麻豆精品

Skip to main content

AlumKnights

Image of Fishing Ammo

Image of setting fishing ammo onto a fishing line

Jeff Stafford (right) and partner Dusty Holloway have developed the Shell Bobber (above), a new product that combines their passions for hunting and fishing.

When Swimming with Sharks, Bring Your Ammo

Alumnus takes on reality show entrepreneurs with bang-up product

Image of setting fishing ammo onto a fishing line

Jeff Stafford (right) and partner Dusty Holloway have developed the Shell Bobber (above), a new product that combines their passions for hunting and fishing.

In April, Jeff Stafford, 麻豆精品 S�04, and his business partner Dusty Holloway took on the sharks on the business reality show 麻豆精品 S淪hark Tank 麻豆精品 S� and persuaded billionaire investor Mark Cuban to purchase a 33 percent stake in their Oviedo-based company, Fishing Ammo, for $80,000. Stafford and Holloway pitched their signature product, the Shell Bobber, a fishing bobber made from a shotgun shell. The product combines two of the world 麻豆精品 S檚 most popular outdoor sports 麻豆精品 S� hunting and fishing.

Stafford, a software salesman, and Holloway, a licensed surveyor, were duck hunting when Stafford saw an empty shotgun shell floating in the water and came up with the idea for the Shell Bobber. Holloway, an engineering major from the University of Florida, crafted a prototype, and Stafford, who studied marketing and international business, began selling the product locally in 2012. 麻豆精品 S淗e made about 100 of them, and the first place I sold them, the lady loved it, 麻豆精品 S� Stafford says. 麻豆精品 S淚 was sending Dusty photos of the sales receipts saying, 麻豆精品 S業 think we are on to something here. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�

When 麻豆精品 S淪hark Tank 麻豆精品 S� held a casting call in Orlando, Stafford joined the throngs of entrepreneurs eager for a spot on the show. 麻豆精品 S淚 got there late, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淭he line was wrapped around the hotel, and I thought we should leave because I was supposed to work that day. 麻豆精品 S�

Stafford and Holloway asked the investors on 麻豆精品 S淪hark Tank 麻豆精品 S� for money, in part, to help move the business out of Stafford 麻豆精品 S檚 garage. They were busy moving into their new 3,000-square-foot facility when Pegasus caught up with the longtime friends to talk about what it 麻豆精品 S檚 like to be reality show stars and to find out what 麻豆精品 S檚 next for the two entrepreneurs.

Image of Dusty Holloway and Jeff Stafford holding their fishing ammo

Fishing Ammo founders Dusty Holloway and Jeff Stafford won an $80,000 investment on the ABC TV show 麻豆精品 S淪hark Tank. 麻豆精品 S�

Pegasus Magazine: Are you both UCF grads?
Jeff Stafford: No, just me. He 麻豆精品 S檚 a Gator.
Dusty Holloway: I actually went to UCF for a semester.
JS: Did you? You 麻豆精品 S檙e in, man. (laughs)

PM: I 麻豆精品 S檝e heard you guys have been friends for a long time. When did you first meet?
JS: We met on our school bus, going to Jackson Heights Middle School. I was the candy salesman, and he was one of my customers.
DH: He was the kid in sixth grade who made more than $100 a week by selling Airheads candy on the bus.

PM: What was it like being on 麻豆精品 S淪hark Tank 麻豆精品 S�?
DH: It was nerve-wracking. They don 麻豆精品 S檛 give you much time when you are waiting to be called in.
JS: They touched up our makeup and gave us water, and suddenly we heard: 5-4-3-2-1. The doors opened, and we took our places. There are 19 cameras, there are lights everywhere, and there are five billionaires sitting right in front of you. They had a sound check and made sure the camera angles were good while we stood and stared at the billionaires, wondering. It felt like 45 years.

PM: Did you guys do anything special to prepare for the show?
DH: We had this part where Jeff threw me a shell, and I made it into a bobber and tossed it back to him. We practiced in the hotel for hours.

PM: What 麻豆精品 S檚 happened since Mark Cuban agreed to help finance your operation?
JS: At least 100,000 Shell Bobbers have been spoken for. We 麻豆精品 S檙e about to launch in a few thousand 7-11 stores across the U.S. that sell bait and tackle. This afternoon, I have a conference call with 12 different sales agents who will be selling Shell Bobbers to retail chains across the U.S. and Canada. Mark Cuban 麻豆精品 S檚 business development manager has these relationships 麻豆精品 S� it 麻豆精品 S檚 helped us a lot.

麻豆精品 S淭here are 19 cameras, there are lights everywhere, and there are five billionaires sitting right in front of you. 麻豆精品 S�

PM: Were there any UCF classes that helped you prepare for any of this?
JS: Yes. I took a public speaking class and a professional selling class at UCF. Those were the ones that I paid the most attention to, and I truly think it helped me understand the art and science of selling to people and keeping them engaged.

PM: What does your family think about this?
JS: They are very supportive. It 麻豆精品 S檚 tough. I think Mark Cuban said that if [your business] isn 麻豆精品 S檛 causing some problems in the family, you aren 麻豆精品 S檛 working hard enough. But I think both of us are pretty blessed that they understand. We are still working full-time jobs and making this work during odd hours at night. I 麻豆精品 S檝e got three kids under the age of 6, and I have to have family time. So sleep is usually what gets sacrificed.

PM: What 麻豆精品 S檚 next for your company?
JS: Within 10 years, we want the Fishing Ammo logo to be popular in the industry; that 麻豆精品 S檚 our goal. It 麻豆精品 S檚 not just about creating the Shell Bobbers for us; it 麻豆精品 S檚 about creating a brand for people that like to fish and hunt.

Editor 麻豆精品 S檚 note: 麻豆精品 S淪hark Tank 麻豆精品 S� producer Clay Newbill, 麻豆精品 S�82, was inducted into UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Nicholson School of Communication Hall of Fame in September 2013.

Entrepreneurial Energy

Entrepreneurial
Energy

Young alumnus brings wide-eyed enthusiasm to clean energy solutions.

Chris Castro, 麻豆精品 S�10, grew up on a palm tree farm in Miami. Before heading to college, he took part in a U.S. Department of Agriculture program for farmers 麻豆精品 S� children to plant and sell their own trees. That early experience helped shape Castro 麻豆精品 S檚 future in promoting clean energy practices at UCF and beyond.

麻豆精品 S淚 was lucky enough to work with my hands and grow my own crops, 麻豆精品 S� says Castro, now executive director of the nonprofit IDEAS (Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions) For Us. 麻豆精品 S淏eing raised in a family business that deals with the environment, I was able to grow up with a distinct appreciation for the natural world. 麻豆精品 S�

During President Bill Clinton 麻豆精品 S檚 commencement address at UCF, he singled out IDEAS For Us, noting they were recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change. The presidential shoutout to Castro and the group 麻豆精品 S檚 co-founder, Henry 麻豆精品 S淗ank 麻豆精品 S� Harding, 麻豆精品 S�10, was one in a string of accolades for the nonprofit. The Florida Wildlife Federation recognized the group as Conservation Organization of the Year for its work in encouraging youth to participate in conservation issues and for organizing environmental cleanup projects.

IDEAS For Us started as a small student group at UCF in 2008 and has expanded to 25 chapters that include universities, high schools and community projects in 13 countries. It is accredited as a nongovernmental organization by the United Nations. 麻豆精品 S淲e have student groups developing projects that are furthering sustainability at their schools, 麻豆精品 S� says Castro.

麻豆精品 S淚 came to UCF with a bunch of surf buddies. I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 really think I was going to get into the environmental movement. 麻豆精品 S�

Those student-led projects include outreach activities, such as a solar-powered charging station at UCF and using solar power to make smoothies at the University of Miami to promote Earth Week.

麻豆精品 S淚 came to UCF with a bunch of surf buddies, 麻豆精品 S� says Castro. 麻豆精品 S淚 didn 麻豆精品 S檛 really think I was going to get into the environmental movement. 麻豆精品 S� A class with Professor Emerita Penelope Canan spurred him to enter the environmental studies program and begin searching for opportunities to engage in promoting clean energy and sustainability issues. 麻豆精品 S淎 group of us came out of that class empowered and impassioned to do something, 麻豆精品 S� says Castro.

麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 not about protesting, 麻豆精品 S� he says. Instead, as a self-described 麻豆精品 S渟ocial eco-preneur, 麻豆精品 S� Castro contributed to campus sustainability and outreach projects while at UCF and following graduation. His work includes serving as the first U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) campus ambassador in the Southeast, helping draft a grant proposal to Progress Energy (now

Duke Energy) to install 440 solar panels at UCF, and assisting the UCF Department of Sustainability and Environmental Management with LEED certification.

Scott Minos, senior policy and communications specialist for the DOE, hired Castro as an intern and campus ambassador. 麻豆精品 S淗e is such a go-getter and has a lot of enthusiasm, 麻豆精品 S� says Minos. 麻豆精品 S淗e came into my office one day and asked, 麻豆精品 S楥an I have lunch with Bill Clinton tomorrow? 麻豆精品 S� He ended up attending a conference Clinton put on with a rather small group and met Clinton. I worked here throughout the Clinton administration and never got to meet him. 麻豆精品 S�

Today, Castro is working to establish more IDEAS For Us chapters, but also keeps busy as co-founder of Citizen Energy, which helps make commercial buildings more energy efficient.

麻豆精品 S淲hether it 麻豆精品 S檚 how we use our energy and water resources, how we discard our waste appropriately, what food we decide to eat, and how we treat the surrounding ecology 麻豆精品 S� it all has an incredible impact on our people and planet, 麻豆精品 S� Castro says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 all of us doing a little piece to make the world a better place. 麻豆精品 S�

Long May You Run

Long May You Run

On her first day on campus, Bishop says she felt like a huge fish out of water.
麻豆精品 S淚 looked like somebody 麻豆精品 S檚 mom on campus, wearing a sundress. Everybody was in jeans and on their cellphones.
I thought, 麻豆精品 S業 am out of my mind. 麻豆精品 S� I took my cellphone out but had nobody to call. Everybody I knew was at work! 麻豆精品 S�
However, her first class with UCF English instructor Peter Telep made her feel at home, she says. 麻豆精品 S淗e started talking right away about how we were all book nerds 麻豆精品 S� from then on, I felt accepted. 麻豆精品 S�

Cindy Bishop

At age 45, life started to change for Cindy Bishop, 麻豆精品 S�07. She began running road races and enrolled at UCF to study English and creative writing.

麻豆精品 S淸Running and attending college] were both things that women my age don 麻豆精品 S檛 usually attempt, but I was doing them, 麻豆精品 S� she says.

The Merritt Island, Fla., resident recently became one of 26 people from around the world to complete all six World Marathon Majors. 麻豆精品 S淭he marathon majors are the biggest races in the world, so you get to run with the fastest people in the world, 麻豆精品 S� she says.

Before reaching middle age, Bishop never considered herself athletic. 麻豆精品 S淸As a child], I was the last one picked for every sport, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚 would take my kids to sports and watch and was the snack mom. They looked like they were having so much fun. 麻豆精品 S淲hen I say I was a snack mom for my kids, I was eating those snacks too. 麻豆精品 S�

Looking to improve her physical fitness, Bishop began training in 2008 with Douglas Butler, a coach at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy who runs an adult running camp in Melbourne, Fla. She signed up for her first marathon at Walt Disney World in 2009, after several years of running 5-kilometer races. After completing the Disney marathon a minute off her projected time, the Queens, N.Y., native accomplished the New York City Marathon, the largest in the world.

麻豆精品 S淭o be honest, I just like to check things off the list, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚 just wanted to run one marathon. 麻豆精品 S� But that list kept growing, including World Marathon Majors in Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and most recently, Tokyo. In addition to running and writing a sports blog, Bishop has been busy working on her creative writing. 麻豆精品 S淚 had two short stories published in a literary anthology. Then I had a novel accepted for publication and signed a contract with a small publisher, but they went out of business, 麻豆精品 S� she says. Despite that setback, Bishop has completed a second novel and is now shopping both books to potential publishers.

Meanwhile, she and her husband are accomplishing their goal of bicycling in all 50 states together. So far, they 麻豆精品 S檝e biked in 41 states and co-write a blog about their adventures.

In the fall, she 麻豆精品 S檒l run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. And she 麻豆精品 S檒l run the Boston Marathon again. 麻豆精品 S淣ow [running in Boston] is like a political statement, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淲e have to show the terrorists that they aren 麻豆精品 S檛 going to win. 麻豆精品 S�

Bishop doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 plan on slowing down any time soon; during the London Marathon, she gained inspiration from a 101-year-old runner who finished the race.

麻豆精品 S淲e can do a lot more than people tell us we can do, 麻豆精品 S� she says.

Strange View
Strange View
麻豆精品 S淭he London marathon was so much fun because it is the only [race] that encourages people to dress up. They have wild costumes, everything from cartoon characters to people dressed as other types of athletes, like tennis players. Two men were dressed in hats and tuxedos, and when we crossed the London Bridge they pulled out a table and chairs, sat down and toasted each other. London is nuts. 麻豆精品 S�

Living with the Past

Living with the Past

Andrea Zuvich

Alumna Andrea Zuvich guides readers and tourists through royal history.

Andrea Zuvich, 麻豆精品 S�08, is 麻豆精品 S淭he Seventeenth Century Lady. 麻豆精品 S� She has played the music of the Stuart era as a flutist and performed its literature as a Shakespearean actor. She 麻豆精品 S檚 researched its history as an author. And as a royal gardens guide at Kensington Palace in London, she helps visitors experience the age firsthand.

The Stuart era became Zuvich 麻豆精品 S檚 main research interest after making a list of the things she loved about history, music, philosophy and art.
麻豆精品 S淚 think the 1600s mark a profound change in government and life philosophies, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淔rom the time of Elizabeth I 麻豆精品 S檚 death in 1603 to the reign of William and Mary in the last decade of the 17th century, we see the monarchy shift from almost absolute power to constitutional limited power. 麻豆精品 S�

A graduate of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 history and anthropology programs, Zuvich recently published her first historical fiction novella, titled His Last Mistress, which focuses on the tragic love affair between the Duke of Monmouth and Lady Henrietta Wentworth.

麻豆精品 S淚 began to study her story in depth, though it was difficult to gather much information about her, unlike the duke, whose life is abundantly detailed. I have always loved tragic romances, such as Guinevere and Lancelot, but this was real, and that makes it more touching. Henrietta was an obscure historical figure, and now, more people know about her, Monmouth and his ill-fated rebellion in 1685. 麻豆精品 S�

Zuvich, 27, decided to write historical fiction because while 麻豆精品 S渢here are some excellent academic history books out there, the vast majority of people won 麻豆精品 S檛 read them. That 麻豆精品 S檚 why for me, it is crucial to get the facts as accurate as possible. I 麻豆精品 S檝e found that in writing this type of fiction, there 麻豆精品 S檚 no need to make anything up 麻豆精品 S� as I 麻豆精品 S檝e learned with the Duke of Monmouth 麻豆精品 S檚 story, life is stranger than fiction. 麻豆精品 S�

Her love for European history started in high school, with encouragement from a history teacher at Rockledge High School in Brevard County. 麻豆精品 S淚 then had some brilliant UCF professors who had a great passion for history, 麻豆精品 S� she recalls.

In 2010, she began volunteering for the Historic Royal Palaces and an opportunity arose to lead history tours of the gardens. The Palace was home to William and Mary, Queen Victoria and others, and remains home to royal family members.

麻豆精品 S淭he gardens have changed dramatically under each successive monarch since William and Mary 麻豆精品 S檚 time, and what visitors see today is really an amalgamation of garden designs through the intervening time, 麻豆精品 S� she explains. 麻豆精品 S淭here have been changes under the Stuarts, the Georgians, the Victorians, the Edwardians, up to our current monarch, Elizabeth II, and we show images of what each stage looked like. Visitors are amazed at how different the gardens were originally 麻豆精品 S� formal, heavily manicured box hedging Baroque parterres.

麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 tangible history, 麻豆精品 S� she says of the palace. 麻豆精品 S淚 feel so comfortable there, and it 麻豆精品 S檚 become my favorite place in the world. 麻豆精品 S�

Zuvich will publish her first novel about Stuart era monarchs William and Mary in December. For Zuvich, the late 17th century 麻豆精品 S渉as everything 麻豆精品 S� debauchery, warfare, religious tensions, pestilence, art, and economic and social changes 麻豆精品 S� all of which add up to being completely interesting and enlightening. 麻豆精品 S�

An image of Kensington Palace in London
Jump to:

UCF Knights are a dynamic and driven community. These four profiles showcase students and alumni who are excelling at the arts, business, service and environmental activism 麻豆精品 S� both locally and around the world. To recommend an inspiring Knight, go to