Granite State Systems Wins $15K Holloway Prize for Cold Storage Energy Solution
Granite State Systems took home the $15,000 grand prize at the 37th Paul J. Holloway Prize Innovation to Market Competition for developing a system that cuts electricity costs in cold-storage warehouses through predictive pricing and pre-cooling technology.
The winning team — finance and sustainability major Brett Schultz ’25, finance major Shea Garland ’27, and mechanical engineering major Rowan Baptista ’27 — uses sensors and machine learning to optimize energy use during off-peak hours.
Held May 6, the finals featured six interdisciplinary student teams pitching to a panel of alumni and industry leaders. UNH President Elizabeth Chilton praised the competition as “a reflection of who we are at UNH,” and Dean Lucy Gilson noted the broad representation from across campus: “Entrepreneurship does not reside in any one place.”
Granite State Systems has secured multiple pilot projects and a grant from the UNH Entrepreneurship Center, with plans to develop the product full time.
Other Winners:
- 2nd Place & People’s Choice ($12,000 total): Thrival, a deep-tissue self-massage tool by Dominic Rainville ’25.
- 3rd Place ($5,000): Aerial Perspectives, a drone services and education company founded by Ryan Guerette ’26.
$1,000 Runner-Up Awards:
- QuickQuery AI – also winner of the Embrace New Hampshire Award
- Nuelife – sustainable skin care
Obscura AI – digital privacy tool
Read more at UNH Today
