CHESTER — Gilster-Mary Lee is proud to announce that Annabeth Ohlau, a 10th Grader at Red Bud High School, was selected as the winner of the first Create-A-Crunch cereal contest in support of National Manufacturing Month 2022.
Tom Welge, President of Gilster-Mary Lee and Annabeth Ohlau, Red Bud High School 10th Grader
Students were asked to submit an essay answering two questions;
1) What manufactured product has had the greatest impact on your life, and
2) What should manufacturers do to get more students interested in careers in manufacturing.
Ms. Ohlau’s essay was included in a group of finalists, with the final decision being made by a committee from the Illinois Manufacturers Association.
“We were fortunate to have a lot of really outstanding entries in our first year of the contest. It was a very difficult decision, but Annabeth’s essay was great! Her ideas around education with tours, videos, and job shadowing were exactly on point and what we should be doing as manufacturers.” said Tom Welge, President of Gilster-Mary Lee.
Ms. Ohlau will now begin the work of developing a cereal focused on her school, including the packaging design, product development, and manufacturing.
2,500 boxes of this limited-edition cereal will be produced and donated to Red Bud High School. Based upon the success of the project this year, Gilster-Mary Lee plans to hold the Create-A-Crunch contest again in 2023.