30 LEHIGH BUSINESS MAGAZINE LEHIGH STUDENT STORIES It’s fair to say Luke Traina ’23, management, is comfortable taking long shots. A former Lehigh shooting guard on the men’s basketball team, he had already scored the sale of a shoe-selling company during high school. With help from Lehigh Ventures Lab, he now looks for another winner in the alcoholic beverage industry with Seltic Beverages. Traina will soon launch a canned ready-to-go cocktail business—75,000 cans distributed throughout the country. “It’s a pre-mixed, pre-alcohol-infused cocktail in 12-ounce cans,” he explains. “There aren’t many craft premium cocktails at affordable prices that taste good. We already have partnerships lined up with music festivals and big internet influencers.” Lehigh Ventures Lab, an incubator for founders associated with Lehigh, connected Traina with mentors in the food/ beverage space, along with supportive legal and financial teams. “Greg Heller-Labelle, CEO at Colony Meadery, was one of the great connections through Lehigh Ventures Lab. He gave me sage advice about the kinds of catastrophes I need to avoid in this industry,” Traina reports. With $5,000 awarded from Lehigh Ventures Lab, Traina feels supported on all fronts. “It’s a risk to do this business, but it’s well worth it,” he says. “The fun has been testing this product among people I know and professionals in the industry and, now, there’s this huge excitement about releasing the product.” Chris Kauzmann, interim director of the Lehigh Ventures Lab, says Traina has the enthusiasm and work ethic that will breed success. “We want to show students through Lehigh Ventures Lab that there are different ways to be a part of the workforce,” he says. “You don’t have to necessarily wait until you’re many years out of school to start a business. But you need the tools, the advice and helpful direction. We want students to believe in themselves. That’s what we believe a school should do.” Courting Canned Cocktails Former Lehigh basketball player, Luke Traina ’23, takes an entrepreneurial shot. BY ERIC BUTTERMAN ‘Best and Brightest’ Poets&Quants news website recognizes four Lehigh students who stood out in the nation’s Class of 2023 for their academic excellence. KATRINA FETT ’23 Chase Leadership Development Program Analyst, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Poets&Quants, Business Major Katrina Fett ’23 says she was surprised how widely the skill set she acquired in business school could be applied. She thought her career would be limited to her major. That was not the case. As a matter of fact, after graduating a semester early, she began earning a graphic design certification at Parsons School of Design. VENKATA VEERA K. MANDALA ’23 MBA Sr. Manager, Digital Product Owner for COVID Franchise, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Poets&Quants, Online MBA Mandala, ’23 MBA, can read, write and converse in four languages. He says he was surprised by how much he was able to network during his online program. While it was convenient for his busy schedule, Mandala says that from an engagement perspective he felt it was comparable to being in the classroom. TOBEY BILL ’23 Associate Consultant, Bain & Company Poets&Quants, Business Major Tobey Bill ’23 was in the Integrated Business and Engineering and the Industrial & Systems Engineering programs. He describes himself as having an entrepreneurial mindset and with a desire to do good. Bill wishes he had spoken more to his professors about their research and consulting. GIGI ROSS ’23 MBA Business Strategy & Planning Manager, Northrop Grumman Poets&Quants, Online MBA GiGi Ross, ’23 MBA, is most proud of the volunteer work she did for a small dance company and academy. Ross says she created a strategic plan that put them on a new path for growth. While in the MBA program, she got a promotion. Ross says her MBA has given her the tools and confidence to succeed. SARAH BARNETT
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