Steven Mazur, Park Scholar in the Class of 2013 and alumnus of NC State’s College of Engineering, appeared on ABC’s “Shark Tank” on Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT.
“Shark Tank”, the critically-acclaimed reality show that has reinvigorated entrepreneurship in America, has also become a culturally defining series. The recipient of the 2016, 2015 and 2014 Emmy Award for Outstanding Structured Reality Program, the business-themed show returns to the ABC Television Network for its ninth season. The Sharks – tough, self-made, multimillionaire and billionaire tycoons – continue their search to invest in the best businesses and products that America has to offer.
Mazur’s company, Ash & Erie, is a clothing line designed specifically for men 5’8” and under. Falling in this category (along with 33% of all American men), Mazur and his business partner developed what they are convinced is the best fitting clothing for their height, but only after completing more than a hundred fittings with ‘shorter guys’ of all shapes and sizes.
While earning his B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Mazur showed strengths as a ‘self-starter’ in his undergraduate career. He co-founded both Triangle Youth Leadership Services, whose mission is to “empower and motivate high school students to create change within their local communities” and TeleMedER, an entrepreneurial endeavor aiming to reduce wait times in emergency rooms.
Following graduation, Mazur became a Venture for America Fellow in Detroit, MI. VFA Fellows receive hands-on training in what it takes to build a company while living and thriving in an emerging US city. The program’s goal is to spark job growth by sending top-talent to help grow local business.
As a Park Scholar, Mazur had the benefit of a four-year award covering the cost of tuition and other expenses throughout his college career. The freedom to approach the early years of his career without the pressures of student-loan debt encouraged him to take chances.
“Without the Park [Scholarship], I never could have worked for a low-paying startup out of college and I definitely couldn’t have started my own company two years later,” he says.
Since his success on Shark Tank, having found a new investor and a national audience for his clothing, Mazur and his partner are devoting their energy to building their brand and their business into the best it can be. With a focus on the line’s signature item – the shirt – Mazur and his team are committed to bring quality and variety to their customers with the incorporation of new fabrics and new styles for all types of occasions.
The episode is available to stream at http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank.
post by Lauren Caddick
posted 2017.10.18