Economic Development One of the other hats I wear is sitting on the Business & Marketing Business Advisory Board for Granite School District. One of the things they are involved in every year is the DECA competition held at every high school in the state. There are local competitions on marketing, accounting, advertising, business law, merchandising and other business related topics. Winners at each school then go to a regional and eventually end up at the statewide competition. Statewide winners can then attend the national conference and participate in the competition with high school students from across the country.
This year, the National DECA conference is coming to Utah. This is a “BIG” deal. Not only do thousands of kids come here to compete, but they also bring advisors, parents and other family… a good chance to travel to Utah to see our beautiful state. In terms of the actual conference and competition, the local districts are looking for volunteers to come and judge the various competitions. There are two dates: Monday, April 23, 2012 for the Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference and Monday, April 30 for the High School DECA Competition. The Collegiate competition needs 150 local judges and the High School competition is looking for 1000 local judges. That’s right 1000 judges. The competitions will be held in Salt Lake at Little America and the Salt Palace.
Because of your many skills as business leaders in your communities, I’m asking that you consider volunteering for this great event. If you are interested in participating, go to this website and register. Many students, teachers and administrators will thank you for your generous time.
One of the other big attractions in Utah right now is the Winter Outdoor Retailers Show, where manufacturers of outdoor products converge in Utah to show off their latest and greatest. While scanning through the 
