For many years, Okoboji Community School District has focused on developing Universal Constructs such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and the ability to take risks and work productively toward desired outcomes. All of these traits have been present in the creation of the Lost in the Sauce Pizza Company. Lost in the Sauce began during the COVID shutdown of 2020 as then Okoboji High School Junior, William Alexander kept his boredom at bay by purchasing a pizza oven and working to create the perfect pizza. By the fall of his senior year, William felt he had found what he was looking for and shared a slice with his friend, and fellow OHS senior Jackson Krebs. Jackson loved the pizza and an idea began to form. What if they could turn this into a business? Jackson and William were both business-minded students who had shown an interest in analytics and entrepreneurship throughout high school. They also shared a number of classes and study halls their senior year so they used much of that time to develop their initial plan. In the weeks to follow they discussed operating costs, sought investors, and searched for locations where they could sell their product. In the summer of 2021, as Jackson and William celebrated their high school graduation, Lost in the Sauce officially opened for business with William, Jackson, and fellow 2021 OHS graduate Logan Langel selling their gourmet pizzas on the docks of Mau Marine.

In the fall of 2021 William began college at Stanford University in California while Jackson started at the University of Northern Iowa. Both are seeking business-related degrees and they have worked to apply what they are learning at college to the ever-changing business. In their second summer in business they expanded to selling at the weekly Famers Market in the Park. They also began employing current OHS seniors, Aiden Dahms and Ethan Schlachter and are planning to have them take over day-to-day operations and management of the company in the future.

William and Jackson say that this experience has taught them the importance of collaboration with each other as partners, and effective communication with customers. They have learned about marketing and creating a strong brand that people identify with. They have also learned the age-old lesson that creating your own business takes a whole lot of very hard work. When asked how they felt their education at Okoboji helped to prepare them for starting their business, William credited his Okoboi experience with teaching him how to be curious and ask questions. “You would be shocked at how much people are willing to teach you if only you ask,” he said. Jackson echoed that sentiment, adding that Okoboji taught him to think for himself, seek out challenges, and to approach everything with a growth mindset, believing he can continue to grow and improve. We know these lessons, and the new things William and Jackson are learning every day will continue to positively impact Lost in the Sauce and all of their future endeavors.

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Lost In The Sauce

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