WCHS DECA students place in Virtual Business Competition

During October 18 – 29, 2021, WCHS DECA high school students competed in a Virtual Business Challenge across eight different tracks: Entrepreneurship; Fashion; Accounting; Hotel Management; Personal Finance; Restaurant Management; Retail Management; and Sports Marketing. Each track encouraged DECA members to test their skills within its particular Virtual Business environment – individually or as a team of up to three members.

The virtual business challenge competition is conducted each year by National DECA and Knowledge Matters. In the Entrepreneurship track, student competitors had to identify market opportunities, conduct market research, and open their business. They will raise finances, build a team, acquire resources, organize workflow, determine risks, and develop marketing strategies. Placing 2nd in Virginia was Nick Johnson.

In the Restaurant Management track, students competed by managing a simulated restaurant. Competitors were required to design menus, develop dining & kitchen layouts, organize staffing, purchase ingredients, consider market research, and more. Placing 2nd in Virginia was the team of Aiden Dunnet, Marcus Turner, & Titus Messineo.

The Hotel Management track required competitors to test their skills at managing a simulated hotel. Participants had to schedule banquets and meetings, set room rates, bid on group sales, book advertising, monitor customer service, determine housekeeping needs, and more. Their competition scores were based on a balanced scorecard that included profitability, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction. Placing 2nd in Virginia was Bryan Coyle.

The Virtual Business – Fashion Track of the DECA Virtual Business Challenge required DECA competitors to test their skills at managing a simulated fashion business. Participants had to conduct trend research, design garments, promote via social media, and select retail locations. The teams of Breanna Taylor & Shea Henson and of Ginger Gouda, Jaelin Henry, & Nicole Ranney placed 4th and 7th respectively in Virginia.

The Sports Track of the DECA VBC required DECA members to test their skills at managing a football franchise. Participants had to manage concessions, book events, analyze players, choose ticket prices, organize staffing needs, coordinate parking logistics, and more. Teams were ranked based on their franchise’s total profit after running the simulation for two virtual football seasons.

The following teams of student competitors placed in Virginia as indicated:

• 3rd Place: Landon Pond, Adam Andlinger, & Dagan Wayland
• 5th Place: Kaleb Jackson
• 6th Place: Ayden Phelan & Josh Carroll
• 7th Place: Jordan Bodvig
• 9th Place: Kayal Lopez, Donovan Carson, & Noah Smelser