Business Students to Compete at International Conference

You're the business owner of a booming lakeside resort, but this summer season you face a difficulty threatening to capsize your company. The lake that draws so many of your guests has had to be drained--what do you do to persuade customers to return?

This was the hypothetical scenario facing seniors Wes Bramer and Dominic Badalamenti during the final round of a state competition sponsored by DECA, an organization dedicated to generating interest in careers in business and marketing among high school students.

Half an hour after receiving the details of the imperiled resort, Bramer and Badalamenti presented a detailed marketing plan to a panel of judges that outlined various ways to attract potential customers to the lakeless lakeside. The duo's ideas earned them first place and a trip to Orlanda, Fla., for the international competition running Thursday through May 4.

Bramer, who is the president of the high school's DECA chapter, recalled the rush of elation when their victory was announced.

"It was kind of funny seeing kids in business suits on stage jumping up and down," Bramer said. "I was jumping up and down and holding the (first-place) trophy high up there."

Bramer and Badalamenti will attend the international DECA conference with fellow seniors Cassandra Mezines, Ashley Semple and Kathy McCormack, who qualified in the category of fashion marketing. Also headed to Florida are two seniors, Nermina Muratovic and DeAndre McMiller, who placed third in the state competitions.

DECA adviser and Affton High School business teacher Justin Hildebrand said the efforts of Mezines, Semple and McCormack have been impressive as well. Unlike Bramer and Badalamenti, who respond to different role-plays at each competition, Hildebrand explained that the girls have created a comprehensive marketing plan for a specific retailer and will present it at each competition.

"The cool thing about these projects is that the students work closely with these organizations and businesses," Hildebrand said. "They do a good job of giving them numbers and they really work together."

Hildebrand said the competitions are designed to test students' knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship and marketing in the areas of hotel and restaurant management, fashion and advertising.

"I think it teaches them what to expect and how much work it does take to be an entrepreneur," he said. "It really teaches them how the business world works."

Although the high school's DECA chapter has only been active for five years, students from Affton have gone on to the national competition the last four years in a row. This success has generated a high level of interest in the program among the high school's student body, Hildebrand said. 

"When they see something like this and are able to participate in it, they really get an opportunity to see how it affects me and how I can be better," he said.

The real-life relevance of the program resonates with students such as Bramer, who said he plans on majoring business administration with a focus on marketing. In particular, it gives practice at honing the kind of networking skills that are all-important to success in the business world.

"The people I am meeting who are judges are working in the industry. They could be my future boss," Bramer said.

In addition to the learning and networking opportunities at the conference, the attendees also receive passes to Disney World, making the competition a trip that offers both business and pleasure.

"We get to go to all the theme parks and experience what Orlando has to offer," Hildebrand said.