HomeTown is starting to make waves internationally as the Huntington High School Virtual Enterprise company has been named one of the top 200 VE firms in the world.
The company provides authentic Long Island food favorites to those living near and far; anywhere in the United States. If you are a Long Islander craving hometown food, this is the company for you. HomeTown brings its customers “nostalgia in every bite.”
HomeTown team members are shown working in the School Heritage Museum.
In addition to placing among the top 200 Virtual Enterprise firms in the world, HomeTown finished in the top 10 percent in a recent competition for its “elevator pitch,” which is defined as a short description (60 seconds) of a VE firm’s “idea, product or company that explains the concept in a way that any listener can understand it in a short period of time.”
HomeTown is finding its groove. It recently partnered with the international Virtual Enterprise firm, Brief Time Delivery, which is located in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The HomeTown company team features Naysa Escobar (chief executive officer), Christopher Maichin (chief operating officer), Alyson Baker (chief financial officer), Margo Nitekman (chief technical officer), Ashley Genao (chief marketing officer), Jillian LoTurco (chief human resources officer), Robert Smith (vice president of sales), Aiden Lefebvre (vice president of research), Kailey Rappel (social media and design specialist), Gretel Cassell (head of marketing associates), Molly Fallon (human resources associate), Gianna Prosseda (human resources associate), Kevin Drake (accounting associate), Richard Rongo (accounting associate), Edelyn Garcia (design associate), Jackson Dunn (head of website design) Lisa Martin (sales associate), Aidan McNulty (sales associate), Liam Lennon (marketing associate) and Osiris Shepherd (marketing associate).
“HomeTown is doing great,” Mr. Maichin said. “Over these past two months, we have really grown and have started to make a name for ourselves. Every day, everyone comes into class excited to take the next step for this company. Whether it’s preparing for trade shows, creating marketing campaigns or designing our website and making our presence known on social media, everyone has been doing their part to help this company flourish.”
The HomeTown company team is excited by what it has accomplished, but it’s hardly resting on its recent laurels. The group works under the guidance of high school business teacher Paige Tyree Furman, who serves as a resource.
“I am beyond proud of what we have accomplished in such little time and I am positive that we will make it far in competition this year,” Mr. Maichin said. “Get ready because here comes HomeTown.”
What makes HomeTown’s success even more impressive is that at least half the students are remote at any one time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Huntington High School students attending in-person classes on a cohort basis. The two groups of students meet virtually daily and get an awful lot done between them.
“HomeTown is coming along nicely,” Ms. Baker said. “It is a great group of very hardworking students. We all work hard every single class period to ensure a successful company. It is a great learning experience and a lot of fun.”
Visit HomeTown’s website by logging onto https://hometownny.wixsite.com/website. The site was designed by Mr. Dunn and Ms. Escobar. Visit the company’s Instagram page by logging onto https://instagram.com/hometown.ve?igshid=d6jm9idz8awq. The page is operated by Ms. Rappel and Ms. Nitekman.
“HomeTown is coming along very well,” Ms. Genao said. “In just two months we have grown and flourished tremendously. Every employee has been working incredibly hard and have been so dedicated to HomeTown. As chief of marketing and sales, I can tell you my team is so hard working and thrives every day. I know throughout the year we will be growing immensely and doing so many more big things.”
Last Friday was a very good day for HomeTown, which recorded almost $100,000 in sales. The company also hit 1,000 followers on its Instagram page.
Ms. Escobar, the company’s charismatic CEO is thrilled with HomeTown’s stunning early success. “And it’s all thanks to my amazing team,” she said. “Every single associate starting from Richard Rongo (one of my accounting associates) and ending up with my COO Christopher Maichen are doing their part and more to help this company grow. I can go on for hours about how happy this team makes me. And to be honest, I believe our team was a match made in heaven.”