DECA of Salt Lake Community College creates new opportunities for students to grow beyond the classroom. On Nov. 12, DECA will hold a workshop called “Entreprecurious” in the Student Center at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
For more information about DECA, visit utahdeca.org and nationaldeca.org. For more information about SLCC DECA, email Chris Black at Christopher.Black@slcc.edu or visit his office at the Taylorsville Redwood campus Business Building in room 207F.
Entreprecurious will feature guest speakers who will talk to those who want to start their own businesses.
There will also be a competition where the winner will earn $1,000 that is sponsored by Zion’s Bank. From there, the winner will go to the state competition and they have the opportunity to win $40,000.
“The whole objective is to help students in careers in business and marketing so that they have a chance to get some experience,” said the DECA advisor Chris Black.
DECA is an association of marketing students at SLCC who are interested in business after college level and are looking for an opportunity to build their resume and gain leadership skills.
SLCC DECA had one student walk out the door with an instant job in hand with Manheim USA.
“We have had a judge follow a young person out the door and say, ‘Pardon me, here’s my card. Would you please give me a call? I’d like to hire you’,” said Black.
In DECA’s classes and meetings, they give marketing projects to help small businesses that need marketing help
Yearly, DECA has state and international competitions to challenge other students in marketing and business tactics. State competitions will be held in February and internationals in April. During their competitions, the judges give the students either planned or non-planned scenarios.
“A financial statement analysis competition is where they compare two companies as if you were an investment counselor and you have to analyze these two companies to decide which one is a better investment for your client who happens to be the judge,” said Black.
From there, the DECA students present their ideas to the judges who then decide who the winners are. The winners of the competitions get help with their traveling costs to internationals.
“What DECA does, is it allows you to compete against students. Not just students from Salt Lake Community College but from other colleges around the state,” said Black.
At internationals, DECA will spend five days in Anaheim, California participating in the competitions, traveling and exploring the city.
SLCC DECA has worked on several projects that not only helps them progress after college but civically engage them in their community
Every Christmas, DECA puts together a Build-a-Bear project where they coordinate with the Build-a-Bear company and create 100’s of bears for the Shriners hospital. SLCC DECA has received a National DECA award for the Shriners Hospital project.
This project not only shows employers that the students in DECA can help coordinate but also that they care about their community and want to change people’s lives.
“It’s marketing and it is work but we try to have a little fun,” said Black.
