Behind the doors of room 205, Palmetto students create custom Panther merchandise that is showcased around campus.

Strictly Panther Business, one of Palmetto’s business classes, designs and distributes all the P stickers, Panther Strong wristbands and Palmetto lanyards. SPB also has sunglasses and lip balm products, Panther specialized, of course.

Unlike ordinary stickers, wristbands and lanyards, SPB’s products are custom made and tailored to appeal to their customers– Palmetto students. SPB’s production team designs and handles all aspects of product development.

“They keep constant inventory to make sure we are on top of the products we have in storage and in the hands of our salesmen and women,” Vice President of Public Relations and senior Justin Rodriguez said.

SPB puts their money back into Palmetto by donating 25 percent of their profit from sales to the Community Foundation of Pinecrest, which then distributes the money within the school. This year, SPB donated $480 so far to revamp Palmetto’s weight room, with hopes of surpassing their goal of $500.

“Students not only contribute to a charity of their choice, but they can get a return in their investment by buying into the company,” advisor Ms. Exposito said.

Students have the opportunity to invest and buy stock, like in the real business world, and earn back their investments based on how the company is doing.

Under the advisory of Exposito, SPB is a student run class.

“Mrs. Exposito guides us in a way that gives us freedom and teaches us the responsibilities of running a business,” public relations team member and senior Kamryn Murdock said. “Her class will be remembered later on in life for the valuable skills she has taught us.”

Expositio organizes the students into teams who run different sectors of the business such as public relations or design.

“Each student has different abilities and different driving factors,” Exposito said. “Our goal is to acquire business knowledge through everyday real world experiences.”

SPB is the third tier of the academy of entrepreneurship offered at Palmetto. The lower level business classes are business ownership, business management and law and principles of entrepreneurship.

“Attending the first two business classes is preferable before taking this class, to provide a solid foundation and easy transition to a fast paced business oriented environment,” CEO of SPB and senior Shelby Reamer said.

SPB not only contributes to Palmetto’s renewal and renovations with their donations, but the class also presents students with business opportunities students normally would not access.

Reamer has gained knowledge, negotiating skills and leadership characteristics from SPB, which she plans to carry with her though her college years at the University of Florida and beyond.

“Because I am one of the CEOs of this business, I have a wide overview of the company and the way it runs,” Reamer said. “I have learned from and worked on tasks from each department, growing myself as well as many aspects of our business.”