Division I regional track finals
Fenwick graduation 2012
Ponitz graduation 2012
Compiled by "Smart Mouth" columnist Amelia Robinson, Seen and Overheard is fueled by juicy tidbits, oddball tales and strange sightings.
Home > Blogs > Seen and Overheard > Archives > 2010 > January > 21
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Local woman to step into ABC’s “Shark Tank,” community showcased
After setback after setback, Jan Augenstein of Yellow Springs couldn’t be happier to be stepping in the “Shark Tank.”
Filmed in July, the Shark Tank episode featuring the 44-year-old Dayton native and her firm, FridgeFronts, is set to air next month on ABC.
Yellow Springs will get a spin in the spotlight. Augenstein’s segment includes shots of the Greene County community.
The reality show has entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to five tycoons.
If the idea is accepted, the tycoons will enter a business partnership with the entrepreneur, helping with marketing, production, distribution and other elements.
If the entrepreneur’s plan is rejected, “you get to cry and go home,” Augenstein said, noting that being on the show is a victory in itself.
“The exposure is going to help,” she said. “These are true Titans of the industry, millionaires and billionaires.”
The panel of ‘Sharks’ are real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, “infomercial” industry pioneer Kevin Harrington, technology innovator Robert Herjavec, fashion icon Daymond John, and financial expert Kevin O’Leary.
Currently a contractor, feng shui practitioner and stager, Augenstein developed the idea for FridgeFronts, decorative magnet covers for kitchen and laundry appliances, in 1999.
At the time, she was a military wife at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois in need of a way to jazz up the kitchen in her base housing.
The graduate of Wright State University with a master’s degree from Boston University began selling Fridgefronts in 2005.
The product can cover appliances ranging from refrigerators to dryers.
“You can changed the look of your appliance for less than $100,” Augenstein said. “It will stick to anything metal.”
The company initially financed with the help of Augenstein’s brother Jason, received its first major setback after being included in “Sky Mall Magazine” with incorrect pricing.
“We lost about $10 on each sale,” Augenstein said.
The company rebounded and was featured on the “Rachael Ray Show,” but couldn’t fill orders. Click here to see Rachael Ray Show clip. A printing company Augenstein worked with went belly up, taking a large portion of FridgeFronts’ inventory with it.
“After that we were pretty much ready to give up until Shark Tank came along,” said Augenstein who attended Springfield area high schools.
She applied to appear on the show after receiving an out-of-the-blue email about the show’s contestant search in late June.
“They got about 30,000 applications,” Augenstein said. About 100 contestants were selected.
Augenstein’s appearance will be a part of the second half of Shark Tank’s season.
An ABC representative said an exact day for its broadcast has not been established.
Programming changes were made to accommodate the two-hour, all-star special “Hope for Haiti.”
What do you think?
Seen & Overheard runs daily in the Dayton Daily News. Twitter with me at DDNSmartmouth. Have an item for Seen and Overheard? Click here.
Diet plan smack down! Weight Watchers wins first round
Weight Watchers has temporarily smacked Valerie Bertinelli down.
The weight lost giant was granted a temporary restraining order in its lawsuit against rival Jenny Craig.
Jenny Craig is prohibited from broadcasting, publishing or disseminating claims of superiority over the Weight Watchers program, finding that such claims are not supportable, according to a Weight Watchers press release.
“We are extremely pleased with this outcome,” said David Kirchhoff, Weight Watchers President and Chief Executive Officer said in the release. “The swiftness and strength of the ruling supports our assertion that Jenny Craig is making false and unsupported advertising claims.”
Weight Watchers claims a Jenny Craig commercial starring Valerie Bertinelli is misleading and deceptive.
In other words, Weight Watchers says Jenny Craig is a big, fat liar.
Weight Watchers takes issue with statements about a study comparing Weight Watchers current weight-loss program and Jenny Craig’s pre-packaged meals system, according to the AP.
According to a court filing described by Bloomberg News, Bertinelli dons a lab coat and says the following referring to Weight Watchers:
“Jenny Craig clients lost, on average, over twice as much weight as those on the largest weight-loss program.”
Did Avatar make you blue? Some fans depressed
Was your mood down in the dumps after you saw one of the bluest movies of the modern age?
No, apparently a lot of people were crushed.
According to a recent CNN story, buckets of moviegoers experienced depression after seeing James Cameron’s Golden Globe-winning film “Avatar.”
Yep, makeshift support groups of sorts were even formed for those hoping to express sorrow that the harmony experienced in the movie is a myth. In a few words, Earth stinks when compared to Pandora, the home of the Na’vi in the film.
The topic thread “Ways to Cope with the Depression of the Dream of Pandora Being Intangible,” was hot on Avatar Forums, a fan site.
Other thread topics now on the site include “Ways to cope with your family and friends not understanding your love for Pandora,” “Why Post-Avatar Depression May Be Justified,” “How to Cure the Depressions Feeling for the Absence of Pandora,” The Positive Feelings/Effects Avatar has had on you,” and of course, “My Tears Won’t Come.”
