Beachwood DECA Sends Two to National Competition

Five students from the Beachwood High School Excel TECC Marketing program placed in the Top 10 in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) marketing state championships in Columbus on March 15.

Geordi Kogovsek placed first in the Principles of Business Management and Administration event, while Robert Kaufman nabbed second in the Food Marketing event. Mary Anderson, Marissa Stark, and Gavin Clark also placed in the Top 10 in their respective categories, according to a press release from the school.

Kogovsek and Kaufmann will advance to the International DECA Marketing Competition in Anaheim, California at the end of April.

More than 4,000 marketing students from across the state were tested about their knowledge of the business environment.

The competition was sponsored by the Ohio Department of Education and DECA, an international organization of marketing students. 

Under teacher Jean Getz, the Excel TECC marketing students competed in categories such as Quick Serve Restaurant Management, Retail, Food Marketing, Buying and Merchandising, Marketing Communications, and Principles of Business Management and Administration.

The students’ first night in Columbus was spent taking a written test respective to their category and the foundations of marketing. The next morning, students participated in case study scenarios with judges from the private sector. These case studies were real-world situations in which participants had to meet certain criteria by showing their competency in their respective field.

The case studies took place in two rounds. Students making it to the second round(and also the “Top Ten” finalists for the category) participated in another case study with a different judge to determine the winners of the event.