Saint Andrew’s School senior Sabrina Greenberg (right) and her business partner, Ellie Dwyer, have been selling their hair ties at Boca Chamber business expos. Photo provided
By Faran Fagen
Before Sabrina Greenberg won the Pearl Award from the Boca Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy, she was an underclassman watching Shark Tank when a light bulb went on inside her head.
Or rather on top of her hair.
Greenberg, a senior at Saint Andrew’s and captain of the girls tennis team, was tired of seeing plastic and polyester hair ties discarded on the ground. She came across a statistic: 15 million hair ties are thrown away every day in the United States.
She vowed to change that by co-founding EcoLoops, a company that produces biodegradable hair ties designed to reduce environmental waste. She began selling them at Boca Chamber business expos.
“By creating a line of biodegradable hair ties, I hope EcoLoops can reduce plastic and polyester waste,” said Greenberg, who lives in eastern Boca Raton.
Greenberg, 17, was named the 2026 Pearl Award recipient at the Diamond Award Luncheon in Boca Raton on Feb. 20. The Pearl Award is an honor given to a young woman who is a graduate of the Boca Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy.
During her time in YEA, a guest speaker left a lasting impression by speaking not about profits or strategy, but about the importance of how leaders treat others. The message that lasting success depends on respect, trust, and making people feel seen and valued became a guiding principle for Greenberg and shaped her approach to leadership.
Through YEA, Greenberg and her business partner, senior Ellie Dwyer, co-founded EcoLoops and began working with a manufacturer to produce the ties. Rooted in the belief that small, everyday choices can create meaningful change, EcoLoops reflects Greenberg’s commitment to help both people and the environment.
Greenberg was among the first cohort of the Boca Chamber Youth Committee and served as the first-ever vice president. She began this role in late 2024 and will serve until she graduates May 23.
“Our goal is to inspire and engage with youth entrepreneurs in the Boca Raton community,” Greenberg said.
The committee meets regularly, discussing business news, hearing from guest speakers, sharing ideas, and planning youth events through the Boca Chamber.
Greenberg and crew reserve a table at the Boca Chamber business expos where they share their mission with businesspeople in Boca Raton and gain notice.
One event they’re brainstorming for the future is a youth roundtable discussion where participants will share with like-minded peers a business idea or something else about which they are passionate.
“This experience has allowed me to become more involved in the youth business community in Boca, exposed me to new perspectives on current business-related events, and fostered camaraderie with like-minded peers,” Greenberg said.
Through engaging young entrepreneurs, Greenberg has done extensive work with Breakthrough Miami, where she supports and mentors more than 120 students. She volunteered during her sophomore and junior years, was offered a teaching fellow position in the summer program (a full-time position for six weeks) and is now employed as a Success Coach.
As a teaching fellow, she assisted scholars through tutoring, leading lessons, and helping them navigate high school options.
Also via Breakthrough, she shared her experiences by teaching business and personal finance electives. Scholars discussed ideas and learned how to create a business plan, to invest, and to personally budget.
She says her family — mom Nicole, dad Cory and sister Jayden — support the EcoLoops initiative.
Greenberg, whose grades are in the top 10% of the Saint Andrew’s senior class, plans to attend Emory University in Atlanta to study political science and business on a prelaw track. She aspires to one day establish a women-owned law firm that dedicates part of its work to providing pro bono services for underserved women.
She plans to pause EcoLoops while she’s away, “while I focus on my studies and continue researching ways to improve the product and its sustainability.”
“I’m really proud of what I’ve built so far, and I hope to potentially relaunch EcoLoops in the future with an even stronger model and broader impact.”
Her advice for young entrepreneurs: “Make your own opportunities instead of waiting for them, take risks, learn from failure, and stay consistent.
“People are what make a business thrive, so making those around you feel seen and heard is essential to building strong, successful relationships.”
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