Fort Smith Regional Chamber Of Commerce: Northside's Grizzly Gear SBE Achieves Gold Certification For The 10th Consecutive Year

Press release from the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce:

February 9, 2022

Fort Smith, AR, February 9, 2022 – Grizzly Gear, the School-Based Enterprise (SBE) at Northside High School, is among 461 school-based enterprises achieving Gold Certification for the 2021-2022 school year. This is the 10th consecutive year that the SBE at Northside has achieved Gold Certification. Grizzly Gear will be recognized during DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, GA.

A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. DECA advisors have utilized this effective educational tool for over four decades to provide their students with realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21st century skill development, and prepare students for college and careers.

The Northside High School students who contributed to the certification include Ben Maurer, Alexis Register, Braden Springs, and Chase Delaney with the assistance of their Small Business Operations teachers and DECA chapter advisors, Melinda Briscoe and Linda Holland. Grizzly Gear was established in 2011 and held its grand opening in January 2012.

“The School-Based Enterprise, Grizzly Gear, is a fully-functioning store that provides students with real life work experiences. Students design, create, and sell a product while completing all the other functions of running a small business, like maintaining inventory, tracking sales and financing, keeping work spaces clean, creating and developing marketing campaigns, and more,” said Melinda Briscoe.

“I have enjoyed watching the students learn and experience so many important life skills by working in the Grizzly Gear store. Their ideas are phenomenal and their experience builds a stronger work ethic for their future,” said Linda Holland.

“There is a lot that goes into the process of becoming Gold Certified. From the information we gathered about our business, we formatted it into a 25-page document and submitted it for review. While there were obstacles along the way, we produced a great finished product. The process was a good learning experience for me and my peers working on this project, and I’m thankful for the opportunity, said Ben Maurer, Northside High School Student.

“I am very proud of this program, our students and our teachers. Grizzly Gear has become an important part of Fort Smith. It’s always great to go to a school event or even to the grocery store and see our community wearing Grizzly Gear clothing,” said Dr. Keri Rathbun, Principal, Northside High School.

"Ten years in a row of achieving this level of certification is quite an accomplishment, especially considering the challenges that have been faced by both schools and businesses over the past two years. We would like to thank everyone involved for their support of Grizzly Gear,” added Briscoe.

“DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program is a rigorous process designed to help DECA members demonstrate their classroom learning in a practical, learning laboratory, and then translate that into meaningful outcomes,” said Christopher Young, CAE, Chief Program Officer at DECA Inc. “These DECA members are practicing important workplace readiness skills while preparing for college and careers.”

DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program provides recognition for outstanding achievement by school-based enterprises and to motivate SBEs to strive for excellence and growth. SBEs can be certified at three levels: bronze, silver or gold. In order to apply for the certification, SBEs must submit extensive documentation that explains how the SBE demonstrates the practice of various marketing and retail standards. A review committee evaluates the documentation to determine which level of certification has been achieved. DECA’s School-based Enterprise programs are sponsored by Intuit and Otis Spunkmeyer Inc.

This press release was produced by the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.