State Champion Mike McMahon Discusses DECA

Reprinted from Traditions, Spring 2017-2018
July 24, 2017

With impressive results all around, the Cretin-Derham Hall DECA team made history this year at the 2017 State DECA Conference in March, including an impressive first place finisher, out of 2000 competitors.

For the past three years, DECA has been embedded into the CDH Accounting curriculum, challenging all students to complete a business planning project following the curricular unit. Many students collaborate with others to take a team approach, but others will work individually. Students can then choose whether to participate in the regional competitions with those projects.

This year, more than 60 CDH accounting students competed in the District 2 Conference in St. Paul that drew more than
900 high school students, with 29 Raiders qualifying for state which is nearly triple the previous year. In only three years,
CDH has shown remarkable increase in number of state qualifiers (In 2015, CDH has four qualifiers and in 2016, there were 11.)

Strong First Place Finish

Graduating senior Mike McMahon took first place in the State competition for his plan in the Quick Serve Restaurant Management category. He also qualified for the international competition in two events: Quick Serve Restaurant management and Start Up Business Plan. This is the first time CDH earned top spot in any category, as well as qualified for internationals.

McMahon’s first place finish was based on stellar performance in two segments: half the score comes from a test on hospitality marketing and the other half is quick problem- solving situations before a judge in which the finalists cannot prepare. In this segment, the student must analyze the situation, explore options for operations, marketing and sales and make a case for his solution.

“My scenario was a restaurant who had a goal of expanding into catering but experienced problems with suppliers and the need for healthier menu options,” explained McMahon. “I had to think on my feet to develop my own solutions (for how to help this restaurant expand even in the face of difficulties) and be able to defend my plan.”

“The problem-solving element to this competition is a little like ‘Business Improv,” explained John Pohl, Accounting Teacher and DECA coach. The students step into a role and have to draw on their skills to be successful. They do not have a chance to prepare and have a time limit to develop their plan.”

McMahon values the real world experience DECA provides. “The face-to-face interaction with the judges is a lot like what 
it will be like with a boss or co-workers.” He credits his business classes, Accounting/DECA, Introduction to Business and Business Law for giving him experiences that will be a valuable foundation for college and his career.

The idea of business as a career intrigues McMahon because of its complexity as well as how business touches all parts of life. “Business, politics and economics relate to everything!” He hopes that he will someday own his own business and is grateful for the chance to both learn and compete in business planning in his high school classes.

In addition to DECA, McMahon also participates in Leadership Academy, Student Council, Link Crew, Theater, Tennis and Intramurals, plus the Political Affairs Club.

His only regret about DECA? “I would have loved to be in DECA as a junior.”

He will be pursuing a business degree, likely in finance, at Georgetown University next fall.

What is DECA?

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs by integrating authentic, experiential learning through rigorous project-based classroom instruction. DECA partners with business and the broader community to promote relevancy and realistic insight into students’ creative solutions in the focus areas of Marketing, Business Management and Administration, Entrepreneurship, Finance, and Hospitality and Tourism.

In Minnesota, roughly 4000 students in 60 high schools participate in DECA. This is the third year CDH has participated in a DECA program through the Accounting 1 Advanced and Accounting 11 Honors classes taught by John Pohl, Business Department.

Interestingly since the 1990s, “DECA” is no longer an acronym for a more formal name due to the diversity of business and educational interests it now represents. With a well-respected mission to enhance the worldwide, co-curricular education of students with interests in marketing, management and entrepreneurship, DECA is committed to business education and preparation of emerging leaders as well as the growth of business/education partnerships. The well-known name of the organization, DECA has remained consistent throughout the growth of this organization.

This article and more are featured in the Spring 2017-2018 issue of the CDH Magazine, Traditions.