East Aurora class turned business with Blue Devil Design

EAST AURORA, N.Y. — It’s a pretty standard progression: learn things in school, apply those lessons in life, maybe start a business and hope for success.

An East Aurora High School class is putting all of that in one.

“We make things from cutting boards to […] small engine repairs. We do glasses, we make a bunch of designs,” said Zoe Wiech, the CEO of Blue Devil Design.

It’s a business with wide-ranging products and wide-ranging roles. Over two years, student-run Blue Devil Design has raked in more than $10,000, which is impressive considering it’s all done before the dismissal bell.

Weich helped launch the class/business after getting inspiration from Alden Bulldog Manufacturing. Now, she’s the CEO, which is not a position she saw herself in.

“I was definitely an art person before and now it has definitely tweaked my life,” she said. “This year, it has taught me a lot of business and that’s why I plan to go to school for it — for entrepreneurship.”

Product development, customer service and everything else that goes into the process requires a team.

“Right now, I’m working on our graduation sashes,” said Weston Valentine, the lead designer at Blue Devil Design.

He took a design class sophomore year. Now, he’s growing those skills.

“There’s just so many different inside tricks to it, but I’d say I’m getting there,” he said.

Valentine says he’s learning cooperation skills and how to delegate, and realized maybe this isn’t for him career-wise.

“I enjoy the process of doing it, but it melts my brain so much in the two periods that we’re here,” he explained. “I do not think I can do it for eight hours a day. … I think that was a very important experience.”

Patrick Flaherty heads up the newly-added small engine repairs.

“We’ve been bombarded with things throughout the winter for people’s snowblowers,” he said. “Now, coming into spring, [people are coming in] for lawn mower tune-ups.”

For him, it’s about helping the community.

“[We] give people somewhere kind of close home that they can take their machines but also support the school […] with education and hands-on learning,” Flaherty said.

He’s also not sure if it’ll be a full-time career or maybe just a side hustle, but one thing he is certain about: This class got those gears turning.

“I was always good with problem-solving and working hands-on, but I didn’t know that I had such a drive to do it,” Flaherty said. “It really brought out something different.”

The students don’t get paid. All the money goes back into the business. But, the students do get rewards in the form of birthday parties as a small thank-you for their work.