-paced design and prototype process. The full episode highlighting the students' hard work and creative journey will air in approximately six months on Roku's This Old House Makers Channel.

Make48 extends a special thank you to UW-Stout leadership; including Mike Cropp, Carrie Ottum, Seth Hudson, Beth Hein, Kate Liu and Scott Revoir, – as well as their student volunteers Jackson Killinger, Madi Klaja, Thomas Shamla, and Maddox Hartwell who dedicated their time to help make the event a success.

Gratitude also goes out to our sponsors and Tool Techs, who provided the state-of-the-art equipment, materials, and product development expertise required to bring these students – and a memorable trophy – to life: Trimble SketchUp, Makerbot, ShopBot Tools, Thunder Laser, Fastenal, Carhartt and Dynamism. 

A full recap and a sizzle reel will be released in the coming weeks. Up next: Make48 Nationals this September!

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About UW-Stout

UW-Stout Polytechnic supports career-focused applied learning and research through real-world experiences and offers engagement opportunities with its business and industry partners. Its graduates have a 99% employment rate within six months of graduation. The FabLab, a jewel among the nearly 300 labs and studios on UW-Stout’s campus, provides innovators, artists, and creators access to state-of-the-art 3D printers, laser cutters, and leading-edge digital fabrication tools. Open to both students and community members, this facility serves as a launchpad for turning imaginative ideas into reality. https://www.uwstout.edu/ 

About Make48

Make48 is a nationwide invention competition docuseries that gives teams a challenge at the start of a three-day event. With just 48 hours, teams must create a prototype, promotional video, and sales sheet, and present their idea to a panel of judges. The teams have access to a makerspace and numerous Tool Techs that can make almost anything, patent attorneys, marketing experts, 

and more. This format allows everyone to have a level playing field and the chance to win, with no prior technical knowledge necessary. Make48 Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter YouTube 

Make48 Media Contact

Cassandra Muñoz 

cassandra@make48.com