Taking business seriously

Hundreds of teens poured into NorthTown Mall on Tuesday with ambitions of scoring high enough in a regional DECA competition to compete on the state level.

About 500 high school students from Clarkston to Davenport and Deer Park practiced their presentations in the mall for the regional competition. The Distributive Education Clubs of America was formed in 1946 to help educate students in marketing and business management.

Students – some in sneakers, some in mini-skirts and sandals, most dressed for the boardroom – walked around the mall in small groups.

Each student took a one-hour test of business knowledge. Then they were given business scenarios, and told to craft responses. For instance, one student had to advise his boss on how a skate park could reduce its insurance rates. Each student is then judged and graded.

Some students, like Ashleigh Hughes, chose the more challenging task of presenting a from-scratch marketing proposal.

Hughes hoisted a 40-pound mannequin onto her shoulders and walked down a motionless escalator in high heels. She’s known as the heel girl in school because she often wears heels, she said.

The West Valley senior was all smiles after presenting her clothing plan to a panel of judges. She has ambitions of one day becoming a buyer for a large company.

“I love business,” Hughes said. “I love fashion.”

Hughes, who works for the clothing store Abercrombie and Fitch, asked her managers if she could borrow two store mannequins for her presentation. She started her project in November. She stayed up until 2 a.m. Monday night dressing the mannequins and prepping her 10-page manual that explained her advertising vision. Then she carried the two 40-pound headless dummies onto the school bus Tuesday morning.

The dummies were dressed in denim as part of her marketing pitch that Abercrombie should heavily market jeans, and she pointed out how people once wore denim as heavy-duty work clothes.

“People wore denim for everything back in the day,” she said.

Amber Brebner, a senior a Shadle Park High School, took a break before her group presentation. Students had the option of choosing one of 17 areas in which to compete. Brebner and two friends were pitching an advertising campaign for a small company. She sat in a massage chair set up just outside the Spencer’s Gifts store to try and relax.

“I’m a little nervous,” Brebner said. “We’re here to compete against all these other schools.”

Bill Christianson, a business teacher at Ferris High School who organizes the annual event, said most students take it very seriously. Most have ambitions of a business career.

“I look at myself as a trainer of professionals,” Christianson said. “We teach them all the job skills employers want them to have.”

As part of the experience this year, some students had to face a new judge, Stuart Evey, a Spokane resident and former chairman of ESPN. Evey himself attended Finch Elementary and North Central High School. Through a friend at Ferris, he was asked to come, and sat Tuesday listening to students like Brandon White from Deer Park High School.

White and teammate Andrew Rowley competed in a sports marketing category and were asked to prepare a management plan regarding an amusement park’s concession stand. White wore a navy blazer with a DECA crest on the chest.

White launched right in on his plan to give each employee a clearly defined duty and ensure that everyone receive steady feedback.

“Feedback is important to them,” Rowley said. “It makes them feel appreciated.”

“Very good, guys,” Evey said.

Last year, White made it to state and just missed qualifying for nationals, by five points.

“It’s like in sports, you have to come back,” White said.

Final results were not released to the media Tuesday.

Kyle Wilson, a junior at Mead High School, waited around until 4 p.m. for the awards ceremony. He received a plaque for finishing fourth out of 28 and will be asked to compete in Seattle the first week of March.

“Now I’m off to soccer practice,” said Wilson, a member of the Spokane Shadow team. He had to check his calendar to see if he could make finals.